Page 22 - ARUBA TODAY

A22 SPORTS
Monday 16 March 2020
Brooks Koepka says he won't be joining Premier Golf League

By DOUG FERGUSON began to gain momentum,
AP Golf Writer that PGA Tour members
Brooks Koepka said Sunday could not play both.
he has no interest in the Pre- Monahan and the tour staff
mier Golf League, another have been making the
setback to a league prom- rounds over the last month,
ising guaranteed money meeting with top players to
and a team concept that get a feel for their position
now is missing some of golf's and to tout what the tour
biggest young stars. has going. The PGA Tour
"I am out of the PGL. I'm go- announced last month a
ing with the PGA Tour," Ko- media rights deal said to
epka told The Associated be worth a little more than
Press. "I have a hard time $7 billion over the next nine
believing golf should be years. Monahan said last
about just 48 players." week he could see The
Later Sunday, Golfweek re- Players Championship prize
ported that world No. 2 Jon money going to $25 million,
Rahm said he will not join, and the postseason bonus
meaning the world's top pool topping $100 million.
three players are sticking "Jay is incredible, the direc-
with the PGA Tour. Brooks Koepka hits to the 16th green during a practice round for The Players Championship golf tion he has the tour going,"
Rory McIlroy, who replaced tournament Wednesday, March 11, 2020, in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. Koepka said.
Koepka at No. 1 in the Associated Press Golfweek said it spoke to
world a month ago, said Rahm on Thursday and
last month in Mexico City He had said at the start of top stars competing in a remote spots on the Chal- quoted him saying, "I think
that he was not interested the Florida swing only that team format. lenge Tour, earned a Euro- what I'm going to do is fo-
in the new league. He said "I want to play against the "I get that the stars are what pean Tour card and even- cus on just the PGA Tour.
he valued his freedom to best." people come to see," Ko- tually made it to the PGA At the end of the day I'm a
decide when and where With golf shutting down epka said. "But these guys Tour, where he won his first competitor. I'm a PGA Tour
to play instead of the pro- over concerns about the who we see win, who have tournament in early 2015. member and I'm going to
posed schedule of 18 tour- new coronavirus, he want- been grinding for 10 or 15 He and McIlroy each have stay that way."
naments, not including the ed it made clear he wasn't years, that's what makes four majors. "I don't forget The concept of the league
majors. going anywhere. the cool stories. I'd have a where I've come from," was to invigorate golf by
Koepka said he made up Koepka, now No. 3 in the hard time looking at guys Koepka said. "There are putting together 12 four-
his mind after meeting with world, and McIlroy cited and putting them out of a guys from that top 125 who man teams that would be
organizers in Los Angeles the freedom he enjoys on job." could be the next star." required to play 18 events
a month ago during the the PGA Tour. Koepka also Koepka speaks from ex- PGA Tour Commissioner Jay — 10 of them in the U.S. —
Genesis Invitational, want- spoke about the majority of perience. Having failed to Monahan made it clear in that feature 54 holes, no
ing to wait for a time when the PGA Tour who he fears advance past the second a memo to players in late cut and a shotgun start to
any announcement would would be left out if all the stage of PGA Tour quali- January, as six years of fit a five-hour broadcast
not become a distraction. attention was heaped on fying in 2012, he played chatter about the league window. q

Norwegian musher takes lead

in Iditarod as finish nears

Waerner, a native of Eng- mentally, that's when you The race is continuing, but
land living in Norway, was have to rest," he said. "But officials have urged fans
first to arrive at the next they haven't been down not to fly to watch the fin-
checkpoint — Unalakleet yet, so I've been lucky." ish, especially those from
— on Sunday. The checkpoint in Kaltag outside Alaska. The winner
He said he's not worried is normally at a commu- is expected in the Bering
about other mushers or nity hall, but this year it Sea community of Nome
making a mistake in the was set up outside the vil- sometime this week. Most
Richie Diehl arrives in Ruby, Alaska, Friday morning, March 13, world's most famous sled lage of about 235 people, public buildings in Nome
2020, during the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. dog race. 629 miles (1,012 kilometers) have been closed to try to
Associated Press "I feel I just will continue miles into the nearly 1,000- protect against the virus,
what I'm doing, and that's mile (1,609-kilometer) race and post-race activities
By MARK THIESSEN all the gear in the sled," driving the team, looking across Alaska. like the musher's banquet
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) Thomas Waerner, 46, told at them and keeping my The Iditarod, in consulta- have been postponed.
— Deep snow is slowing a camera crew from the eye on the mental part of tion with community lead- The race started March 8
down mushers in the Idi- Iditarod Insider as he was it," Waerner said, adding ers, decided to bypass Kal- in Willow for 57 mushers,
tarod Trail Sled Dog Race, preparing his sled to leave that his dogs have been tag over fears of the coro- but six have since with-
but the leader has a secret a checkpoint outside the upbeat since the race navirus. Similar precautions drawn. The latest to leave
for dealing with the difficult Alaska community of Kal- started a week ago. were made in the village of the race were Canadian
conditions. tag late Saturday. "The physical, I don't have Nulato, where the check- rookie Martin Massicotte
"I've been training with 120 "That's perfect for these to worry about it, but when point was moved from the and veteran Alaska mush-
pounds of concrete and kind of conditions," he said. I see them going down village to the Yukon River. er Linwood Fiedler.q