After struggling through the second round at the Travelers Championship, Jason Kokrak was not going to make the cut. On the last hole, he decided to get an early start to the weekend.
Kokrak was disqualified for failing to return a complete scorecard. So, what happened? Well, rather than finish the ninth hole (his last), Kokrak walked off of the course.
There was a definite theme in the reactions to this news.
Did he walk straight to the LIV Tour? https://t.co/eQSgQXbkJ9
— Matt Smith (@SamENole) June 24, 2022
Hell yeah dude still time to make it to Portland https://t.co/i5V1LEH20o
— Patrick Flynn (@insulinshots) June 24, 2022
That’s one way to leave the the tour https://t.co/tSUpkkQN2l
— Justin McCabe (@BonesMcCabe) June 24, 2022
See ya in Portland Kokrak
https://t.co/o9C96UERxm — Christian Wheeler (@wheels8899) June 24, 2022
https://twitter.com/IK_Zinz/status/1540465378156892160
Heck of a way to head off to LIV! https://t.co/tlXHv4r1u9
— Josh (@LaserShow03) June 24, 2022
The notion that Kokrak might join the LIV Golf League isn’t exactly baseless. There have been numerous high-profile defectors. While he didn’t play in LIV Golf’s first tournament, Kokrak has a Saudi Golf sponsorship (per Dylan Dethier, Golf.com) and Matt Cradock of Golf Monthly did name him as an expected LIV defector.
It’s possible that this has nothing to do with LIV Golf. Kokrak finished the first round of the Travelers Championship in the top 10 and not only played his way out of contention in the second round, but came to the final hole of that round with no chance to even make the cut. Maybe Kokrak was just frustrated.
The problem is, golfers miss the cut every week. Heck, Kokrak missed the cut in the U.S. Open, missed four cuts in 2021 and 10 in 2020. Never did he just walk off the course before finishing the second round.
If Kokrak isn’t on his way to the LIV Golf League, the timing of this walk-off and subsequent disqualification is one heck of a coincidence.
[Nathan Hubbard, PGA Tour Communications]