New Haven Register (Sunday) (New Haven, CT)
Koepka has become a major player in golf world
Despite four major titles, Koepka often overlooked
Take one look at Brooks Koepka and he looks more like a middle linebacker than a professional golfer.
The man is the poster boy for how to stay in great shape in his chosen sport. Just make sure you recognize Koepka’s greatness in that sport.
Koepka has won four major championships over the last two calendar years, defending both the U.S. Open and the PGA Championship. Due to the PGA’s move on the calendar from August to May, the 29-year-old Koepka became the first player to be a two-time defending champion in two majors at the same time.
Koepka, who has won four of the last eight majors he has teed it up in, not including this weekend’s U.S. Open, already has more major championships than Jordan Spieth, Nick Price, Greg Norman, Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Vijay Singh, Lanny Wadkins, John Daly and plenty of other prominent golfers.
“I don’t think I even thought I was going to do it that fast. I don’t think anybody did, and to be standing here today with four majors, it’s mind-blowing,” Koepka said following his PGA win at Bethpage Black last month.
Yet even during his stunning run, Koepka has gotten overlooked. Coming into the PGA, Koepka had just the fourth-best odds to win besides Johnson, Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas. And he hasn’t been afraid to use the slights to his advantage.
Now, Koepka admits to sometimes manufacturing the slights for motivational purposes, but regardless of what stokes his competitive fires, it’s clear, whatever he uses for fuel, it works.
“There’s always a chip. I think every great athlete always has a chip, whether it be somebody saying you can’t do something — it doesn’t matter,” Koepka said at the PGA. “It’s one of those things that it doesn’t need to come from anybody. It can come from me. I can make something up in my own head and tell myself I can’t get to 10 or more, and I’m trying to prove myself wrong. It doesn’t need to come from the outside. I can do it internally, too.”
The successful defense of his PGA title catapulted Koepka to No. 1 in the world rankings. Depending on what happens at the
U.S. Open, Koepka could come to the Travelers Championship as the first No. 1-ranked player entering the tournament since Greg Norman in 1996.
David Duval was twice No. 1 in 1999 and played the Travelers (then called the Canon Greater Hartford Open), but he was not No. 1 the week of the tournament.
Koepka was also the earliest player to commit to the Travelers, in mid-January — five months before the event, not a common practice among tour players.
Before the start of the U.S. Open on Thursday, Koepka said no matter how he finishes, he will keep his commitment to tee it up this week at TPC River Highlands, his fourth time playing the tournament.
“I mean, I usually take the week off after a major, except next week I’ll be playing Travelers. It’s a golf course I like. It’s just something I’ve usually done,” Koepka said. “If I win this week I’m still going to Travelers. I did that last year. It’s one of those things where I enjoy taking some time off to kind of I guess soak it in a little bit, but I wouldn’t say it’s a must for me.”
It seems Koepka does several things differently than other golfers have in the past. Like not having a fear of Tiger Woods or anyone else, for that matter.
“What’s the point in fearing anybody? We’re not fighting,” Koepka said. “I mean, unless I was standing there and not prepared for a punch. Other than that, he’s not going to knock my teeth in. He’s not going to hurt me. So what’s there to be afraid of?”
Like how many majors he feels he can win.
“I don’t see why you can’t get to double digits,” Koepka said. “I think you keep doing what you’re supposed to do, you play good, you peak at the right times. Like I said, I think sometimes the majors are the easiest ones to win. Half the people shoot themselves out of it, and mentally I know I can beat most of them, and then from there it’s those guys left, who’s going to play good and who can win. … I don’t see any reason it can’t get to double digits.”
Koepka opened the defense of his PGA Championship title last month at Bethpage Black by shooting a 7-under-63, playing alongside Woods and Francesco Molinari. He was nine strokes better than both of them in a pairing of the last three major champions. Koepka beat Woods by 17 strokes over the first 36 holes (Woods missed the cut).
“It’s always fun to play with him and play in front of a large crowd and kind of showcase your stuff. I think that’s fun,” Koepka said of playing alongside Woods. “You know you have to bring your game when you’re with him. You know he’s going to have a large support system out there. I think that’s a given everywhere we go.”
Said Woods: “Everyone peaks differently and does things differently, and he’s found what he needs to do for himself, and at, what is he, 29? He’s got many more years ahead of him where he can do this.”
Keep in mind Koepka is only a little over a year removed from returning from a left wrist injury that forced him to miss close to four months of action. The U.S. Open victory at Shinnecock was his sixth start.
He came to Travelers playing on adrenalin and tied for 19th.
Koepka, whose best finish at Travelers is a tie for ninth in 2016, currently stands third in the FedExCup standings thanks to five top-10 finishes during the PGA Tour season.