Brooks Koepka -- LIV golfers not 'washed up' after strong Masters performances

AUGUSTA, Ga. — After LIV Golf League captain Brooks Koepka failed to hold a 54-hole lead in the final round of the Masters on Sunday, it was fairly obvious what the most oft-told joke would be on social media this week.

Koepka wasn't used to playing 72 holes.

But after all the pre-Masters discussion about LIV Golf League members not playing in enough tournaments or not competing in high-pressure events, the second-year circuit's representatives fared pretty well at Augusta National Golf Club.

Koepka, a four-time major championship winner, came up short Sunday, losing to Spain's Jon Rahm by four strokes. Koepka tied for second with three-time Masters champion Phil Mickelson, another LIV Golf League captain, who carded a 7-under 65 in the final round to finish 8 under.

LIV Golf League member Patrick Reed, the 2018 Masters champion, tied for fourth at 7 under.

«We're still the same people,» said Koepka, who missed the cut in his two previous Masters starts while recovering from a serious knee injury. «So I mean, I know if I'm healthy, I know I can compete. I don't think any of the guys that played this event thought otherwise, either. When Phil plays good, we know he's going to compete. Reed, the same thing.

»I think that's just manufactured by the media that we can't compete anymore; that we are washed up."

Koepka, 32, said earlier this week that if he hadn't seriously injured his right knee in a fall in March 2021, it would have made his decision to leave the PGA Tour in June more difficult. Before winning last week's LIV Golf League tournament in Orlando, Florida, Koepka hadn't been playing very well.

LIV Golf League players haven't received world-ranking points for their finishes in events during the breakaway circuit's