Brooks Koepka hasn't been having a great time on the golf course lately. His last win on the PGA Tour or 72 holes event was at the WM Phoenix Open 2021. He has since switched to the new LIV Golf, a Saudi-backed circuit. He won the 54-hole event at one of LIV's invitationals in October but hasn't been the same player he was.
Koepka was playing in the International Series Oman where he once again had an underwhelming performance scoring 74, and 78 on the first two days, eventually missing the cut by two shots.
The disappointment was visible in golf fans' reactions on social media. Here's a look at a few of them:
"just sad at this point"
"and we should all have 50-1 tickets"
"Friend of mine was his walking scorer for this—she said he was NOT having any fun."
"Might want to add that there was only 9 guys under par all day? Wasn't easy out there."
"Two years ago this week, Brooks Koepka won the Phoenix Open and got emotional about what will likely be his last PGA Tour win."
"what if they are properly ranked?
"what if some of them are ranked too... high"
"How many LIV players make the cut at the masters? A couple maybe?"
"I thought a big draw to joining LIV was to play an easier schedule? Yet here's Brooks Koepka grinding through a nothing tournament in Oman wherever that is."
"There's a few golf "journalists" I'll have in mind for my first tweet when Brooks is wrapped in green come April."
"Damn that's actually kind of sad."
"It sucks, but I don’t see him bouncing back in the majors at this point."
"Cut him some slack. He doesn’t have to travel as much now and doesn’t have to play when he doesn’t want to.
"He made a mistake leaving the @PGATOUR and I think he knows it."
Takumi Kanaya leads in Asian Tour's International Series Oman
The second day of the Asian Tour's International Series Oman wasn't an easy one to play. Amidst the windy conditions, no player could break 70 on Friday.
Takumi Kanaya of Japan led the table after two days at Al Mouj Golf Club. He scored 1-under 71 to move to 4-under after 36 holes, one shot ahead of Ryo Hisatsune. The 24-year-old scored four birdies in a seven-hole stretch from Hole 7 to Hole 13, and two bogeys in the last four holes.
“Today was a tough day, the breeze was very strong,” said Kanaya. “But yeah, I’m feeling great, I shot 71 and that’s good score. I like ball control, it’s my favorite, so yeah, I have a chance.”
Kanaya hasn't won on the Japan Tour since 2021 which has affected his rankings as he slipped to World No. 169 from once being a top 50 player in the OWGR.
Joaquin Niemann was another player to score 70 on Friday. He is tied for third at 2-under alongside Zach Murray, Berry Henson, and Yonggu Shin.