Koepka Back In LIV Golf Action Just A Week After Birth Of His First Child
Brooks Koepka was back on the range and ready to play in the latest LIV Golf event just a week after the birth of his first child
If you've ever heard of the 'nappy factor' in golf then you'll be backing Brooks Koepka to go well at this week's LIV Golf League event at The Greenbrier as he tees it up in action just a week after the birth of his first child.
His son Crew arrived six weeks early but Koepka's wife Jena Sims and the new baby are doing well despite the little one needing monitoring in hospital after such an early arrival.
“That’s all that matters,” Koepka said about the health of his family as he arrived at The Greenbrier on Thursday to hit the range ahead of the tournament on Friday.
The Smash GC captain will celebrate being a new dad by playing alongside Graeme McDowell and Patrick Reed in the first round of the shotgun start tournament.
There's often a new baby bounce for golfers who play soon after becoming parents, especially for the first time.
The theory is that with now something much more important to focus on, it takes the pressure off performing on the golf course - although Koepka was hardly a figure who looked to struggle with pressure.
With back-to-back weeks of LIV Golf action in the USA, Crew Koepka picked a difficult time to make his appearance, and his dad is already looking forward to getting back home even before teeing off.
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“It’s crazy. It’s pretty wild, that’s for sure," Koepka said about becoming a dad. "It’s definitely different. Love the little guy. Honestly, I can’t wait to get back and see him.”
Of course, Crew could have done his dad a big favour by arriving so early as the Koepkas can get familiar with their new family life well before the Ryder Cup starts in Rome at the end of September.
After collecting his fifth Major by winning the PGA Championship this year, Koepka is now all-but qualified for Zach Johnson's Team USA.
Dustin Johnson must be a consideration given his last Ryder Cup performance but the likes of fellow LIV players Patrick Reed, Bryson DeChambeau and Phil Mickelson are thought to be out of the reckoning.
Talor Gooch has been a popular suggestion after winning three of the nine LIV Golf events so far - and if he can add another in the next two weeks then he might prove impossible for Johnson to ignore.
Paul Higham is a sports journalist with over 20 years of experience in covering most major sporting events for both Sky Sports and BBC Sport. He is currently freelance and covers the golf majors on the BBC Sport website. Highlights over the years include covering that epic Monday finish in the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor and watching Rory McIlroy produce one of the most dominant Major wins at the 2011 US Open at Congressional. He also writes betting previews and still feels strangely proud of backing Danny Willett when he won the Masters in 2016 - Willett also praised his putting stroke during a media event before the Open at Hoylake. Favourite interviews he's conducted have been with McIlroy, Paul McGinley, Thomas Bjorn, Rickie Fowler and the enigma that is Victor Dubuisson. A big fan of watching any golf from any tour, sadly he spends more time writing about golf than playing these days with two young children, and as a big fair weather golfer claims playing in shorts is worth at least five shots. Being from Liverpool he loves the likes of Hoylake, Birkdale and the stretch of tracks along England's Golf Coast, but would say his favourite courses played are Kingsbarns and Portrush.
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