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World No. 4 golfer Brooks Koepka is withdrawing from this week’s Travelers Championship after his caddie, Ricky Elliott tested positive for Covid-19. Golf Week reporter Eamon Lynch reported the news, and Koepka released the following statement.
“I’m going to pull out to protect everybody else. I think it’s the right thing to do,” Koepka said. “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.”
This follows word that Cameron Champ withdrawing after testing positive, and Graeme McDowell withdrawing after his caddie tested positive. Koepka, Elliott, and his coach all took Covid-19 tests after a practice round with McDowell, which is where Elliott’s positive test came up.
Koepka was entering the tournament with the sixth best odds of winning at DraftKings Sportsbook, at +1900. He was +450 to finish in the top ten and +188 to finish in the top five. DraftKings installed him as the sixth highest priced DFS option, at $10,000.
In the two tournaments since the PGA Tour restarted, Koepka finished tied for 32nd at the Charles Schwab Challenge and seventh at the RBC Heritage. He finished last year’s Travelers Championship tied for 57th.