Current PGA Championship winner Brooks Koepka brings a unique strategy to major tournaments that sets him apart from the rest.
His concentration reaches the next level and he transforms into a different person.
No wonder he has the nickname “Major Brooks”.
“My attitude and focus are completely different. I can’t explain it,” Koepka said Wednesday at Valhalla Golf Club.
“Everyone on the team can see it. They know I can walk right past them, but I don’t even know they’re there sometimes. It’s a tough week. I feel like I can’t miss a shot unless I’m completely locked in. I’m always one shot away from double bogey, and that’s what I love.
The four majors always meant something more to Koepka, as they did to Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.
Therefore, Koepka wants to break their records and win as many majors as possible. Koepka won his fifth major title at Oak Hill a year ago, becoming the 20th player to accomplish that feat.
His way of thinking sets him apart. Koepka looked like a robot when he won back-to-back U.S. Opens in 2017 and 2018 and back-to-back PGA Championships in 2018 and 2019, leading many to compare Koepka to Woods.
Both players have the ability to get into a competitive mindset that makes them nearly unbeatable.
But Koepka isn’t invincible either. He said he’s “pretty locked in” in the majors, but admitted he’s looking to the future for the rest of the year.
“You have to go out there and win and go out and play,” he said.
“A similar thing happened to me, but please be careful not to let it happen.”
Despite entering the tournament as one of the favorites to win this year’s Masters, Koepka came up just short. Bringing home the green jacket is something he desperately wants.
He finished tied for 45th at Augusta National, claiming the performance was a waste of time. He finished runner-up to Jon Rahm at the 2023 Masters.
After the Masters, he apologized to his team and turned the intensity up a notch.
“We talked a lot, but we just kept quiet and kept trying,” he said. “You know, we had some difficult punishment training. It was a long practice on the range. I worked with everyone and tried to get back to basics and that was important. ”
Koepka understood the problem and a few weeks later won the LIV Golf Singapore event.
He, along with Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, have had big wins in recent starts, making this major championship on a big-boy course like Valhalla all the more exciting.
Savannah Lee Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through.If you want to know more about golf, please follow us. @_PlayingThrough On all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirls and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.
