While Brooks Koepka heads into the LIV Golf Miami Team Championship as two-time Jeddah winner, his teammate and brother Chase has a bit of a journey ahead of him.
Brooks picked up around $8 million on Sunday for claiming the title at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club on Sunday — and finishing third in the season-long Individual Championship points race.
Chase’s future is not so bright. He finished last in the field in Jeddah and accrued only one point all season. He is now relegated out of the league along with Jed Morgan, James Piot and Sihwan Kim. The younger Koepka posted just one top-25 finish in 13 starts this season.
However, there is a way back. The Promotions event in Abu Dhabi allows the four relegated players to compete against the best from the Asian Tour and beyond, with three spots up for grabs in Abu Dhabi at the National Course.
The International Series winner — which looks like Andy Ogletree as we stand — earns an automatic spot, while a huge field will fight for the three remaining spots. Players from the Asian Tour will be joined by the top 200 eligible in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), and the top 20 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, the amateur champions from the United States, Great Britain, Europe, Latin America and Asia-Pacific. Are all expected to line up in Abu Dhabi. In addition, players ranked sixth through 32nd on the International Series Order of Merit will compete for the three-round, winner-takes-all event.
After the first round, there will be a cut so that only the top 20 and ties will play on Saturday in Abu Dhabi. They will be joined by the four LIV Golf bottom guys, Koepka, Morgan, Piot and Kim.
On Sunday, the final round will be played over 36 holes and cut to the top 16 players. While Ogletree looks like a shoo-in, everything else is up for grabs. The only four safe names for the showdown are Morgan, Koepka, Kim and Piot. But there are many more knocking on the door, with stars-in-waiting like South African Christo Lamprecht and Spain’s Jose Luis Ballester waiting to make their mark.
One thing is for sure — there is a lot on this one!
Main image.: Abu Dhabi Golf Club. DP World Tour