Five-time major winner Brooks Koepka announced Tuesday that he will play in this week's US Open after withdrawing from last week's PGA Canadian Open due to a left hand injury. The 36-year-old American is returning to Shinnecock Hills, where he won in 2018 to complete back-to-back US Open titles.
Injury Details
Koepka experienced weakness in his left pinky and ring finger on Friday and Saturday, making it difficult to grip a club. He withdrew from the event on Sunday. "It's getting better day by day," Koepka said Tuesday. "Today there was quite a bit of improvement. I don't think I would have gone out and played if it wasn't."
He described the sensation as similar to hitting his funny bone, with a tingly feeling in his ring and pinky fingers. Koepka saw a doctor and had a neck scan, which came back negative for neck issues. He believes the problem is related to the ulnar nerve flaring up.
Grip and Preparation
Despite the injury, Koepka feels confident enough to tackle the challenging Shinnecock layout. "The movement's fine. I can do everything. It's literally just my ring finger and pinkie finger were just -- it felt like they were coming off the golf club, but they were just very weak," he explained. "As soon as impact would come with the turf interaction, it felt like it was fully off -- so excited to be able to hold a golf club again."
He acknowledged his grip strength is not at 100%, but it is sufficient. "I don't think the grip strength is 100%, but it's good enough. It's fine. There's no pain. There's absolutely no pain, which is kind of the weirdest part of this whole thing. I'd almost prefer there was a little bit of pain," Koepka said.
Game Form
Koepka, who is in his first months back on the PGA Tour after leaving LIV Golf, believes his game is rounding into form. "I think ball striking is even better than what it's been. Putting, I had a great week putting last week. I'm excited for the challenge," he added.
