NORTON, Mass. — Four-time major winner Brooks Koepka has withdrawn from the Northern Trust due to a knee and hip-related injury.
After finishing tied for 29th at the PGA Championship in San Francisco, Koepka played last week at the Wyndham Championship and missed the cut. He came to Massachusetts but never practiced or came to TPC Boston, site of this week’s tournament.
Koepka entered the week No. 97 on the FedEx Cup point list and only players ranked 70 or better are eligible to compete next week at the BMW Championship at Olympia Fields in Chicago, so his 2019-20 season is over.
After missing the cut, Koepka told reporters that he was favoring his left leg, but the issue was not with his knee. He said that he planned to rest over the weekend instead of practicing.
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Koepka underwent a stem cell procedure on his left knee in September after struggling with a partially torn patella tendon last season. He re-aggravated the knee after slipping on wet concrete at the CJ Cup at Nine Bridges and was forced to withdraw from the tournament. The two-time PGA Championship winner said walking downhill was still “a pain” on his injured knee during tournaments in July.
While Koepka will surely be disappointed after withdrawing, it could be a blessing in disguise. The U.S. Open is scheduled to start on September 14. Golfers who qualify for the Tour Championship will play three weeks of playoff events, then likely will take one week off before arriving in Mamaroneck, New York, for the event that is annually billed as the toughest tournament in the sport. If Koepka is having trouble with his hip or knee, an extended break might help his chances of winning a third U.S. Open.
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