Is golf a “real” sport? Brooks Koepka isn’t so sure about that, as the five-time major champion has spoken about it, his double-digit goal for golf’s biggest prizes, and why exactly he thinks golf is sometimes too ‘buttoned-up’ in a revealing podcast appearance.
You wouldn’t have paired Koepka and YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul, but the current PGA Championship winner was as relaxed as you’ve ever seen him appear on camera and offered candid opinions on a number of golf related topics.
His tongue was firmly in his cheek at times, but Koepka made some interesting points. on his LIV Golf contractwhy golf needs to attract a younger audience and what efforts it is making to improve.
But one of the highlights was when Koepka was asked if he even watches golf when he’s not playing.
“I don’t watch it in my free time, no,” Koepka told the BS Podcast with Jake Paul. “I’m a big sports guy, so I’ll probably go watch NFL, MLB, anything.”
And the next question was whether golf was a “real” sport, to which Koepka had a snappy answer.
“I don’t know, sometimes I think so and sometimes I think no – I kind of flip-flop on that,” he admitted.
“Sometimes I look at guys and I hate to pick on them, but I know what real athletes do, I know how guys train, how they do all that stuff.
“Then watching some guys (golfers) who will say, ‘I’m going to drink seven or eight beers every night and then I’m going to go play in the morning.’ Some people do that.
“I wouldn’t do it. If I’m in the Olympics and I’m racing tomorrow, what am I going to do that night to prepare for it? Not that.
“It’s probably the easiest sport on your body. You just need to walk four miles, up a few hills. I don’t even have to carry the clubs, I don’t carry anything.”
Brooks aims for double-digit majors
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Although Koepka admitted that money was the reason he joined LIV Golf, his desire to win more Majors is what motivates him in the sport.
At 33 and with five already under his belt, Koepka believes double-digit major wins are within his reach.
“For me, it’s all the Majors, that’s what defines you, right?,” Koepka said of his future ambitions. “You look at most golfers, hey, why is Tiger or Jack the best and it all comes down to the Majors.
“It’s the pinnacle of our sport, I’ve got five now and I want to get to double figures. I want to win 10 or 12 – I think that’s realistic.
“I think if I win two more, I’m in the top 10 at the Majors, of anyone who’s ever played golf. I’m like, ‘damn, I’m so close.’ And that’s what that keeps me going.”
Golf can be too stuffy
Koepka also laughed off his comments which appear in Alan Shipnuck’s new book about LIV Golf, but there was a reason behind it.
The excerpt from the book reads: “‘F*** all these country club kids talking about me,’ he said, referring to people like Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth and others. “You think I don’t care what they think? Do you think I care what people say about me? »
Koepka says the comment was made because he’s not a fan of golf’s stuffy side, which he believes holds the game back.
“Yes, that’s exactly why I said that,” he added. “I just didn’t grow up with a buttoned-down (golfing) lifestyle, I didn’t have privilege, we weren’t rich – golf was just something to do with my brother and my dad.
“If you have a young child you have to spend around 1,000 bucs on a set of clubs, that’s part of the problem.
Which golfer would @BKoepka box? ???????? NEW EPISODE OF BS WITH JAKE PAUL OUT NOW WITH BROOKS KOEPKA ???? pic.twitter.com/kcSuh7dtIeOctober 19, 2023
“It (golf) can be buttoned-up, a little stifling at times. It’s starting to change a little bit, especially with the younger guys coming out of college.
“It’s tough, most people who play golf, the average guy is probably 60 years old, the white guy, he’s retired, golf is his life, he’s probably the average fan.
“So trying to get younger people into golf is the way to go.”
After Koepka also said “at the end of the day, you’re an artist”, Paul proposed to her and Bryson DeChambeau £1million each to get into the ring for a boxing match against each other.
“We could probably do something,” Koepka responded. This is something the entire golf world would love to see.
