CONTROVERSY! LIV pro gives frosty response to Phil, Couples beef at The Masters

LIV Golf player Jason Kokrak had a frosty response when asked about the Phil Mickelson, Fred Couples beef at the 2023 Masters.

Ben Smith

04 Apr 2023

CONTROVERSY! LIV pro gives frosty response to Phil, Couples beef at The Masters — CONTROVERSY! LIV pro gives frosty response to Phil, Couples beef at The…

Jason Kokrak had a decidedly frosty response when quizzed about the presence of LIV Golf players at the 2023 Masters.

He was asked about the comments Fred Couples made about Phil Mickelson a few weeks ago.

According to Couples - despite having a lot of admiration for Lefty's game - he views the six-time major champion as 'a nutbag'.

Couples also twisted the knife on Sergio Garcia by describing the Spaniard as a clown.

Earlier in the week, Couples addressed those comments that were made over breakfast to a handful of reporters before an event on the PGA Tour Champions.

Long story short, Couples stands by what he said.

But he also told the media after playing a practice round with Tiger Woods at Augusta:

"Once again, I'll say this, and I'll probably say it tomorrow, I do a radio show, I have no problem with any of them, just please do not bash a tour that I have 43 years invested in. It bothers the hell out of me.

"They don't bother me. They really don't. They're golfers. I'm a golfer. I respect them all. On my show I've told everyone,

"Sergio is one of the top 10 players I've ever seen hit a ball, but if he's going to make comments about the tour that I play, I'm going to make a comment back, and if it's offensive I apologize, but they're on another tour.

"Go play and have a good time. Brooks Koepka I love, Dustin Johnson absolutely love. I'm not good enough to be paired with those guys.

"They're going to play with those who are probably going to win this thing. But I have no problem with anyone on the LIV Tour. I really don't."

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Kokrak, who left the PGA Tour last summer, told the media the reaction he has received has been incredible.

Cameron Smith said he wasn't sure what he was going to expect but his comments swayed considerably from the LIV Golf party line.

Here's the full exchange Kokrak had with a reporter over the Fred-Phil dynamic.

Q. Has the reception been better than you expected?

JASON KOKRAK:

"It's been incredible. You get to see longtime friends that you haven't seen in a long time, caddies, players, people, staff, all around Augusta.

"I mean, it's been great. I didn't expect anything less. I mean, you heard people talking behind a microphone, but I think what people do behind a microphone and what people do to somebody's face is a little bit different.

"I didn't expect anything different."

Q. You didn't hear a lot of "nutbags" today?

JASON KOKRAK:

"No, not to my face or anything."

Q. I mean, the Freddy-Phil thing?

JASON KOKRAK:

"Yeah, people are entitled to however they want to say it, and if they want to say it behind a microphone they're entitled to say it behind a microphone. I didn't respect a comment unless it's to somebody's face."

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