Brooks Koepka might be focused on trying to perform at his best and win the Valspar Championship, but he reacted with immediate concern after seeing a sudden golf cart incident occur on the course.
He was formerly the world’s No. 1 golfer and is looking to win another championship, either this weekend or next month. April brings The Masters, and all eyes will be on the top contenders, including Koepka.
As of this writing, Koepka is on the leaderboard at Valspar, tied for 11th overall with multiple golfers. Im Sung-jae continues to hold the lead after taking over the leaderboard before Saturday.
During Saturday’s third round on the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club in Palm Harbor, Florida, play had to be halted due to a safety concern when a young girl was hit by a golf cart and pinned underneath.
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According to Golf.com, the golf cart incident occurred at the course’s 15th hole while NBC’s on-course reporter Smylie Kaufmann was covering the pairing of Koepka and Danny Walker. After it occurred, Koepka was reportedly among those who went over to check on the girl and comfort her.
“Brooks Koepka went underneath the ropes to talk to the girl and comfort her,” Kaufman said. “She’s going to be OK after medical evaluation. Very scary moment…I am sure Brooks Koepka’s head is still spinning a little bit.”
Various photos emerged of the scene showing Keopka gathered near the girl and the golf cart with others to check on her condition.
Medical staff reportedly checked on the girl’s condition and said she had no injuries after the scary incident at Copperhead.
“She’s okay, thankfully so that’s all that matters,” Koepka told reporters, adding, “I know she’s probably a little scared, and I just felt for her at the time.”
“It’s unfortunate, it shouldn’t have happened. But as long as she’s okay — and nothing crazy happened to her, then it will be okay,” he said after the incident.
“Tour events have way too may carts driving around. You spend half your time having to get out of their way and most of the time they’re not even transporting anything,” an X commenter wrote.
Another commenter mentioned, “Those cart people cant drive, especially the ESPN+ people. theyre electric carts so they dont make noise, and they run up on your heels in the grass in a crowd of people so the chances of hearing them are even less.”
Others said, “Saw a lady get leveled by a cart at the Farmers Insurance at Torrey one year” and “No excuse for that whatsoever.”
Koepka, 35, has been married to actress and model Jena Sims since 2022, and the couple welcomed their first child, a son, in July 2023.
In 2025, the New York Times reported on Koepka leaving LIV Golf to “prioritize family and stay closer to home” after his wife shared heartbreaking news that she had experienced a miscarriage while carrying the couple’s baby earlier that year.
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