[Rob Marshall]

He hits the ball so long that it doesn't matter if he's in the fairway or not. He just rips a wedge out of the rough and onto the green. Does that really make him a great golfer? Under normal tournament conditions he doesn't win very often. The majors are being set up to give the bombers a huge advantage. Pebble may be different but how many guys do you really think could have one at Bethpage? 10 maybe?

[Ronald Montesano]

Rob, you just made Koepka's case. If he did what you said (bomb and gouge) he would win more often in regular events. Check his driving-accuracy stats for the last two Open and PGA competitions.

[JESII]

Disagree...(edit in) with Rob Marshall


It's simply not easy, even for them, to hit the ball out of the rough with any control. The fact that he did it most of the time at Bethpage speaks to his skill and strength.


If Kevin Kisner played as close to his optimal level of ball control golf as Koepka did to his own optimal level, he'd have been in contention. Bethpage is so uninteresting around the greens that getting on or right around them was good enough...and you weren't asked to pick a quadrant of the green (or surrounds) to miss within so basking a wedge out of the rough was good enough.


Pebble should be a completely different animal...similar to Shinnecock last year. Oh damn...Koepka won there too. Maybe he's actually just better than the other guys?!?

[Rob Marshall]

Disagree...(edit in) with Rob Marshall


It's simply not easy, even for them, to hit the ball out of the rough with any control. The fact that he did it most of the time at Bethpage speaks to his skill and strength.


If Kevin Kisner played as close to his optimal level of ball control golf as Koepka did to his own optimal level, he'd have been in contention. Bethpage is so uninteresting around the greens that getting on or right around them was good enough...and you weren't asked to pick a quadrant of the green (or surrounds) to miss within so basking a wedge out of the rough was good enough.


Pebble should be a completely different animal...similar to Shinnecock last year. Oh damn...Koepka won there too. Maybe he's actually just better than the other guys?!?

Why doesn't  he win more regular events? IMO it's because bomb and gouge isn't as big a factor in regular events. Tiger, Phil, Jack,....won all different events. I guess you could counter that they are putting contests. I don't believe for a second he just gets more focused for majors.


How many guys realistically were capable of winning at Bethpage?

[Tom_Doak]

If we're going to compare Brooks to Jack Nicklaus in talking to the media, let's at least compare him to the 29-year-old Jack Nicklaus ... who had not quite come into his own on that score, either.


Also, the once-revered Canadian Open has been a second-tier event since Brooks turned pro, if not longer, and I'd guess that explains his lack of reverence for it.


No player can come close to being "on" all the time; you've got to pick your spots.  I guess if you do it openly, you're going to offend the people not on your list.  It seems to become more of an issue once a guy starts winning; Brooks's answers are probably the same they would have been five years ago, but no one was asking him then.

[archie_struthers]

 


Tough crowd here the guy plays hard and doesn't make excuses for losing. Also he's trying to do the rarest of triples in the game. Three straight Open championships would be pretty special, and its his own country. Imagine someone in England or Ireland going for three straight British Open.....he would be knighted.


Just trying to say that I appreciate Brooks just saying play better.  Lots of whining at all our clubs about tees being too long, rough too high etc etc etc...golf is not a game of perfect ....buck up

[George Myers]

I could care less?


Come on Brooks, grammar.

[Peter Sayegh]

"I could care less what happens," Koepka said. "The result doesn't really matter."Was this said during Memorial Park reno pitch session?Sorry, couldn't resist.

[jeffwarne]

Disagree...(edit in) with Rob Marshall


It's simply not easy, even for them, to hit the ball out of the rough with any control. The fact that he did it most of the time at Bethpage speaks to his skill and strength.


If Kevin Kisner played as close to his optimal level of ball control golf as Koepka did to his own optimal level, he'd have been in contention. Bethpage is so uninteresting around the greens that getting on or right around them was good enough...and you weren't asked to pick a quadrant of the green (or surrounds) to miss within so basking a wedge out of the rough was good enough.


Pebble should be a completely different animal...similar to Shinnecock last year. Oh damn...Koepka won there too. Maybe he's actually just better than the other guys?!?

Why doesn't  he win more regular events? IMO it's because bomb and gouge isn't as big a factor in regular events. Tiger, Phil, Jack,....won all different events. I guess you could counter that they are putting contests. I don't believe for a second he just gets more focused for majors.


How many guys realistically were capable of winning at Bethpage?

I have no idea what this means...
So are you going to argue Fowler is a better player becaiuse he doesn't win majors and therefore is more complete because he only wins regular tour events?


Koepka has won four majors because he peaked at just the right time, bombs it straight, has a good iron game, a great wedge game and is very good putter..
Koepka won on 4 very different major courses and thanks to the USGA very goofy/opposite/reactionary setups at two of them.
He also has a T-6 at The Open and 2nd at Augusta.
Koepka seems to know what it takes to play his way into form-or he just got lucky-or he's on a crazy coincidental hot streak.


I know he has twice as many majors as Johnny Miller and four times as many as DJ,Love and Kite and only one less than Phil.
That impresses me, and the way he came of age on the Euro Tour impresses me as well.

[Rob Marshall]

Disagree...(edit in) with Rob Marshall


It's simply not easy, even for them, to hit the ball out of the rough with any control. The fact that he did it most of the time at Bethpage speaks to his skill and strength.


If Kevin Kisner played as close to his optimal level of ball control golf as Koepka did to his own optimal level, he'd have been in contention. Bethpage is so uninteresting around the greens that getting on or right around them was good enough...and you weren't asked to pick a quadrant of the green (or surrounds) to miss within so basking a wedge out of the rough was good enough.


Pebble should be a completely different animal...similar to Shinnecock last year. Oh damn...Koepka won there too. Maybe he's actually just better than the other guys?!?

Why doesn't  he win more regular events? IMO it's because bomb and gouge isn't as big a factor in regular events. Tiger, Phil, Jack,....won all different events. I guess you could counter that they are putting contests. I don't believe for a second he just gets more focused for majors.


How many guys realistically were capable of winning at Bethpage?

I have no idea what this means...
So are you going to argue Fowler is a better player becaiuse he doesn't win majors and therefore is more complete because he only wins regular tour events?


Koepka has won four majors because he peaked at just the right time, bombs it straight, has a good iron game, a great wedge game and is very good putter..
Koepka won on 4 very different major courses and thanks to the USGA very goofy/opposite/reactionary setups at two of them.
He also has a T-6 at The Open and 2nd at Augusta.
Koepka seems to know what it takes to play his way into form-or he just got lucky-or he's on a crazy coincidental hot streak.


I know he has twice as many majors as Johnny Miller and four times as many as DJ,Love and Kite and only one less than Phil.
That impresses me, and the way he came of age on the Euro Tour impresses me as well.

Jeff,
What I was getting at is that the majors are set up for his game. Tiger in his prime could win on any course and any set up.


Andy North won twice as many majors as DL, David Duval, Tom Kite, Sergio Garcia. Monty, Westwood, Donald have won none. I could go on. Yet Andy North gets little to no respect.


My point was total body of work. Why doesn’t he win other tour events?


Again, how many guys in the field were capable of winning at Bethpage? A guy like Molinari had no chance. Brooks has a huge advantage on course set up like that. I may be all wet.

[Rob Marshall]

Rob, you just made Koepka's case. If he did what you said (bomb and gouge) he would win more often in regular events. Check his driving-accuracy stats for the last two Open and PGA competitions.

Ron,
I was too lazy to check all 4 tournaments. But at Bethpage he was 44th in fairways hit and 1st in greens. 3rd in driving distance. To me that reads he bombed it but was still able to wedge it on the green. Obviously not just wedges but you get the drift. I certainly think he’s a great player.

[jeffwarne]

Rob,
Surely Tiger is a pretty tough measuring stick-in his prime the best.
But even Tiger made his career by winning MULTIPLE times (as many as nine) at the same venues that favored his game.
Koepka's not cherry picking events he likes-he's playing majors in the order they are presented.
I hate bomb and gouge as much as the next guy but it's no different in the regular events, and certainly most events have less and shorter rough than Bethpage and Shinnecock.
I can't explain Koepka's success-it comes down to what the governing bodies and we as fans value in identifying great players.
Koepka's been the best the past 3 years and I fail to see how Molinari having "no chance" at Bethpage(I happen to disagree about that) disparages Koepka's win in any way.


I hate modern equipment and what it's done to the game at the elite level and by extension our great courses and setups, but long hitters (Nicklaus and Tiger) have always had an advantage, and when they are on with the rest of their game, they win.

[Rob Marshall]

I hear you and I don’t mean to disparage his win. My point was his game is made for venues like that.

[JESII]

Rob - my opinion of Koepka’s game at the moment is that if they called the Bob Hope Classic a Major he’d put together a game plan and shoot 30 under...or whatever it takes to compete/win.


I don’t think it will last forever, but he’s that alpha right now.

[jeffwarne]

I hear you and I don’t mean to disparage his win. My point was his game is made for venues like that.

I'd agree if we were just tallking Bethpage, but we're talking four different setups and courses-plus one shot out of a win at Augusta and 6th in an Open.
I'd say his game, like Jack and Tiger, is made not only for major courses, but all courses.
I'm guessing he catches up on those regular events pretty soon.
As far as Andy North, that just exemplifies how one dimensional US Open setups were back then, and definitely favored a certain type player-which is OK and why there are four majors.
I don't buy the motivation thing at all-but I do buy his theory about half the field having no chance, and the firmer the greens are the more it favors a bomber-but there are many of them.


and finally, we all (including me) aren't enamored wth his repetitive press conferences(when they actually have a question for him-think 2018 US Open )
But that's really not fair as these players spend years and years perfecting and honing their skills, and years gaining valuable experience dealing with all that comes up in a round, and finally a major championshipetc...
Even the most confident, positive attitude PGA Player would not expect the sudden Major dominance Koepka has had. He's learning the PR bit as he goes along and I'm sure it will get better (or he will fade and we'll care less)
Nicklaus was NOT beloved as a young player but he came to be revered, and Tiger was not exactly a glowing interview 15 yaers ago.

[V. Kmetz]

My sole critique of Koepka, as is of DJ or Spieth, or frankly Tiger at his machine-like best... is the seeming lack of public joy in the enterprise...


I mean Nicklaus would raise a putter, Palmer would toss a visor, Trevino would shoot a finger gun, Irwin did a victory lap...even dour Ray Floyd had a little sidecar fist-pump he would go to...


I'm not sure why that's important/germane to me...but I can't "love" a figure, who doesn't show a little inner character (good, bad, happy, sad) to me and Koepka (nor DJ, nor Spieth and some others) just doesn't seem to have that button...it's all the "bubble" and his "process"...and his "routine"... it seems to me that a handful of the elites (especially those without a long record) are as indifferent to winnign as to losing...it may be great sports/performance psychology, but it makes for a lousy human watch...


I mean honestly, as well as Koepka played the first three days of the PGA, wasn't it the final day (losing his shit) that was the more compelling...?


I've always felt Phil was a bit of a FIGJAM/phony, but besides his enormous legendary talent, he was willing to show how much it meant and always ready to admit mental anxiety...one of the reasons the great preponderance of fans love him I believe.


I might love Koepka down the line, after I observe him when things ain't so good and I have several years to reflect on... but right now, he's just a hot golfer for whom our instant gratification neurons are firing hard, defying complete perspective.

[Lloyd_Cole]

It's fun to watch a highly paid sportsperson, who doesn't need the money, play for the love of the game. And by that I don't mean that they love and respect the game, but that all they want to do is play and if they weren't getting paid, they would be in the local park, or on the local muni. Tiger has that. Watson still has it. Seve had it. Steph Curry looks like he has it. Messi has it. I'm a Chelsea fan and David Luiz is a perplexing character, but it's never in doubt that he wants to play because he loves playing. This is infectious. If we want to talk PR BS, this is the type of thing that kids see, and the game, maybe, grows... Koepke has none of this.
At least we know he has a chip on his shoulder, now. That's progress.
I love his golf game, by the way. To describe it as bomb and gouge is hugely ignorant.

[Ronald Montesano]

Kind of like a musician I saw once in suburban Buffalo, plays and sings for the pure love of the arts.


If people missed Koepka ignoring the g-f pre-final round of PGA, it is the best video you will watch this year.

[William_G]

Koepka has it going for sure


Rory won last last week and it's like the tournament was just happened to get in the way of his playing well (albeit a new venue where he bombed it into submission)


Fowler would like to win but says it won't define him


now take Patrick Reed, LOL


it's a good week


more video of Koepka shunning his GF on Sunday AM or Tiger hugging his GF on Sunday AM


cheers

[archie_struthers]

 




Hey sports fans lets remember golf is one of the few sports / games where adrenaline isn't your friend. Don't know any other one where this is so true, maybe high level formula one driving is similar but that's outside my area of expertise. So Koepka being emotionless is a real advantage. Any of you who remember Nicklaus bludgeoning the opposition into submission with a stoic mindset can see some similarities.


Very few golfers have become super elite while being outwardly emotional Tiger, Arnie and Seve spring instantly to mind but the majority of great players were cold hearted assassins with pulse rates at 42-50. Give Koepka his due and a chance , hes still pretty young in golf years.

[Joe Bausch]

Koepka Woodland is no nonsense.  Perfect for majors.

[Ronald Montesano]

I could care less?


Come on Brooks, grammar.

Duh, George, it's "I couldn't care fewer." #Gramma

[Ronald Montesano]

Back to serious responses.


1. I admire Rob for putting his opinions on public display, and managing all the responses in a civil manner;


2. Rickie shot 77 on Friday. The "Why?" could take days to unravel;


3. Zac "GCA Patron Saint" Blair just renounced gca in order to focus on golf;


4. Brooks Koepka is focused on golf. Would you like him to salsa down the fairway, as Koepkas have done for generations? Would you like him to put a rubber snake in Jordan Spieth's golf bag, as Koepkas have done for generations? My only critique of Ronald Montesano is the absence of public joy when he writes...would be a projection of my own desires, on the great and powerful Ronald Montesano;


5. I was writing my nightly "5 Things" article for a site last night, and caught myself hammering Gary Woodland, straight off the bat. I am easy prey for the negative, so I retooled it. It wasn't 100% supportive (since GW has only won 2nd-tier PGA Tour events-yes, those events exist) but I did find the positive in what he has done thus far. I would end with, fight the negative, but run with the negative if you've considered all the positive, and the negative makes the powerful case.

[Thomas Dai]

Is Brooks maybe Steve Austin in disguise?*

Atb

[size=78%]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fofxhsVWB5A[/size]


* and with a suitable price adjustment for inflation/prize money!

[Rob Marshall]

Wow, I was wrong. He’s got more game than I thought. What a start.

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