A terrible run of results for Brooks Koepka continued on Friday, with the five-time major champion enduring a nightmare round to miss the cut at the Irish Open
Brooks Koepka carded an eight-over-par round of 80 at The K Club on Friday(Image: Warren Little/Getty Images)
Brooks Koepka’s nightmare season continued on Friday with the five-time major champion missing the cut by a wide margin at the Irish Open after a horror second round.
Disappointment follows Koepka on the course at every turn in recent months, and he missed out on a spot on Keegan Bradley’s American Ryder Cup team due to his dramatic downturn in form. The former world No. 1 endured a woeful year at the majors, missing the cut at the Masters, PGA Championship and Open Championship.
He went without a LIV Golf win, too, and his dismal run of results continued at The K Club near Dublin on Friday. Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry are among the big names in the hunt in County Kildare.
But Koepka will not be involved over the weekend after a disastrous second loop at the 2006 Ryder Cup host venue. He opened up with a one-under-par first round on Thursday.
An eight-over-par round of 80 would follow on Friday, though, and he missed the cut by seven shots. Damningly, Koepka finished 19 shots behind leader Joakim Lagergren through 36 holes.
Koepka was seen as a strong contender to make the Ryder Cup team at the start of a the year. Addressing the situation this week, he knew he had nowhere to hide.
Koepka has been a shadow of his former self in recent months
“I played my way off it so I can’t be disappointed,” said Koepka, via Off The Ball. “I did it myself. It’s not anything I’m not aware of. I’m not shying away from it. It’s just bad timing. You have one down year, but if it’s the year after the Ryder Cup, it’s a whole lot easier to play catch-up.
“Just the situation I’m in, being on LIV and then not playing well. I don’t think LIV had anything to do with me not being on the team, but it was more of the timing of the year and trying to get that ball rolling, which I’ve been doing.”
He continued: “I haven’t played very good this year. It’s felt good and then it’s completely disappeared. It ebbs and flows. Golf’s crazy. You feel one minute you’re never going to find it again, and then all of a sudden it’s one swing and you’re back for six months.
“The putter has let me down this year, and if you’re not making putts, you’re not comfortable and not confident, it makes it very difficult.
“I haven’t really made anything inside eight feet, which has been the bread and butter my whole career. It’s tough; it means you’ve got to hit it close, it puts a little more pressure on your irons, and hit it in the fairway. It goes through your whole game at that point.”
McIlroy, meanwhile, is in the hunt for victory in his home open after a six-under-par 66 on Friday, taking him to seven-under for the tournament and within five shots of the lead heading into the weekend.
“I’m really pleased with the day’s work, and it keeps me within touching distance going into the weekend,” McIlroy, who holds a share of third place, said. “Obviously, the two boys are a little bit ahead of the rest of the pack, but I feel like I’m close enough, if I do have a good weekend, to chase them down.”
