USA TODAY International Edition
New slight fires up Brooks Koepka on eve of US Open
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Brooks Koepka’s swagger is on point, his confidence is at its peak and his form is in shape heading into his historical chase of a three-peat in the U.S. Open. Now add a chip on his shoulder. The latest culprit to slight Koepka is Fox Sports, which didn’t put the twotime defending champion and the world No. 1 in one of the network’s ads previewing the national championship at Pebble Beach.
The snub lit up Koepka, who has used perceived and outright slights as extra fuel to ignite his dominance in majors. He is trying to join Willie Anderson as the only players to win the U.S. Open three consecutive years.
“There’s been a couple of times where it’s just mind boggling. It’s like, really? Like, how do you forget that?” Koepka said Tuesday. “Just kind of shocked. They’ve had over a year to kind of put it out. So I don’t know. Somebody probably got fired over it or should.”
This isn’t the first time Koepka’s been fired up. Ahead of this year’s PGA Championship at Bethpage Black on Long Island, Koepka was angered when Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee questioned his toughness. Koepka won his second consecutive PGA title.
After the first round of last year’s U.S. Open at Shinnecock on Long Island, Golf Channel ran a graphic with the scores of notables. Koepka wasn’t on it.
“It doesn’t make sense to me,” Koepka said of some of the slights.
It doesn’t make sense to the rest of the field, either, which has paid the price of his motivational wrath as he’s won four of his last eight starts in the game’s four biggest events. He is the only player in history to hold back-to-back titles in two majors simultaneously. He also finished second in this year’s Masters.
Along with the chip on his shoulder, Koepka gained a huge boost of confidence in the last round of the PGA. He almost squandered a six-shot lead with four bogeys on the back nine during an hour that left him stunned. He was able to reset and hold on for a two-shot victory.
All in all, Koepka’s set.
“It’s a major championship,” he said. “I’m ready to go.”