PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Brooks Koepka just can’t manage to stay healthy. Koepka has been recovering a partial tear to the ECU tendon in his left wrist for months. Before play began at The Players, he suffered an unfortunate mishap.
Koepka was on the back of the range at TPC Sawgrass when a cart drove directly across his path causing him to suddenly stop his very powerful swing in order to avoid hitting it or the driver with a ball.
“This guy drove a cart across, and I mean I unloaded everything,” Koepka said. “There were a bunch of guys that were around that were like, ‘Holy s—. Can’t believe you actually stopped that.’ I watched the club go this way and go back. I think it was the first time my strength actually backfired, being strong enough to actually stop it.”
Koepka estimated that the cart drove only 15 yards in front of him, and had he finished the swing he said, “He would have been dead, it was perfect timing.”
Koepka underwent an MRI on Wednesday and was given the all clear and was still able to card an opening round 70.
“The ECU’s a little sore. Kind of in the same spot, but it actually hurts in a little different spot, it’s kind of more in the middle of the wrist. It’s bone-on-bone right now.
“He just kept going. I don’t think he had any idea. I don’t think he had any idea what the hell he was doing, to be honest with you. He just kept driving across.”
Brutal.