CROMWELL, Conn. — COVID-19 now has touched one of the top golfers in the world with Brooks Koepka on Wednesday morning reportedly planning to withdraw from the Travelers Championship because his caddie has tested positive for the virus.
The news about Koepka, the No. 4 ranked player in the world and a four-time major championship winner, came shortly after Graeme McDowell withdrew when his caddie tested positive for the virus and a day after Cameron Champ was forced to withdraw after testing positive.
Koepka’s caddie, Ricky Elliott, tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday morning at TPC River Highlands after having previously tested negative on Monday upon his arrival to the tournament.
Both Elliott and McDowell’s caddie, Ken Comboy, were together at a funeral for a mutual friend of theirs in Orlando, Fla. on June 15. According to McDowell, Comboy believes he may have been exposed to the virus during a commercial flight he took on June 13 from Dallas to Orlando after the Charles Schwab Challenge.
Koepka, saying he’d “rather be safe than sorry,’’ told Golfweek, “I’m going to pull out to protect everybody else. I think it’s the right thing to do. I don’t want to risk anyone’s life if they have respiratory issues or underlying conditions. The only way this Tour can continue is if guys to do this sort of thing and be proactive about it.”
As of 1 p.m. Wednesday, however, Koepka had not officially withdrawn according to a PGA Tour official, and there was a report that Elliott was tested again Wednesday and the result came back negative.
The Koepka case is a glaring sign of how random this is, because perhaps no player has been as cautious about keeping the virus out of his small circle. Koepka has been staying at private homes with his girlfriend, Jena Sims, Elliott and a private chef.
“I’ve told everybody on my team they’re pretty much on lockdown,’’ Koepka said on Tuesday. “If they don’t want to do that, then they don’t have to be with us. It’s pretty simple. I brought basically my own gym. I brought free weights, bands, everything you see in a gym. There’s no reason that anybody should leave the house.
“The chef obviously leaves the house to go get food, but that’s about it. But she’s still using the best face mask, washing her hands … and just trying to limit our exposure. I think that’s been the big thing.
“I’m taking this seriously,’’ Koepka went on. “I’ve had four months off with an injury … three months off with sitting at home because of COVID. So, I’ve been eager to go play. I’ve been dying to get out here and do what I do. I love playing, I love competing. I mean, I don’t come in the clubhouse at all unless for this interview. I’ve been staying outside, just going to my house and that’s it. I’m not hanging around guys. I don’t really feel like doing much, just hanging around my team.’’
Now his team is believed to have been infected.
Koepka on Tuesday expressed little surprise that there were some positive COVID tests popping on the PGA Tour, with Nick Watney having contracted the virus last week and Champ on Tuesday. His words proved prophetic a day later.
“I think it would be unrealistic to sit here and say that these first five, six weeks we weren’t going to have somebody test positive, whether it be a player, caddie, whatever it might be,’’ he said. “The odds are not with us that somebody wasn’t going to test positive, so that’s the unfortunate thing.’’