Brooks Koepka was one of the many golfers who were part of the excerpt released on Wednesday from Alan Shipnuck’s new book “LIV and Let Die.”
Following the completion of LIV Golf’s second ever tournament last year in London, Koepka joined Jason Kokrak, Pat and Ashley Perez, and Dustin Johnson with his wife Paulina for some drinks.
That’s when the reigning PGA Championship winner went in on some of his Ryder Cup teammates, according to Shipnuck:
“F**k all of those country club kids who talk shit about me,” Koepka said, referring to the likes of Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth and others. “You think I give a f**k what they think? You think I care what people say about me? I just had three surgeries, and I’m supposed to turn down $130 million? I grew up with nothing. After signing that contract, the first person I called was my mom. We both cried.”
That quote blew up all over social media, and caught the attention of both Thomas and Koepka.
Interestingly, both players joined in on bashing Shipnuck instead of each other.
“I’d like to speak on behalf of a lot of Tour players and say we’re sick of @AlanShipnuck doing what he does,” Thomas wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Bring positivity and good stories to help grow the game of golf, not try and make money bashing guys, earning zero trust, with a lot of incorrect information. Ridiculous.”
Koepka then doubled down, quote tweeting “and LIV players.”
The story received so much attention, even Koepka’s mother chimed in. She immediately shot down a surprising part of that claim.
“Just to clarify, the only time my son @BKoepka and I cried together was when he was born,” Denise Jakows wrote. “He was testing lungs for the first time; I was glad the pregnancy ordeal was over. End of story.”
Just to clarify, the only time my son @BKoepka and I cried together was when he was born. He was testing lungs for the first time; I was glad the pregnancy ordeal was over. End of story.
— denise jakows (@DJakows) October 4, 2023
Many of Shipnuck’s sources were anonymous due to numerous legal actions between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf that have surfaced in the last two years.
That’s far from the only controversial stories released from the excerpt. Rory McIlroy took the brunt of another such story, as did Tiger Woods.
The book will be available to the public on Oct. 17.
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports for more golf coverage. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough too.
