Brooks Koepka, the reigning PGA champion, put himself in contention for a green jacket at the Masters on Friday with a flawless 67, keeping his charge alive. However, his impressive round came amidst controversy surrounding the tournament’s new rule on limited video review. As the debate over technology in golf continues, Koepka’s performance puts him in a prime position to compete for the coveted title.
Brooks Koepka, a four-time Major winner, secured an impressive clubhouse target on day two of the 87th Masters despite the controversial ruling debate that lingered over him. Following an opening of 65 at Augusta National, Koepka shared the overnight lead with Jon Rahm and Viktor Hovland. He was excited for an early start to his Friday, with rain and thunderstorms predicted later in the day. Koepka took full advantage of the ideal conditions and posted a flawless 67 for a halfway total of 12 under par, placing him in pole position to claim his fifth Major title and first since the 2019 US PGA Championship.
During Koepka’s first round, an incident continued to be debated, where his caddie appeared to give advice to Gary Woodland’s caddie on the 15th. Refuting the claim, the pair got cleared of any wrongdoing. Former Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley expressed his disbelief on Golf Channel and said, “Whether you like it or not, it happens in every professional tournament around the world… If the authorities want to stamp this out [they would] really come down on this and make an example of it, and obviously they haven’t. They’ve chosen not to do that, and it looked very clearly the evidence was against them.”
Rory McIlroy, the pre-tournament joint-favourite, had a tough time making the halfway cut after he covered the first 11 holes of his second round in five over par. McIlroy dropped shots on the second, third, sixth, seventh, and eleventh, falling outside of the projected cut mark.
As the controversy surrounding his recent comments continues to swirl, Brooks Koepka remained steadfast on the golf course, posting a flawless 67 to keep up his Masters charge. While the drama off the course certainly adds a layer of intrigue to this year’s tournament, it’s Koepka’s impressive play that has fans on the edge of their seats. With two rounds to go, anything can happen at the Masters, and all eyes will be on Koepka as he looks to claim his fifth major championship. We can only hope that the focus remains on the action on the course and not the distractions off of it.
