'Play better': Koepka's brutal reply to fellow LIV defector

Brooks Koepka has told fellow LIV Golf defector Dustin Johnson to simply "play better" after the latter's complaints over Ryder Cup selection. 

Koepka, despite being LIV affiliated, will play at this week's event for Team USA and is the only member of the Saudi-backed tour to be picked, with America allowed six captain's picks.

Earlier in September, Johnson expressed his disappointment at not being selected in captain Zach Johnson's team, outlining his belief that he was good enough to make it.

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"I would love to be a part of the team," he said.

"But to be honest, I haven't really played that well this year… Was it good enough to make the team? I think so. If I would have been playing on [the PGA Tour], yeah, I would have made the team."

With the tournament starting this week, Koepka was asked whether players like Dustin Johnson and other LIV golfers were treated unfairly but was blunt in his reply.

"I don't make the decisions," he said.

"Everybody had an opportunity to get there. I mean, I had the same opportunity as every other LIV player, and I'm here. Play better. That's always the answer."

Along with Johnson, European Ryder Cup legends Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia and Ian Poulter also won't play after their defections to LIV Golf. 

Koepka explained he'll be representing his country, not his fellow defectors. 

"I feel like I'm representing the USA. That's what I've got on the front of my hat this week, so that's what I'm representing," he said.

"We're just all one team, and that's the way we think. That's what I believe, and I'm pretty sure everybody else there thinks that."

In May, the 33-year-old had his third PGA Championship win, giving him a spot in the history book as the first LIV Golf player to win a major championship.

Koepka's second placed finish at the Masters made for a successful year and essentially forced Johnson's hand to pick him after only just missing out on automatic selection.