Koepka plays himself into contention,
Brooks Koepka is five shots off the lead at the Waste Management Phoenix Open heading into its final day on Sunday. That might seem like a lot to overcome, but Koepka ended Saturday’s round with four straight birdies to give himself a shot at his second Phoenix Open title.
Koepka, who won at TPC Scottsdale in 2015, is feeding off the energy of the several thousand fans allowed to attend the tournament. It showed, as the fans helped energize him in his late push up the leaderboard.
“I don’t know what it is, but I’m so flat without fans. My best results are with fans or a major. So I struggle with that, so it’s good to see them out,” Koepka said. “Yeah, it’s nice to see them back. I’ve been so flat, it’s tough for me to get up without them. I’ve struggled with it.”
Koepka spent much of his round at 8-under, which is where he began the day. He birdied the ninth hole but bogeyed the 11th, then caught fire after the 12th hole.
He finished his round with five birdies in the final six holes to move into a tie for seventh place at 13-under.
“Just got to be within three on the back nine. Anything can happen here,” Koepka said. “Obviously with quite a bit of water off the backside, especially on 11 and 15 and 17, you can make a bogey very quickly. If you hit a good shot you can make birdie. It’s good risk-reward. But it’s fun and anything can happen.”
Koepka’s success is a long time in coming. He dealt with a lingering left knee injury last year and also suffered a hip injury in trying to compensate for the knee.
He missed three straight cuts between December and January.
Koepka admitted to feeling frustrated through 12 holes. But he was in a rhythm he arrived at 16, where his tee shot landed less than three feet from the hole.
The crowd inside the stadium hole let him hear its appreciation.
The hole was a good one for Koepka and the players in his group, Matthew NeSmith and James Hahn, as all three earned birdies. Hahn is also at 13-under and tied for seventh.
Koepka said he has an “outside chance” on Sunday.
“It’s doable. You’ve just got to get off to a good start on the front nine. The back nine is definitely doable if you put it in the right spots,” Koepka said. “Anything can happen those closing four or five holes.”