Regular guy Koepka feels bit slighted
Chasins U.S. Open mark, but left out of TV preview
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Brooks Koepka should already have enough motivation for this U.S. Open.
At stake is a shot at a U.S. Open record not touched in 104 years — three straight victories by Willie Anderson.
On his mind was a Fox Sports preview that Koepka interpreted as another example of him not getting the credit he deserves.
“A bunch of people on Twitter I think tagged me in it — in the promo — and I guess they were amazed that I wasn’t in it,” Koepka said. “I just clicked on the link and watched it. 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.”
Was it a slight?
Fox had four U.S. Open promos, three of which included Koepka, one of them devoted entirely to Koepka and the history he can match. The other was entirely about Tiger Woods.
Koepka was unclear about what shocked him. If there is any cause for a beef in the Woods promo, it was talk about passing the torch and showing Rory Mcilroy, Dustin Johnson and Jordan Spieth — but not Koepka.
The good news? Koepka says it’s getting harder for him to hide when he’s out in public. He can feel eyes on him when he walks into a restaurant, and he’s not sure why all the fuss.
“I just view myself as a regular guy, just like everybody else,” he said.
“And I just happen to be really good at golf. And that’s it.”
It was hard not to notice, maybe even appreciate, the interview room. Only six people attended his pre-tournament press conference last year at Shinnecock Hills when he was the defending champion. This time, it was hard to find six empty seats.
Koepka has everyone’s attention at Pebble Beach. He has won four of his last eight majors, a stretch of success only Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Ben Hogan have equaled in the era of four majors.
Even so, it’s another name that enters the equation this week.
Koepka recalls seeing Anderson’s name on a building in Scotland last summer, right after he won his second U.S. Open. By then, Koepka was vaguely aware that Anderson had won the U.S. Open in 1903, 1904 and 1905.
Four players have had a shot at three straight U.S. Open titles since then. None came close. The most recent opportunity fell to Curtis Strange in 1990 at Medinah, where a 68 brought him within two shots of the lead until he faded and tied for 21st.
“He says it’s another day, another round, another tournament,” Strange said. “It’s not. It’s the U.S. Open.
He’s going for three in a row. But of anyone I’ve seen who walks the walk, it’s Brooks Koepka. He goes about his business in a professional way every day.”