La Quinta ..
Reigning U.S. Open champion Brooks Koepka is now in race to be fit for April’s Masters after being diagnosed with a torn tendon in his left wrist.
Koepke has been advised by doctors he will not be able to compete for some eight to 12 weeks after being plagued for nearly two months with the injury but also unaware how he picked-up the injury.
The Florida golfer has been advised to rest the wrist while now having to undergo regular therapy.
Brooks Koepka has been diagnosed with a torn tendon in his left wrist that could rule him out of April’s Masters
Last year’s brilliant winner at Erin Hills in rural Wisconsin first noticed the pain in contesting the Hero World Challenge earlier last month in the Bahamas.
“I am frustrated that I will now not be able to play my intended schedule,” Koepka said in a release.
“But I am confident in my doctors and in the treatment they have prescribed, and I look forward to teeing it up at the Masters.
He added: “I began to feel some discomfort in my left hand at the Hero [World Challenge], but it wasn’t a huge concern at the time. Then, perhaps unwisely, I decided to play through pain at the Sentry Tournament of Champions before the partial tear was diagnosed.”
It now explains why Koepka finished last in Hawaii with scores of 78, 74, 78 and 75 in the 34-player event.
There are less than 11 weeks until the Masters, which begins on April 5th and with Koepka very keen to return as a Major Champion and also after having finished T11 at Augusta National last year during a season in which he was placed in the top-15 of all four majors.
There is also the bigger 2018 picture of Koepka being fit for September’s Ryder Cup given he was such an integral of the victorious USA Ryder Cup team.
Koepka is currently lying second behind World No. 1 Dustin Johnson on the USA Team points table.
“It’s like someone’s jabbing a knife in my wrist or hand,” Koepka said in Hawaii. “It’s not fun. Nobody can come up with an answer.”
