Brooks Koepka Plans U.S. Open Start Despite Left-Hand Injury

Brooks Koepka said he will play in this week's U.S. Open despite the left-hand injury that forced him out of the Canadian Open before the final round. The five-time major winner is set to return at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York, where he won the U.S. Open in 2018.

Koepka's left hand

Koepka said the problem began Friday night with weakness in the pinky and ring fingers of his left hand. It flared again during his Saturday warm-up and made it difficult to grip the golf club, which led to his withdrawal on Sunday.

He said, "I'm gonna go this week." He also said, "What I do depends on how I'm feeling," after undergoing scans in Canada on Sunday and in New York on Monday. The scans of the C5 and C6 vertebrae in his neck came back all clear.

Shinnecock Hills and Koepka

The site adds weight to the decision. Koepka won at Shinnecock Hills the last time the U.S. Open was held there in 2018, and this year's tournament opens with his first-round tee time at 7:30 a.m. ET on Thursday alongside Chris Gotterup and Cam Young.

His medical team believes the issue could be a flare-up of the Ulnar Nerve or Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. Koepka had herniated his C5 and C6 vertebrae in 2021, and he has spent this season managing a left-hand issue while posting a tie for ninth at the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches as his best result among 12 tournaments.

Thursday at 7:30 a.m. ET

The next test comes when he teed off at 7:30 a.m. ET on Thursday with Gotterup and Young. For Koepka, the week turns on whether the hand that bothered him in Canada can hold up in a major he has already won twice.