"I wasn't thinking about golf" - Ex-LIV Golfer Chase Koepka makes big revelation about his off time after relegation

Chase Koepka is currently in India for the International Series opener. This is his first event since the LIV Golf 2023 season. He said that during his 15-month break, he wasn’t thinking about golf and was more focused on getting healthy.

Koepka played two seasons on LIV Golf, but in 2023, he was relegated and lost his contract. Following this, he failed to qualify through the LIV Golf Promotions event and also suffered an injury that forced him to stay away from the game for more than a year.

On Friday, January 31, during a post-round interview at the International Series India, Koepka was asked if quitting the game had crossed his mind during his 15-month absence.

"I was in so much pain that there was a lot of negativity," he replied media including Sportskeeda. "I knew I always wanted to try and come back, but I just wanted to get healthy first. From January to June, I wasn’t even thinking about golf. I tried hitting balls in June, and my shoulder popped out again. The pain was constant—I wasn’t sleeping, I wasn’t doing much. It was just tough, day in and day out, just trying to feel better.

"Luckily, I had the time to get healthy. A lot of athletes rush back and regret it, but I was fortunate to take the whole season to recover. Even when I came back to hitting balls, I didn’t hit a full shot until the second week of November. I saw my coach in November, again in December, and we just said, 'It may not be tournament-ready, but let’s go play.'" he added.

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How did Chase Koepka perform at the International Series India, Round 2?

Chase Koepka carded an even-par 72 in the second round of the International Series India, bringing his total to 2-under after 36 holes. In the third round, he started strong with two birdies but also made two bogeys. He is currently tied for sixth, five strokes behind leader Joaquin Niemann.

Here's the leaderboard for the International Series India, Day 3 (at the time of writing):

• 1. Joaquin Niemann -7 (8)
• 2. Kazuki Higa -6 (8)
• 3. Ollie Schniederjans -4 (8)
• T4. Travis Smyth -3 (8)
• T4. Eugenio Chacarra -3 (8)*
• T6. Danthai Boonma -2 (7)*
• T6. Chase Koepka -2 (7)*
• T8. Charlie Lindh -1 (9)*
• T8. Kevin Yuan -1 (8)*
• T8. Bryson DeChambeau -1 (8)*
• T8. Justin Quiban -1 (7)*
• T12. M.J. Maguire Par (9)
• T12. Julien Sale Par (8)*