If there was one takeaway from the Masters last month, it was that Brooks Koepka is still a threat at any major championship. And it doesn't matter what logo he's wearing.
Koepka is back in the golf spotlight this week for the PGA Championship at Oak Hill in Rochester, New York. It's Only About Four Times A Year That Most People See Him Play, Unless You're One Of Them So many Hardcore fans are tuning in for his LIV golf tournaments.
That doesn't mean fans have forgotten about the man who was once the most dangerous player to step onto a major championship course. He won four majors, two US Opens and two PGA Championships from 2017 to 2019. A series of knee injuries hampered his later years and saw him drop out of contention and fall in the world rankings.
Was Kopka washed? Just a flash in the pan? If his second-place finish at the Masters a month ago was any indication, dominant killer Koepka may be back.
“I feel great. My body feels good. Swinging it the way I want to, moving it the way I want to,” Koepka said a day before teeing off at Oak Hill. said on Wednesday.
for the knees?
“I feel 100 percent, so there's no reason to — right? I'm 33 now, and I think, your prime in golf is when you're between 30 and 40,” he said. “I haven't quite hit the middle of it. But I feel great.”
Looks like someone has enough confidence to hoist another Wanamaker Trophy. And what a statement it would make, given that it is most closely tied to the PGA Tour, which continues to clash with the Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf Tour, which launched last year.
Koepka's decision in June to join LIV Golf meant he forfeited his ability to play in any regular PGA event. It pretty much means he's playing in relative obscurity with smaller galleries and smaller TV audiences, outside of the big four. It suits him well, as he has stated many times that his primary focus has always been to win big.
For what it's worth, Koepka has played well in LIV, winning twice already and sitting second in this season's overall player points rankings. Perhaps it was a sign of things to come when he arrived in Augusta in April.
He came very close to clinching his fifth major title at the Masters, leading the field after each of the first three rounds before faltered in the final round with a 3-over 75. Jon Rahm caught him on Sunday and won by 4 strokes.
As excruciating as the loss was, it was a reminder to the golf world just how lethal Koepka can be under bright lights.
“I just — I reflected on Sunday night,” Koepka said of his final round at Augusta. “I couldn't sleep Sunday night just trying to figure out what it was exactly. Thought about it after a few days and really focused on what I was doing and what went wrong “
He didn't say what he found out, but there's no doubt he'll be ready to go this week when he plays world No. 2 Scotty Scheffler and former US Open champion Gary Woodland at 8 p.m. ET Thursday. BetMGM has Koepka the sixth favorite to win this week at +2000.
Big crowds will return, and the pressure will be palpable. This is where Brooks Koepka flourishes.