SouthernWorldwide.com – Brooks Koepka has made a strong start to the PGA Championship, continuing a season-long trend of top-20 finishes in every tournament he has made the cut.
The five-time major champion rejoined the PGA Tour this season after a four-year stint with LIV Golf. He was among 33 players who managed to shoot under 70 in the first round on Thursday at Aronimink Golf Club, located just outside of Philadelphia.
Last year proved to be a challenging period for Koepka on the golf course. He missed the cut in three out of the four majors and finished 31st in the individual LIV Golf standings.
However, the difficulties extended beyond the course. He and his wife, Jena Sims, experienced a significant personal tragedy when she suffered a miscarriage at 16 weeks of pregnancy.
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Speaking after his first-round play on Thursday, Koepka candidly admitted that “a lot of family issues” last year had “taken a toll” on him and negatively impacted his performance.
“That was kind of tough to deal with,” Koepka shared, as reported by the New York Post.
Fortunately, Koepka indicated that his home life is now “in a much better place,” which he believes correlates with his impressive scores early in the tournament.
“It’s easier to come out to work when everything at home lines up. Everything’s a lot better. Last year was just difficult personally with what was going on off the golf course, nothing to do on it. It was just off,” Koepka elaborated.
“So, yeah, just being in a better place. It’s exciting. It’s a little bit of a fresh start as well. I think that’s a big piece of it. Yeah, when all that kind of lines up, it makes it enjoyable to be out here.”
He further reflected on his enjoyment of the game, stating, “It’s been a long time since I’ve had fun playing golf. I was very frustrated last year. Just wasn’t in a good place, but I think a lot of times when you — it’s like anybody, right? If they’re happy off the golf course, they’re going to play well on the golf course. I think that’s a huge, huge piece of it, and I’ve found that.”
Koepka expressed that he has “refound my happiness, my love for the game. All the pieces are connected. It’s just now I’ve got to go out and go play.”
Koepka is currently vying for his fourth PGA Championship title, having previously won the prestigious event in 2018, 2019, and 2023. A victory would place him in elite company, joining Walter Hagen, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods as the only four-time winners of this major championship.
His return to the PGA Tour this season saw some initial struggles, with finishes of T55 at the Farmers Insurance Open and a missed cut at the Waste Management Open. However, since then, his performance has shown a marked improvement, with finishes generally ranging from T9 to T18, despite two other missed cuts.
