Golf

Dave Portnoy Calls out ‘Slimy’ Brooks Koepka for Jumping to LIV Golf Days After Arrogant Denial

Disclosure
We publish independently audited information that meets our strong editorial guidelines. Be aware we may earn a commission if you purchase anything via links on our pages.
(L-R) golfer Brooks Koepka, who just joined LIV Golf, at the U.S. Open; Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy.

Golfer Brooks Koepka lashed out at the media during the U.S. Open. The offense? A reporter dared to ask if he’s considering leaving the PGA tour for LIV Golf. Koepka claimed he’d given the move no thought, then promptly announced he’s joining the Saudi-backed tour just a few days later. Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy found the perfect word to sum this whole saga up: “Slimy.”

Brooks Koepka is moving to LIV Golf after giving a patronizing answer on the subject

During a U.S. Open press conference, a reporter had the audacity to ask Brook Koepka “if there was a [monetary] figure that would make you swap tours” from the PGA to LIV Golf?

Koepka responded in his typically arrogant way:

I haven’t given it that much thought. I don’t understand — I’m trying to focus on the U.S. Open, man. Like, I legitimately don’t get it. I’m tired of the conversation. I’m tired of all this stuff. Like I said, ya’ll are throwing a black cloud on the U.S. Open, and I think that sucks. And I actually do feel bad for them for once. I mean, it’s a s***** situation. We’re here to play, and you’re talking about an event that happened last week. … You can’t drive a car looking in the rearview mirror.

Brooks Koepka on moving to LIV Golf

Less than 48 hours after the U.S. Open ended, the news of Koepka joining LIV Golf came out.

Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy perfectly summed up what many golf fans were thinking after the news hit, tweeting, “Everything this guy does is slimy.”

It’s not that making a move to LIV Golf is a bad decision for Koepka. He’s earned $37.9 million on the PGA Tour, but after taking home $5.2 million in 2020-21, he’s only made $1.3 million this season thanks to injuries and poor form.

While the exact dollar figure hasn’t been reported yet, it stands to reason that Koepka is taking a nine-figure deal to make the move, just as stars like Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson did.

That’s why Portnoy is right. The move is the move, and golf fans can think about that as they may. The arrogant and belittling denial is the part to take issue with because it was “slimy.”

Like Sportscasting on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

RELATED: Updated LIV Golf Roster

Author photo
Tim Crean
Sports Editor

Tim Crean started writing about sports in 2016 and joined Sportscasting in 2021. He excels with his versatile coverage of the NFL and soccer landscape, as well as his expertise breaking down sports media, which stems from his many years downloading podcasts before they were even cool and countless hours spent listening to Mike & The Mad Dog and The Dan Patrick Show, among other programs. As a longtime self-professed sports junkie who even played DII lacrosse at LeMoyne College in Syracuse, New York, Tim loves reading about all the latest sports news every day and considers it a dream to write about sports professionally. He's a lifelong Buffalo Bills fan from Western New York who mistakenly thought, back in the early '90s, that his team would be in the Super Bowl every year. He started following European soccer — with a Manchester City focus — in the early 2000s after spending far too much time playing FIFA. When he's not enjoying a round of golf or coaching youth soccer and flag football, Tim likes reading the work of Bill Simmons, Tony Kornheiser, Chuck Klosterman, and Tom Wolfe.

Get to know Tim Crean better
Author photo
Tim Crean Sports Editor

Tim Crean started writing about sports in 2016 and joined Sportscasting in 2021. He excels with his versatile coverage of the NFL and soccer landscape, as well as his expertise breaking down sports media, which stems from his many years downloading podcasts before they were even cool and countless hours spent listening to Mike & The Mad Dog and The Dan Patrick Show, among other programs. As a longtime self-professed sports junkie who even played DII lacrosse at LeMoyne College in Syracuse, New York, Tim loves reading about all the latest sports news every day and considers it a dream to write about sports professionally. He's a lifelong Buffalo Bills fan from Western New York who mistakenly thought, back in the early '90s, that his team would be in the Super Bowl every year. He started following European soccer — with a Manchester City focus — in the early 2000s after spending far too much time playing FIFA. When he's not enjoying a round of golf or coaching youth soccer and flag football, Tim likes reading the work of Bill Simmons, Tony Kornheiser, Chuck Klosterman, and Tom Wolfe.

All posts by Tim Crean