Watching him on the course walking, playing, or showing his emotions for a birdie putt, no one would say that Brooks Koepka able to speak as he spoke after winning on Sunday at Oak Hill of Rochester (NY) his third PGA Championship and fifth grand slam. Since 1950 he is the seventh player to win his fifth major before turning 34, and the six before him were: Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Tom Watson, Seve Ballesteros and Tiger Woods.
Serious injuries to both knees (and left hip) in recent years have pushed him down the list of favorites in major tournaments. However, over the past year all the treatments and rehabilitation have given the desired results and his knees seem to be on the mend. Koepka has already signaled his intentions at the Masters he won Jon Rahmand new, to PGA 2021at Kiawah Island, where he was defeated Phil Mickelson.
“Sorry for the language, but no one knows the shit I’ve been through. No one knows all the pain. There were times when I couldn’t even bend my knee. A couple of years ago I was lost, I did’ I don’t know where my golf swing is and I have no idea if I can get back to the level I was at,” Koepka said minutes after lifting his third Wanamaker trophy, and fifth ‘major’.
“I’m back, in case anyone doubts it. It’s the most exciting of the five, the most relevant, the most important to me. It tastes better. It’s good to look back now and see where I came from now. . I remember the Challenge Tour days, when I went to Kenya, Kazakhstan and all those places and saw the world,” he added.
It all started in Catalonia
To this he failed to add Catalonia. Koepka’s path to his fifth Grand Slam after winning two US Opens (2017 and 2018) and two PGAs (2018 and 2019) and reaching number one in the world ranking after winning the CJ Cup in South Korea in October 2018, reflects in the evolution of a golfer who began his meteoric progression in a Challenge Tour tournament in Catalonia, specifically the Challenge de Catalunya which he won in La Graiera (Calafell) in 2012.
Perhaps more than one fan on the other side of the Atlantic has now discovered a player who has been ‘signed’ for more than a decade in Europe, and more specifically on the Challenge Tour. His first great victory, as we say, was achieved in Spain, in the province of Tarragona. Not only did Koepka win, but he left the credentials of being an amazing player, as he did later. “I never thought I would win in the United States so quickly, but I owe it to the Challenge Tour and the European Tour. I learned a lot there,” Brooks acknowledged eight years ago in Scottsdale.
Koepka continued in the Challenge in 2013 and won three times, jumping directly to the European Tour. With no options to play in the United States, Koepka did not hesitate to seek his fortune in Europe. That decision was successful. “If I’m here holding the Phoenix Open trophy, it’s largely thanks to the Challenge Tour,” the Palm Beach native said when won the Phoenix Open in February 2015, his first win on the PGA Tour. In Phoenix he repeated in 2021, a year in which he missed the cut at the Masters but tied for 2nd, tied for 4th and tied for 6th at the PGA, US Open and British. Better if possible in four ‘majors’ two years ago, in 2019: 2nd tied, 1st, 2nd and 4th tied in Masters, PGA, US Open and British.
Koepka didn’t seem affected by anything. On Sunday, however, he remembered the black hole he had been through and sincerely thanked his entire team for their help. “I don’t know if I thought about retiring, but it was clear to me that if I couldn’t play the way I wanted, I would definitely quit. It crossed my mind,” he said.
A victory for Koepka and his men. That’s me and my team. “I think this win will help LIV, but right now I’m more interested in myself, to be honest. Winning a major tournament is always good no matter where you play. Is this validation for LIV? Is this validation for me? Yeah someone doubted Koepka from Augusta or whatever, I’m back, I’m here,” he repeated.
“I wouldn’t win today if the Masters thing didn’t happen. I’ve learned it and I’ll continue to use it in every event, every major, every time I fight to win, but I won’t win. I’ll share it. I can’t reveal all the details. secrets”, he highlighted about the “traffic jam” suffered a month and a half ago in Augusta. He did explain how he reached the conclusions that now helped him win and that, yes, they were psychological. Claude Harmon, her trainer, pointed out that the problem with Augusta was that she let a couple of shots affect her too much in her round.
“Nothing like that, it was something that got me to the 1st tee with. I’m very happy with what I learned from it and with the honesty I had with myself. My brother’s caddy is really my best friend. We almost stayed up late. He talked to him all Sunday night at the Masters and he gave me a rant. The other night he was texting me all the time to make sure I didn’t fall into the same trap.”
In this sense, Koepka values what is learned when things don’t go well. “I learned more from the four times I finished second than the five times I won. Failure is how you learn. You learn more. You realize the mistakes you made. More mentality. than anything. anyway. It’s not a golf swing or anything like that. Mentally, you can figure things out. I’m trying to find that weird little edge in my head.”
Finally, Brooks took the opportunity to give all the credit in the world to Rick Elliott, his caddy, his inseparable partner since he was on the Challenge Tour. “I took him with me when I had surgery. I didn’t have anyone with me. My brother was playing the Honda Classic, my parents were with him and Jena had just had ankle surgery so she couldn’t fly. I sent Rick. and he went overboard . more than two weeks with me in LA I felt bad because he stuck with me. He got tired of me, I got tired of him. I don’t know if he gets enough credit for being a good caddy, he isn’t I don’t know if I appreciate him enough. Caddying is about reading people, reading your player, knowing what he’s going to do before he does it and knowing what to say and what not to say. say at this moment Honestly, I think he’s one of the best in a long time “.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Jason Root, a professional writer working with Today Times Live, the premier news website. I specialize in sports writing, covering the biggest stories in the world of athletics. With an eye for detail and a passion for storytelling, I provide engaging and informative articles that capture the key elements of any event or issue. My work has been featured on numerous respected websites and publications around the world.
