Well before Brooks Koepka captured back-to-back U.S. Open titles … and won back-to-back PGA Championships … and earned generational wealth by jumping to LIV Golf, he was a 24-year-old fighting to claim his first PGA Tour title.
That’s when Koepka and the Phoenix Open became intertwined forever. Koepka collected his first PGA Tour victory in 2015 at TPC Scottsdale, which set the stage for his five major championships and his rise to No. 1 in the World Golf Rank.
Koepka, 35, has returned to the Phoenix Open field for the first time in four years as he reacquaints himself with old haunts in the wake of his recent split with LIV Golf.
During his years away, did he yearn to tune in to the Phoenix Open and its frenzied fans? Uh, not exactly.
“No, I was asleep when this was going on,” said Koepka, who’d be halfway around the world. “Kind of tough to watch.
“But, yeah, it’s a golf course I really like, a tournament I like coming to. I think this is always a comfortable event for me.”
The muscle memory associated with Koepka’s pair of Phoenix Open crowns — he also won in 2021 – ought to be valuable this week. Not just remembering where to place the ball as he whips around TPC Scottsdale, but recalling the joy of interacting with the raucous galleries.
“I said it earlier, I think last week, I enjoy the chaos,” Koepka said. “It’s fun. It can kind of get you in between shots. Gives you something to either kind of laugh at or whatever’s going on, there’s always something to see. But, yeah, it’s a fun week.”
This marks just his second tournament since being reinstated by the Tour. Two weeks ago, Koepka finished in a tie for 56th at the Farmers Insurance Open.
While his driving average (306.0 yards) and his short game around the green rank among the Tour’s best in the early going this season, his putting ranks 172nd on Tour as he’s losing 2.4 strokes per round compared to the norm.
“I’ve been putting pretty poorly for the good side of two years,” Koepka said. “I don’t know what’s going on, but I’ve got to figure it out.”
