[Golf Topic] World No.1 Kepka "Return Match in the Middle East~"

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] ○…'Number 1' Brooks Koepka (USA, photo) is making his comeback in the Middle East.

On the 8th (Korean time), US ESPN quoted Koepka's agent Blake Smith saying, "Koepka will participate in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, which opens on the 16th in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE)." It will be his first tournament in three months since the PGA Tour's The CJ Cup held in Korea last October. Koepka withdrew after completing the second round of The CJ Cup, following a missed cut at the Shriners Children's Open, which he played shortly after knee surgery.

The Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship is the first event of the 2020 season's 'Rolex Series.' Since 2017, the European Tour has grouped eight prestigious and historic marquee events to compete with the PGA Tour, increasing the total prize money to a whopping $7 million. This tournament is followed by the Irish Open in May, the Scottish Open in July, the BMW PGA Championship in September, the Italian Open in October, and the final three events in November: the Turkish Airlines Open, the Nedbank Challenge, and the DP World Tour Championship.

Smith added, "Koepka's knee treatment is progressing smoothly," and "there is no problem with him playing next week." Koepka will challenge for another European Tour victory at the Saudi International on the 30th. Although the total prize money is only $3.5 million, the event attracts world stars with large appearance fees and luxurious amenities. In fact, Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson (both from the USA) have already declared their participation. Koepka's first PGA Tour event will be the Genesis Invitational on the 13th of next month.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.