As he continues the road back from a long-lasting injury, Chase Koepka earned a spot in this week's Korn Ferry Tour event via Monday qualifying.
OMAHA, Neb. — There’s a new member of the club of former LIV Golf players who have made their way back to PGA Tour-adjacent competition. His name might ring a bell, and it wasn’t too long ago when he couldn’t even manage to squeeze his left hand.
Chase Koepka, playing through a shoulder injury, struggled in his only season with LIV Golf, placing 40th or worse in 10 of the 14 events, which featured fields of just 48 players. His best finish was a T-23 at LIV Golf Tulsa in 2023.
Those results led to his relegation from LIV Golf, where he was a member of his brother Brooks’ Smash GC team, leaving him to take some forced but welcomed time off to allow his shoulder to heal.
What was supposed to be a somewhat brief break for routine labrum rehab turned into an endeavor far more arduous. Koepka’s shoulder refused to heal and an accurate diagnosis proved difficult to obtain.
Asked if he ever considered simply calling it a career, Koepka asserted that it was a likely outcome at the time. “Oh yeah, oh yeah, 100 percent. I mean, the amount of pain that I was going through every day, it didn't seem like, until I got my surgery, that there was a light at the end of the tunnel. Every day, it was just, I couldn't wait to go to bed. Every day I woke up like that for about three months.”
That light arrived in the form of a May 2024 procedure that made a Chase Koepka comeback possible.
“I was missing playing golf. Luckily, my support system was there and kind of just told me to get through it until we got to see the right doctors to help me out. A team of doctors out in L.A. really hit the nail on the head and was able to figure out exactly what was wrong.
“I obviously had come off a really tough year, and you know, I just really just didn’t want my career to end like that.”
Part of that support system was his brother, Brooks Koepka, a five-time major champion and one of LIV Golf’s premier stars.
“In that time, [Brooks] was just trying to stay positive, in good spirits until I had my surgery, but once I was kind of getting ready to have my surgery, he was like, ‘You just got to work your tail off.’
“He's been through a bunch of injuries. So, for me to be able to kind of lean on him a little bit and be like, ‘What's this process? How?’ And he just told me, ‘Bust your butt in rehab.’”
Brooks helped Chase navigate the mental and physical challenges of returning to form after an invasive surgery to repair what Chase referred to as “like a torn nerve or whatever.” A simple diagnosis for an obviously serious problem.
“It was a long four months of rehab. I mean, I had to learn how to hold stuff in my hand again and be able to squeeze with my left hand.”
Unfortunately, squeezing with your left hand happens to be a fundamental pillar of the golf swing, so he had to take the entirety of the 2024 season off as he worked his way back to a point where he could live a normal life free of constant pain, let alone play golf at a high level.
He eventually returned to competition on the Asian Tour in January when he competed in the 2025 Smart Infinity Philippine Open. He missed the cut there, but the very next week finished T-8 at International Series India amid a stacked field that featured the likes of Bryson DeChambeau and Joaquin Niemann.
In March, Koepka nabbed another top-20 finish at the International Series Macau, but he missed the cut in his two most recent starts on the Asian Tour.
Two weeks ago, he lost in a playoff for the final spot at the Monday open-qualifying event for the Korn Ferry Tour’s Utah Championship, but this week, he won one of two KFT Monday qualifiers outright, firing a 7-under 65 to earn a spot at the Pinnacle Bank Championship in Omaha, Nebraska.
The first to congratulate him? Brooks.
“Funny enough, he was my first call and he called me,” Chase said. “Usually, I have to call him to get in touch with him, but he called me and just told me congrats. He was out grinding this week, too.”
While Brooks was preparing for LIV Golf Chicago, which began Friday, his little brother Chase was making his first appearance in a PGA-sanctioned U.S. event since 2022. After a round of 2-under 69 on Thursday, Chase stumbled Friday to the tune of a 5-over 76, ultimately missing the cut.
Still, simply being there is another sign of a promising start on a long road back for Koepka after 15 straight months away from the game.
“It was just such a long time off. In like 25 years of playing golf, I've probably collectively taken off 14-15 months.”
But some old acquaintances were in Omaha this week to welcome him back.
“It's nice to be back out here, see some familiar faces, a lot of my friends that I grew up playing, you know, junior golf, college golf with, that I haven't seen in quite some time. It's good to catch up.”
Even though he missed the weekend at the Pinnacle Bank Championship, the season is far from over for Koepka.
“Definitely just going to continue to play [on the] Asian Tour. Do the best I can out there. Going to try and do DP World Tour Q-School just because it lines up pretty nicely with the Asian Tour schedule, where I won't have to miss too many events over there. It's a little easier to travel from Europe to Asia than it is from the U.S to Asia… Good golf always takes care of itself. Just gotta keep playing well.”
So, it’s back to the grind he goes.
But instead of lamenting the grind that is professional golf — especially in the developmental circuits — Koepka seems to be excited about it. After all, it wasn’t too long ago when he thought he’d never have another chance to get back to the grind.
“Just thankful to be playing golf again.”
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Chase Koepka competes in Korn Ferry Tour event, talks injury recovery
Category: General Sports
