“Injured” Brooks Koepka set to PLAY in Masters

Brooks Koepka has travelled to Augusta and intends to play in this week’s Masters Tournament – despite undergoing knee surgery less than three weeks ago.

The four-time major champion underwent a procedure on March 16 to repair a dislocated kneecap and ligament damage in his right knee.

According to initial tour reports, it was feared that the 30-year-old could miss up to eight months following the surgery.

Instead, he’s ready to take his place in the field when the first men’s major of the year gets underway on Thursday.

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According to ESPN golf correspondent Bob Harig, Koepka played four holes – Nos. 1, 2, 8 and 9 – on Sunday following a short range session.

Afterwards, he told Harig: “If I knew I was going to finish second, I wouldn’t have shown up. Seven days out of surgery, I was hitting balls. I don’t think anybody expected this. I didn’t know.

“The goal was to play Augusta and so we were going to see if we could play. We were hopeful we were going to be here. A couple of bad days or anything like that it could set you back quite a while.”

Koepka revealed that he has been undergoing “seven-plus hours every day” of rehab to get himself in a position to play.

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You can understand his desire to get ready for this week. 

The American, who ended an 18-month winless drought on the PGA Tour by claiming the Waste Management Phoenix Open in February, has an excellent Masters record. He finished seventh at Augusta in November and tied for second behind Tiger Woods in 2019.

He also finished runner-up on his most recent PGA Tour start, the WGC-Workday Championship at The Concession Country Club in Florida at the end of February.