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Brooks Koepka has been read the riot act ahead of the Masters by legendary golf coach Peter Cowen. The two-time runner-up has been told he has 'no excuses' going into the major following his departure from LIV Golf. Koepka rejoined the PGA Tour this year after cutting short his LIV stint by 12 months.

His comeback did not come without penalty, as he faces 'heavy and appropriate limitations to both tournament access and potential earnings' under the Returning Member Programme. The five-time major champion agreed to make a $5million (£3.7m) charitable contribution and could forfeit approximately $50m-$85m (£37m-£59m) in potential earnings, depending on his competitive results and the Tour's growth.

Cowen, who has also coached Rory McIlroy, Darren Clarke, Lee Westwood and Sergio Garcia, did not support Koepka's choice to walk away from his LIV contract, but cannot dispute that his client is now in a better frame of mind.

"If you sign a contract, I think you should honour it," Cowen told The Times.

"I said: 'Right, no excuses now. You've done what you wanted, so let's just go and play good golf'. He's definitely happier.

"He's hitting the ball well. I know he's trending. If not at the Masters, I would expect him to be competing very highly in all the majors.

"The Masters might be a little soon, but the freshness could help him. There's no doubt he'll definitely be up for it."

Koepka has struggled for consistency since his return, but it's on the biggest stages where he performs at his peak.

He has more major titles than PGA Tour victories, and it's not the first occasion he has needed a wake-up call to spring him into action.

"I've always said that I haven't given golfers great lessons to win majors, I've given them reality checks," Cowen said.

"It's just [reminding him]: 'Look how lucky you are to be playing this game for a living and making as much money as you are and doing what makes you happy'.

"And there's only one thing apart from his family that makes Brooks happy, and that's playing good golf. Let's not waste the talent.

"It was as simple as that really, because somebody as talented as he is is going to be very competitive in every tournament he plays if his attitude is [right]."

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