It is quite likely that a couple of years ago, after defeating Ludvig Aberg 3&2 at the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome, and despite his point not helping United States retain the Ryder Cup, Brooks Koepka (-5) did not have in mind not being part of the team that will seek revenge next week at Bethpage Black. However, his move to LIV Golf, which has been quite lucrative financially, has had sporting consequences for the five-time Major winner. Among them, missing out on the most important team tournament of the year.
Without earning points on the Saudi tour, the option of repeating for the fifth consecutive time in the USA team, this time under the orders of Keegan Bradley, depended precisely on the captain’s personal choices. But his game has not suggested that he could join the stars and stripes team, with only two top 10 finishes all year on the Saudi tour, one in February and another in March, missed cuts at the Masters, the PGA Championship and the Open, more missed cuts in his last two tournaments on the DP World Tour, in Ireland and Wentworth, and a tied 12th place at the US Open in June as his best result in months.
So, while those who were his teammates a couple of years ago prepare in New York, Brooks has had no choice but to try his luck at the Open de France, where after a round of two under par on Thursday, today he seems to have woken up to get closer to the fight. It could have been a better day for the man from West Palm Beach. It was, in fact, until the 15th hole, where he was five under for the day, with three birdies and an eagle. But two final bogeys, on the 16th and 17th, left him with a bittersweet taste heading into the weekend.
Brooks is trying to be one of the players aiming to catch the Englishman Marcus Armitage (-10), who has maintained the lead for the second consecutive day after delivering a round of 68, three under par. Alongside the American, the Australian Min Woo Lee (-8), who remains two strokes behind the leader, the Dane Jeff Winther (-8), unstoppable today with the best round of the week in the tournament, 63 strokes, or the quartet formed by Mikael Lindberg (-6), Adrien Saddier (-6), Jens Dantorp (-6), and Jeong Wean Ko (-6).
Nacho Elvira (-4), the best of the Spaniards in the second round of the Parisian event and the only one of all who has been able to play below the course par, will seek tomorrow on ‘moving day’ to give himself a chance to join the final battle for victory. Something that is a bit more complicated for Pablo Ereño (-3), who couldn’t get past par this Friday, Ángel Ayora (-2), who lost ground with a round of 72, and Jorge Campillo (PAR), who squandered his great tournament start with a tough 75.
The rest of the members of the Armada present at this Golf de Saint-Nom-La-Bretèch event will have to pack their bags sooner than they would have liked. Pablo Larrazábal (+1), Eugenio López-Chacarra (+2), Manuel Elvira (+3), Ángel Hidalgo (+4), Joel Moscatel (+4), Rafa Cabrera Bello (+4), and García Heredia (+5) have not managed to get the measure of the course, the new venue for the tournament and historic setting of the Lancome Trophy or the Seve Trophy, and say goodbye by missing the cut.
