No one had more confidence than Brooks Koepka in his prime. He was the most feared golfer on the biggest stage. It was built to win major tournaments. The sports version of The Intimidator.
Nothing could make him lose his game.
But while filming the Netflix documentary series “Full Swing” last year, Koepka appeared incredibly fragile. A golfer who has lost all confidence. Perhaps some insight into his decision to join LIV Golf.
And given his two starts this year, Koepka, a Palm Beach County native and Jupiter resident, shows no signs of emerging from a prolonged slump that puts him mentally in a space he says he’s never been in since that he started playing.
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“I’ve had these question marks for about a year and a half,” Koepka said a year ago after missing the cut at the Masters. “Am I going to be the same golfer? Will I ever be the same? And I still don’t know where I am.
“I’ll be honest with you, I can’t compete with these guys week in and week out.”
And it didn’t get better from there. Koepka played in the final three majors of 2022, finishing 55th at the PGA Championship and the US Open and missing the cut at the Open Championship.
After joining LIV, the tour funded by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Koepka won once and placed outside the top 10 in four other stroke play events. His struggles then continued this year. In two Asian Tour starts in February, he missed the cut and finished tied for 46th.
Koepka returns for the second season of LIV, which premieres Friday in Mayakoba, Mexico.
Koepka, 32, has had his fair share of injuries since winning four majors in two years, ending with the 2019 PGA Championship. He spent 47 weeks atop the world golf rankings before injuring his knees , neck, ankle, wrist and hip. Very few body parts were spared.
“I probably lost a little confidence if I’m honest,” he said after finishing third at the Phoenix Open a year ago but fading at the end. “So if you lose confidence, it’s quite difficult to regain it immediately.”
Koepka spent time at Medalist Golf Club trying to improve his putting
Koepka was later filmed at Medalist Golf Club in Hobe Sound working on his putting.
“When I was playing my best, even though I’m not a big stats guy, I know I was the best inside the 8-footer during that whole stretch,” he said. “And now I’m probably the worst. I’m struggling right now.
“Golf is so crazy because when you have it, you feel like you’ll never lose it. And when you don’t have it, you feel like you’ll never get it. It’s a bit of what I feel on the greens. right away.”
Koepka was at a series low after the Masters, admitting to feeling “very embarrassed” after 75 straight seconds.
“I’ve never really felt that way leaving a golf course,” he said. “I’ve never felt embarrassed in my 32 years of golf. I don’t know why. I still don’t know why.”
“My whole career is going straight and then all of a sudden I’m kind of in a pickle, I don’t want to say the other side, but it’s like, OK, well, we’re going down now.” This is the worst I have ever faced in my entire life. I have to find a way out of this before it’s too late. “
It got worse before he had this modest bounce back against a LIV field lacking the talent and depth he would have competed against on the PGA Tour.
Now the question is, if Koepka ever approaches his stellar play from 2017-2019, will he regret taking the money and running away from the PGA Tour. Koepka reportedly received around $100 million from LIV to make the move, perhaps knowing the competition and pressure wouldn’t be at the PGA Tour level. According to golf writer Alan Shipnuck, Koepka may be experiencing “buyers’ remorse” and hopes to return to the tour if he regains his form.
Greg Norman Jr., the son of LIV CEO Greg Norman, called the report “Bs” on social media.
But right now, it looks like Koepka isn’t in a position to think about returning to the tour.
“Given the lowest point, you can either give up, or stay there, or figure it out,” he said about a year ago. “I think that’s where…
“I don’t know.”
