AUGUSTA, Ga. — Brooks Koepka has the reasonably rumpled glance you’d be expecting of a father of a nine-month-old, hair reasonably messed up, eyes a bit weary. However it takes precisely one query to remind you precisely why Koepka is probably the most unhealthy main participant in golfing.
Koepka has 5 majors, even with legends like Seve Ballesteros and Byron Nelson, and probably the most of any lively participant now not named Tiger or Phil. Requested how vital that stat is to him, Koepka in the beginning shrugged it off.
“All over the instant,” he mentioned, “it is about going to play golfing.”
Then he delivered a sly kicker:
“However there is 19 other folks in entrance of me, I know that.”
Forget about the golf-nerd stat that there are if truth be told best 14 gamers forward of Koepka. There are 19 tied or forward of him, and the ones at the moment are his goals — now not Scottie Scheffer (one main), Jon Rahm (two majors) or Rory McIlroy (4 majors). His respond to his ideas on seeing inexperienced jackets round Augusta Nationwide is modest: “I need one.”
The whole thing in his skilled existence — tournaments, practices, media, sponsor tasks — exists within the shadow of his burning want to win majors. He performs at the LIV Golfing excursion, however he doesn’t truly look like a LIV golfer, even supposing he’s a captain of a staff. In contrast to, say, Bryson DeChambeau or Mickelson, he doesn’t expound on golfing’s endless chances to carry the human spirit, or no matter. Koepka’s right here to win majors, and the whole thing else is prelude.
“Been going since December getting in a position for this,” Koepka mentioned. “So, yeah, excited to peer the place I will be at this week.”
If the new previous is any indication, he’ll be with reference to the highest. Again in 2019, he was once in the middle of a outstanding streak during which he completed no worse than T2 in 5 of six majors. A type of T2s got here at Augusta, when he couldn’t fairly shut on Tiger Woods. 4 years later, he let a two-stroke Sunday morning result in Jon Rahm disappear.
“Every 12 months you be informed a bit bit extra,” he mentioned, “and take a look at to development once a year.” And for the remainder of the sector at Augusta Nationwide, that’s a idea that’s extra terrifying than a downhill putt to make the lower.