Much to the relief of the PGA Tour and its broadcast partners, Brooks Koepka made the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open.
Brooks Koepka did it by the skin of his teeth. He was three shots back of the cut line with two holes to go, but he eagled the 17th and birdied the last to just sneak through to the weekend’s play.
It’s big news for Koepka, who can spend the weekend at the exceptionally difficult Torrey Pines finding his game and testing himself following his return to the PGA Tour and LIV Golf. It’s also big news for the event.
This year’s Farmers Insurance Open has a fair few more eyes on it this year than in seasons past, as it’s the site of Koepka’s comeback. If Koepka missed the cut, then interest in the event could have plummeted.
It’s reminiscent of a time when Tiger Woods was at the top of his game, and his involvement in an event could make or break it.
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‘Crazy’ Tiger Woods story shows the importance of Brooks Koepka making the cut
Woods, as the greatest of all time, carried the weight of the PGA Tour on his back for years, especially upon his return from injury in 2018.
His first event of the year was at Torrey Pines, and Michael Kim recounted how the tournament director reacted when Woods nearly missed the cut.
Kim posted to X, “Back in 2018 (I think), Tiger had made his anticipated comeback at Farmers. So much energy at the tournament. I had finished a little earlier than Tiger on Friday. He was on the North course, needing one birdie to make the cut.
“I and many others sat in dining watching the TV. In there with us was the tournament director and I’ll never forget how pale his face was. He was so nervous, I told him, don’t worry Tiger is going to birdie the last hole, it’s a par 5.
“He did indeed birdie the last to make the cut and the tournament director breathed a massive sigh of relief haha.”
The tour needed Woods to keep the people watching, and the tournament knew it. And Kim knows it first hand. He went on to explain what it was like when Woods didn’t make it to the weekend.
He continued, “I also remember when one yr Tiger played and missed the cut. It was crazy. That same energy he injected to the tournament Thursday Friday was gone and then some. It was a freaking ghost town on the weekend. The contrast made it feel that much worse.”
Koepka obviously doesn’t have the same draw as Woods, so there wasn’t as much risk to the tournament as when Woods missed the cut, but with so many big names not qualifying for the weekend’s action, this was important.
Xander Schauffele missed the cut, as did Ludvig Aberg and Max Homa, so Koepka’s making it through means that little bit more.
Brooks Koepka reveals what was special about making the cut
For Koepka, making the cut at Torrey Pines was particularly special. He got to celebrate with his son, Crew, who hasn’t seen his dad make the weekend too often when at the course.
He explained after the round, “Yeah, it was great, it was great. I don’t know the last time I’ve actually made a cut and [my family] still been there. Since, as Doug pointed out earlier in the week, I wasn’t making the cuts on the weekends at the majors when they were there.
“But yeah, so it was nice to have them out there. And it felt good. I don’t know, my son doesn’t really know what’s going on, but it’s cool for me to have them here.”
When Koepka left LIV Golf for the PGA Tour, he said spending time with his family was one of the biggest reasons. He’s already had that wish granted in his first event of the season, and for the first time in a long time, Koepka looks happy to be out there playing golf.
