Blake Davis
Only three golfers have won four or more PGA Championships. Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Walter Hagen. After a win at LIV Singapore on Sunday, Brooks Koepka looks ready to try and turn that three-man club into four.
Koepka, who said earlier in the week that his time from December to the Masters seemed like a waste, went out and shot a 3-under 68 in the LIV Singapore final to edge past Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman for two and Talor Gooch for three to secure his fourth career victory at LIV Golf.
A quiet and impressive part of Koepka’s career is his ability to win all over the world.
He has won professional events in the following countries.
- Italy
- Spain
- Peru
- Singapore
- Saudi Arabia
- U.S
- Scotland
- Japan
Of course, the most impressive part of Koepka’s career is the fact that he has five major championships and is now seeking his sixth, which would tie him with Nick Faldo and put him within one of Arnold Palmer. Three of them – Bellerive in 2018, Bethpage in 2019 and Oak Hill in 2023 – were PGAs, and he is one of the favorites (although at 20-1, not enough) to repeat as he did in 2019.
Perhaps the most intriguing thing about his victory this week is how much he seemed to be going for it early on.
“I can’t find the hole, to be honest with you,” he said at a press conference earlier in the week when asked about his shot. “Something we’re working on, trying to find some answers.”
“The ball doesn’t go in the hole…” he added. “I don’t know how else to just put it. I feel like I’m hitting good shots, they keep burning your lips. Eventually it starts to wear on you after a while. All you can do is hit a good shot and see for yourself. where does it go from there.
They fell sharply over the next three rounds, as Koepka opened with a 66-64 on a golf course he felt he could take advantage of with his ball striking and then closed with that Sunday 68 that included just one bogey. It was a masterclass in how to win a professional golf tournament.
“I feel good,” he said at the opening of the press conference. “I feel a lot better than I did last week. It was coming to an end for me. As I said before, I think in one of the press conferences, I felt like the results weren’t there. I was getting better, but the results weren’t there. It’s good to see some results and the hard work paying off.
He added that this result began to be announced a week ago at LIV Adelaide, where he finished T9.
“I think just hitting the ball was starting to turn the corner,” he said. “I was starting to see it go out the right window. If I don’t see it go out the right window, I kind of have a hard time. But it was good to see it started where I wanted it to and the ball was moving in the right direction. I I kind of didn’t know if it would go away or flat out for about a month, but I ended up getting into bad habits with myself.”
Now Koepka will turn his attention to Valhalla and a PGA Championship he will try to win for the fourth time. Finding his form before this tournament is something he is used to doing. His three wins were all preceded by a top-five finish in his most recent start. And while he doesn’t necessarily believe a player should find form for an event like this, it doesn’t hurt either.
“I still have the same expectations every time I tee off and that’s to win,” he said of Valhalla. “Those are my expectations, what I want to do. A result doesn’t really mean anything in the scheme of things. Over two weeks, a lot can change. Yes, it helps, but at the same time, I’ve seen guys miss cuts and then win and then win and not compete the following week.
Ripper GC won his second consecutive team event at 32 under by three shots over Fireballs and Cleeks.
