Brooks Koepka will have to wait a few months longer to get a shot at his second major title.
A lingering wrist injury will keep Koepka off the fairways at Augusta National in April, according to an interview with the Treasure Coast Palm newspaper.
The reigning U.S. Open champ partially tore a tendon in his wrist earlier this season, an injury that has kept him sidelined from the Tour since January, and he isn’t quite healed fully enough for a 72-hole stroke play tournament.
According to Koepka, while he’s made progress with his injury, he isn’t 100% healthy yet, and as he said in the interview, “I can’t play [at] 80 percent,” for fear he would reinjure himself while compensating for his balky wrist.
Koepka won the 2017 U.S. Open at Erin Hills, his first major championship victory. He met several qualification standards to make the Masters field in two weeks, including his exemption for winning the Open and his position within the top 50 of the world ranking (he’s at No. 9). Koepka finished T11 at last year’s Masters, eight strokes out of the playoff.
The 2018 Masters will be held April 5-8 at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga.
