Staying busy keeps Koepka sharp
LOS ANGELES: Brooks Koepka isn’t one to sit still as the fourtime major champion returns to the Travelers Championship less than a week after falling just short of winning a third straight US Open.
World No 1 Koepka finished three strokes shy of fellow American Gary Woodland who claimed his first major championship at Pebble Beach on Sunday.
Koepka, who is seeking to win his seventh PGA Tour title, joins defending champion Bubba Watson, former back-to-back winner Phil Mickelson, and rising star Viktor Hovland in the field for the US$1.2 million (RM5 million) event.
Koepka says keeping busy is his way of staying sharp on the Tour and even though he was in contention in Pebble Beach he’s not as tired as he was last year when he won his second consecutive Open.
“Last year I don’t even think I knew where I was,” he said. “It was all kind of a whirlwind.
“It’s a lot different when you win and you’re trying to play the week after. It’s a bit hectic, chaotic.
“This week, it’s difficult still. I just feel mentally exhausted from last week just being in contention. But another day of rest today and I’ll be fine for tomorrow.”
Koepka has only two PGA Tour wins outside of his four major titles. He says he now has a routine that allows him to succeed where in the past he might have lost his focus in the middle of a round.
“Not everything is resultsbased with me. It’s about the process,” Koepka said. “I think that’s why I’m able to play so well in the majors, because I’m not worried about winning.
“I’m not worried about the pressure of being in first or trying to do something, accomplish three in a row, whatever it was.
“Even last week it’s just about the process. So if I can get the process down the result is going to come.”
Koepka said he’s matured as a golfer and a person and is no longer the type to get angry if he blasts a tee shot into the water or lands his ball in an awkward divot.
“I look back from college and I had to switch — I was a hot head,” he said. “I learned to understand that even if I hit it in the water or out of bounds, I’m not trying to do that. I’m human.
“I’m going to make some mistakes. I can get over that. I think that’s part of why I’m not afraid to take chances and go at pins.”
Koepka said he’s thinking about the upcoming British Open and how he is going to get ready. He plans to pass on the Scottish Open and arrive a couple of days before the first round begins.
“I usually go over to the British a little bit early, a couple days before, and just try to get some work in,” Koepka said. “I’m not planning on changing my schedule. It’s always been that way.
“It’s fun to get over, get acclimatised a couple days before. That way when I get there on Monday I’m used to the time change and feel like I have a good understanding of the golf course.”