You may agree with him or not. You may like his style or not. You may even think he’s just a provocateur or not. But there’s no doubt that Brooks Koepka doesn’t beat around the bush when it comes to analysing performances, whether his own or those of his peers. Just ask Matthew Wolff last year, for example…
Koepka may say things loudly, but he rarely says them more clearly. Today, after the second round of the LIV Singapore Golf, where he has taken the lead with a three-stroke advantage, he admitted that he felt embarrassed by his performance in Augusta and that it served as a turning point. “I was so embarrassed in Augusta after finishing 45th that it made me push a little harder, look my team in the eyes and apologise. I don’t want that to happen to me again,” he says.
Koepka knows he hasn’t won the tournament yet. He doesn’t trust those behind him, especially Talor Gooch, his teammate. Despite this caution, he feels he has taken a step forward. “I’ve played really well. Finally, my ball striking is improving and the putter is warming up a bit. But above all, I think I’m hitting better shots and getting them closer. I’m happy with the way I’ve played so far and I just need to have another good round,” he says.
Koepka admits that he is especially motivated by his son, a baby, seeing him win for the first time. “So far he hasn’t seen me finish better than 45th and that can’t be, I don’t like it. Hopefully tomorrow I can win and celebrate with him,” he says.
Interestingly, one of the players he’s going to compete with this Sunday to win is Matt Wolff, with whom he didn’t end very well last year. “I have no problem with Matt. We just didn’t get along, we didn’t agree on how things were or how I think they should be. I’ve always liked him as a person. I think he’s a great guy. I’ve told many people, even behind closed doors. It was a good thing for him to leave the team and go to the RangeGoats and it was a good thing for our team…”.
In this regard, Wolff assures that he doesn’t have a special motivation against Koepka. “He’s very good, he knows how to play in the situation he’s in and it will be difficult to unseat him. I focus on myself, try to play the best I can and I’m not worried about what others are doing. In every tournament, in every round, I go out and give my best and that’s all I can do. As I’ve said, I can’t control what others do. So why focus on him,” he says.
