Koepka’s major success continues to confound
Not everyone takes same approach to PGA Tour play
Let’s get a few things straight: Not winning tournaments is not the secret to major glory; the trick isn’t to “focus harder” on majors; and, no, majors are not the easiest tournaments to win.
These are just some of the ideas Brooks Koepka’s stunning success at the biggest events has the golf world considering. It’s hard to blame us. How are we supposed to make sense of a career resume that is made up of two U.S. Open victories, two PGA Championships, one Waste Management Phoenix Open win and something called the CJ Cup?
Koepka has told us numerous times that he cares about majors and little else. At the RBC Canadian Open, he told us he didn’t care how he played as long as he left Hamilton with his game in good shape (which he didn’t, but he found it pretty quickly at Pebble Beach). The major or bust attitude runs in the family, because we spoke with his father Bob in the moments after major victory No. 4 last month at Bethpage.
“It’s all about the majors,” Bob said. “If a guy has 18 wins on tour but no majors, he’s kind of a forgotten person. Majors is really what it’s about, and it’s kind of what Brooks has always said, ‘I want to gear up for the majors.’”
Whether that was the family attitude before major No. 1 we’ll never know. Koepka has recently changed his tune a bit and said regular tour events are actually important to him, even going so far as to say he was planning to treat last week’s Travelers Championship just like a major. Then, after a 2-over par Saturday, he said he was too spent after a win and a runner-up finish at Bethpage and Pebble: “I’m dead. I’m fried.”
As entertaining and refreshing as Koepka has become in the interview room with his apologetically straight-shooting competitive fire, at times he can contradict himself. Perhaps it’s because he’s asked the same question 10 different ways, perhaps it’s because he’s just living in the moment and goes with the answer that pops into his head, or perhaps it’s because even he can’t figure out how it all happened this way.
Whatever it is, Koepka’s major success has begun to influence other players. Justin Thomas said at the U.S. Open that he can get a little too emotional at times when under the gun and said he needs to learn to “channel my inner BK.” Trying to learn from how Koepka handles himself under pressure is certainly valid, but this week in Detroit at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, Dustin Johnson was asked whether at this point in his career (20 wins, one major), he is now going to focus more on majors, an obvious nod to Koepka.
“Not necessarily,” Johnson said. “I focus on whatever week that I’m playing, no matter if it’s a major or the Rocket Mortgage Classic here in Detroit. I prepare just like it would be a major. I’m coming in, I want to contend, I want to put myself in a position to win no matter what week it is.”
HUGHES IN HUNT: Canada’s Mackenzie Hughes rocketed himself into contention in Detroit. Hughes shot a 6-under 66 at Detroit Golf Club and sits among the leaders. The 28-yearold from Hamilton teed off in the morning and birdied his first three holes.
“I hit the ball really well and was hitting lots of great iron shots,” Hughes said. “Getting off to a nice start was great, too.”
Hughes hit 15 of 18 greens in regulation on Thursday and finished with seven birdies against just a single bogey. He bookended his hot start to the day with back-to-back birdies on holes 17 and 18.
Fellow Canadian Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C. shot a 4-under 68, while Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., carded a 3-under 69. Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., and Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., shot 2-under 70s, and Mike Weir of Sarnia, Ont., shot level-par 72. Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., was at 1-over 73.
On top of the leaderboard was American golfer Nate Lashley, who shot a 9-under 63.