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LOS ANGELES – He told us so. Sorta.
Two days before the US Open, Brooks Koepka has been blazing hair on the majors and his level of success is almost astonishing in them. It’s not that Koepka isn’t skilled enough to win five of golf’s biggest events, including the PGA Championship last month, and at least compete in most of the other events he’s played in. It’s just that other men can’t.
So what’s the appeal, Brooks?
“I just love when I think maybe somewhere closer to even wins,” he said on Tuesday. “If it’s a Birdiefest where the 20’s and 21’s win, that’s not really the style. I really don’t think I’ve been to many golf events over my career where that has happened.
“But if you look at me I’d say it’s probably been the majority of my wins, pretty much all of them 10 and under, which is kind of appropriate for major golf tournaments. I feel like — I just feel like I can outlast everybody when it comes to having to level things to death or Just insulting the guys on the golf course and mentally beating you and knowing when it’s time to take that chance and go with it. I think being patient is an important thing with that as well, and just knowing when to chase the flag or when to play it safe.”
Then they put golf balls in the air here Thursday at the Los Angeles Country Club.
And the third major of the year oddly turned out to be the John Deere Classic.
And Koepka was looking for a slew of names on the leaderboard. And you had to look down a bit to find it. He shot a single 71 during the first round, which is respectable when they’re playing this stuff at Shinnecock or Oakmont. But this is not meant to degrade the LACC, one of the best golf courses in all of golf. It’s just that the best player in the world has gone nuclear.
Rickie Fowler and Xander Schavelli Each eight-under shot takes 62 seconds. In all, players broke the average number of goals in the first round of the US Open. He was the “birdie” Koepka feared, and his scores followed suit, though you probably can’t just point to that as the reason for his slow play. Across the board, he was far—121st in strokes earned: off tee; 65th SG: tee to green; 92 in SG: Approach; and 90 in SG: mode. He was over three after six holes, and combined with two birdies on the 8th and 9th, but only got cut from there.
Late in the tour, his temper on the proceedings was evident. As he approached level 4, he bent down and looked down. Same on the par-4 17. When all goes well, Koepka stares at these, which he eventually did on the par-4 17—only to miss a 34-foot birdie. When he finished, he found his wife, Gina, autographed a bearer’s ball, and then took three questions from a handful of reporters. He said he didn’t deserve to shoot better. He said he could bounce back.
In the PGA last month, he opened with a score of over 72, then went 66, 66 and 67 at Oak Hill Country Club, but he’s been there for a six after 18. Here’s a nine. He started slow in other majors as well, most notably at the 2018 US Open in Shinnecock, where he shot a first-round 75, then rallied to win. However, there is this nugget: Only one player, according to NBC, overcame Koepka’s current deficit after the first round and won — Jack Fleck, in 1955.
“Yeah, it just means I have to play really well in the next three days,” Koepka said. “Go out tomorrow, in the morning conditions, hopefully it will be a little softer, a little easier and play a little better.
A reporter then asked, “Brooks, you see a pair of 62s on the board before you even get a chance to go, does that change your mindset?” – he answered: “It doesn’t matter – play the golf course, don’t they.”
And then it was off scale.