GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA | All things considered, Brooks Koepka would have preferred to be off this week.
Nothing against the Wyndham Championship, but had Koepka’s season unfolded differently – had there not been the lingering and bothersome issue of his left knee and forced three-month break due to the pandemic – he could have unpacked at home for a few days and been fresher for a five-week run that begins next week and includes the FedEx Cup playoffs and the U.S. Open.
Yet Koepka is at Sedgefield Country Club this week, in full-grind mode, trying to move past a disappointing Sunday at the PGA Championship last week in a season that has been underwhelming. A first-round 72 Thursday added to Koepka’s workload and looked like a carryover from his flat Sunday at TPC Harding Park.
“A bit tired to be honest with you,” Koepka said early Thursday afternoon. “But I’ve got to play. I’ve got no other option.”
Three weeks ago, Koepka was outside the top 150 in FedEx Cup points, the new currency of the PGA Tour, meaning he was outside the playoffs, a strange place for the man who started this year ranked No. 1 in the world.
A runner-up finish at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational got him safely inside the playoff cut line but with no guarantee of advancing past the first playoff event.
Then, for the better part of three days at the PGA Championship, Koepka looked like the same menacing player who has dominated the majors since he won the 2017 U.S. Open at Erin Hills.
Sitting two off Dustin Johnson’s lead at Harding Park Saturday night, Koepka did what he does so well – answered a question with his brand of blunt honesty.
Asked about his Sunday chances against Johnson, Koepka said, “I like my chances. When I’ve been in this position before, I’ve capitalized. I don’t know, he’s only won one. I’m playing good. I don’t know, we’ll see.”
He also said, “A lot of the guys on the leaderboard, I don’t think have won, I guess DJ has only won one. I don’t know a lot of the other guys up there.”
It came across as is if no other players mattered, including eventual champion Collin Morikawa, who beat Koepka by 10 strokes on Sunday.
That was not Koepka’s intent but that’s how it landed to some, particularly 24 hours later after Koepka’s final-round 74 had beaten just one player on Sunday. Koepka said when he glanced at a leaderboard as he walked past on his way to interviews, he couldn’t see the names, just the number of major championship victories among the leaders.
“I apologize for the ‘other guys’ comment just because I didn’t really look at the leaderboard,” Koepka said Thursday. “Didn’t really look coming off 18 and then went right into the interview so I didn’t – I had no idea who was 8 (under par), who was 7.
“But I never really look at guys who are tied with me. I always kind of look ahead so I had no idea. I get it. I get how it came across and I apologize for that.”
The beauty of Koepka is how unafraid he is, whether it’s taking on a tucked pin or answering a question. Koepka is refreshingly blunt, a trait that makes some people uncomfortable but has made him one of golf’s most compelling personalities.
What isn’t overplayed is the place Koepka finds himself at the moment (92nd in FedEx Cup points). He felt the edge dulling late in the third round of the PGA Championship, foretelling his Sunday slide backward.
Understanding his place in the game in the past three years, Koepka has spoken up about slow play, Patrick Reed’s rules infraction last December and poked fun on social media at Bryson DeChambeau.
Ask Koepka a question and he will give you an answer. In a world of equivocation, Koepka can be as direct as a punch in the nose. In the same way his game has distinguished Koepka, so has his attitude.
When the subject of his relationship with Dustin Johnson – they were portrayed as best friends for a time – was raised in his post-round press conference Thursday, Koepka said the two worked out with the same trainer for two years.
“You guys make up your own stories,” Koepka said. “I have no idea what you all do but I think the Jordan (Spieth) and Justin (Thomas friendship) thing gets blown out too much … You guys overplay a lot of things.”
What isn’t overplayed is the place Koepka finds himself at the moment (92nd in FedEx Cup points). He felt the edge dulling late in the third round of the PGA Championship, foretelling his Sunday slide backward.
At Sedgefield, with its hilly terrain, dense Bermuda rough and sloping greens, Koepka hit just five of 14 fairways on Thursday, the bulk of his misses trailing off to the right, forcing him to play carefully rather aggressively into greens.
Despite the warm, muggy conditions, Koepka appeared bothered by the same hip issue that caused him to get physical therapy on the course at Harding Park. It has made it more difficult for Koepka to fully load into his left side. It was that way Sunday in San Francisco and 2,500 miles away on Thursday.
Given a few days to reflect on the PGA Championship, Koepka was philosophical.
“Just didn’t quite have it, you know,” Koepka said. “Felt like the first time I haven’t had it at a major in a while. …
“Sooner or later I’m going to miss a cut eventually … just is what it is.”
Like being at Sedgefield for at least one more day. Koepka needs a good Friday to get to the weekend to make up more ground.
“I’d like to be in Atlanta (for the Tour Championship),” he said. “That’s the whole reason we’re playing, to see if you can better yourself or if it makes next week a whole lot easier.
“You never kind of want to be on that bubble, behind the 8-ball … I’ve kind of got to make up for it, but I’ve got no other option.”