Sunday, Brooks Koepka recorded his first top 10 of the 2021 PGA Tour season with a T5 at the Vivint Houston Open. The solid finish comes in just his second start since returning to the Tour following a two-month hiatus in which he underwent treatment on a partially torn patella tendon in his left knee and partially torn labrum in his hip.
The performance was no doubt a confidence boost for the four-time major champion as he heads into the season’s final major championship, the Masters Tournament. Major championships present major earning opportunities for players hoping to qualify for the U.S. Ryder Cup team. The winner of the Masters Tournament and each of the majors in 2021 will earn two points for every $1000 earned and all other players who make the cut will earn 1.5 points per $1000.
With his top-5 finish on Sunday in Houston, Koepka returned to No. 4 in the point standings and traded spots with Collin Morikawa at No. 5. The top 6 in the standings will automatically qualify for the U.S. team with the remaining six positions being named by Captain Steve Stricker.
Dustin Johnson, who sits at No. 1 in the U.S. Ryder Cup point standings, made his first start in Houston since testing positive for COVID-19. Johnson hasn’t finished outside the top 2 on Tour since August and continued that streak on Sunday where he was T2 behind first-time winner Carlos Ortiz.
Click here for the complete U.S. Ryder Cup standings.
