When Brooks Koepka sat down for Jake Paul’s BS podcast, the opening exchange was with Paul – a YouTuber turned boxer he and the podcaster – set up what happened next
Brandon Amato (host) ): “What’s going on?
Brooks Koepka: “Not much, man. I just got back from Italy…”
BA: “Why are you in Italy?
BK: “Ryder Cup.”
Jake Paul (host): “So it’s the United States versus…”
BK: “Europe.”
Why is this important? This is important because usually when Koepka faces questions, they come from a group of golf media members who not only know the general dates and locations of the Ryder Cup but also have an encyclopedic knowledge about Koepka’s career, how it fits into golf. Generally speaking.
scenery and maybe even the driver’s specifications in his pocket. Our last name? – Maybe I know a little too much. It can be suffocating. That doesn’t mean he isn’t entertaining in golf press conferences. He is! But there are benefits to sitting down with people outside the golf world, whether it’s his semi-regular appearances on Pardon My Take or this show, BS with Jake Paul. Especially since it brings us closer to answering one of the biggest questions in Koepka’s life as a professional golfer:
Why did he come to LIV?
First of all, it’s interesting to hear Koepka being asked to explain what’s going on with the LIV/PGA Tour merger. Whether it’s the setting, the presenter, or the directness of the question, in that context there’s an incentive to actually try to answer.
“We talked about how can both exist?” Koepka said. “Neither of them can do that.” You’ve divided up some of the best players in the world and now they’re trying to put it all together. So I know as much as anyone else. It’s a merger.
That’s all I know. There will be a NewCo where hopefully all the best players in the world will come together, everyone will be able to see them in one event instead of being so discrete.
Next up is another exceptionally direct question that would come from aspiring billionaire Jake Paul rather than a microphone-wielding golf journalist:
“For example, can you tell us about the LIV contract How big is it?”
“It was good,” Koepka said, smiling.
Overall, we know how big Koepka’s contract is. Reports have called for around $100 million for a four-year contract. But he never publicly confirmed this amount. That is, until Paul pressed for more details – “oh, eight digits, nine digits…?” – and Koepka responded.
“It’s nine o’clock.”
“For those who don’t know how to count, that’s $100 million
And then came the big-picture explanation, in which Koepka offered his motivation behind defecting from the PGA Tour to join the controversial startup.
“I’m gonna be honest with you: I signed for the dough,” he said. “I’m 100 percent behind that. Tomorrow I can go get in a car accident and never play golf again and my family’s taken care of. And that was a big thing for me, like, I’m not doing it for anything else. Everybody else, they go to their 9 to 5, most people don’t like their 9 to 5 but they’re doing it because of their paycheck, and that is the same thing as us.”
Whatever you think of that explanation and however you may feel about Koepka, LIV or the PGA Tour, it feels honest and straightforward and you can go from there. (Although it’s worth noting that Koepka already had banked in the neighborhood of $40 million just in on-course earnings before joining LIV.) And while Koepka did add a point of clarification — he actually does love golf, despite not watching much in his free time — he’s eager to maximize his value.
“I’d say that I would do it for free because I love it that much,” he said. “But at the same time, we’ve gotta take care of each other.”
It’s safe to say Koepka found a group of sympathetic hosts.
“You gotta go where the money’s at. The money’s definitely in Saudi,” one responded.
Koepka dished on plenty else in the interview, too.
He explained his Netflix appearance, which came at a low point in his career:
“I lost all confidence. I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to keep playing, which I think is really kind of. It’s not fun,” he said. But he also explained that, to get out of that state, he dove into the work.
“I was like, you know what? I’ve got to re commit myself to the rehab, make sure that rehab is fully done every single day. And my knee, then you know what? I’m going to train harder in the gym, and I’m just going to practice harder. I’m just going to refuse to lose. I’m not going to. I’m not going to let this thing break me.”
He also told a terrific story about an exchange with his longtime caddie (and good friend), Ricky Elliott:
“Two years ago, I hit a dumb shot and I blamed him. Whatever, it happens, we get into a little argument and I said something and he told me to ‘shut the f— up.’
“And I responded, I forget what I said. But we didn’t talk for the rest of the tournament, which is three more days.
“We didn’t say one word to each other, but we still showed up. And you’ve got 5 hours with the guy!”
Koepka confirmed that it was all good with Elliott shortly thereafter — “he’s the best” he said, and “you hash it out, you figure it out and you move on” — but it was still a look into the intensity of Koepka’s on-course persona.
The interviewers revisited his feud with Bryson DeChambeau, with Paul offering to put up $1 million for each of them to square off in a boxing match. Koepka was down for that. They talked about the moment he became better at golf than his father — at age 13, though “to this day, I don’t think he even admits it,” Koepka added — and about the feeling of being a father himself.
He teased the idea that he’d still like to get to double-digit majors, and that if he could just win two more, to get to seven, he’d be in the top 10 of all time.
They even get into a debate on the merits of flying private internationally versus a first-class seat on Emirates. (“It’s like, a shower with a whole-ass bathroom,” Koepka explains.)
The most telling moment came from the pod’s third host, Jasper, in disbelief when Koepka mentioned flying private to Saudi Arabia for LIV’s final regular-season event.
This golf s— is like money laundering,” he said. “I need in.”
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