Brooks Koepka has withdrawn from next week’s U.S. Open at Winged Foot Golf Club in New York.
Koepka won the event in 2017 and 2018, and was runner-up to Gary Woodland last year, but has been hampered by injuries this season.
Unfortunately, I have decided to withdraw from next week’s U.S. Open. I’m looking forward to getting healthy and competing at 100% again very soon. pic.twitter.com/Mukh8oKUEJ
— Brooks Koepka (@BKoepka) September 9, 2020
Last year he had a stem-cell treatment for a partially-torn patellar tendon in his left knee. He re-injured the knee two starts later after slipping on wet concrete at THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES.
“Everything felt good, and then in Korea, I re-tore it and the kneecap had moved into the fat pad,” Koepka said. “That’s excruciating. It’s a lot of pain. It’s not fun.”
He missed the cut or withdrew from three of his five starts before the season was halted by the coronavirus pandemic, and didn’t finish better than 40th.
He showed some promise once the season resumed, shooting eight consecutive rounds in the 60s en route to a T32 at the Charles Schwab Challenge and seventh at the RBC Heritage.
Last month, he appeared to be peaking just in time for the year’s first major after finishing runner-up at the World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational.
Koepka got off to a good start at the PGA Championship but also received medical treatment on the course during the second round. He said his left hip was tight but it was not a cause for concern.
“It’s fine,” Koepka said. “I woke up this morning, it was tight, and worked out and it got even tighter and then we loosened it up. It was a little tight when I was hitting balls on the range, but it’s nothing to be worried about. We’ll loosen it up again and it will be a lot better.”
He was just two shots off the lead entering the final round at TPC Harding Park before fading with a final-round 74. He missed the cut at the following week’s Wyndham Championship. That was his final event of the season. He withdrew from the FedExCup Playoffs opener, THE NORTHERN TRUST, and finished 104th in the FedExCup.
“It’s not the knee,” he said after missing the cut at the Wyndham Championship. “This is physical. I know how to do it, I can do it, I just physically can’t do it.
“My golf swing is fine. If I can physically do it, then yes, everything’s fine.”
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