Brooks Koepka (-3) posted a 69 in the second round of the Masters and has moved to within a shot of the top 10. After finishing on Friday he spoke to the media for the first time all week and once again produced one of those lines that do not go unnoticed. Not only for what he said, but for all it implies. The American explained that he is enjoying golf “so much more” and that he now feels excited about competing every week. A reflection that, given how the question was posed, is inevitably read as a comparison between his time in LIV Golf and his return to the PGA Tour.
“I’m enjoying it so much more. There’s a huge difference: now I’m excited to go out and play every week. When your happiness is through the roof off the course and also on the course, it’s very hard to top. You enjoy every day and everything you do. That has been a hugely significant thing for me“, Koepka said at Augusta.
It was not a throwaway line. The question was directly linked to a very specific issue: Koepka himself had previously said he had fallen back in love with the game after returning to the PGA Tour. And his answer left little room for interpretation. Without having to attack anyone or explicitly name LIV, the message was fairly clear: Koepka now feels a motivation and a competitive fulfilment he had not found before. Interpret it as you wish, although this certainly will not sit well with the Saudi league.
It’s a powerful statement, especially coming from one of the big names who lent face and prestige to the LIV circuit. Koepka does not renounce anything, but he does make it clear that he has regained a different energy. And that, in a player of his profile, is always an important sign. Even more so when it happens on a stage like Augusta, where every gesture and every word carries special weight.
Beyond that side message, Koepka also gave a very concrete explanation for the improvement in his game between the first and second rounds. The origin was the driver. According to him, one of the club’s settings had changed from A1 to B1 without anyone realising. They detected it after Thursday’s round on the practice range and corrected it immediately. The result was evident on Friday.
“Basically I struck it better with the driver. One of the club’s settings had gone from A1 to B1 and nobody noticed. We put it back to A1, which is how we usually have it, and from then on I struck the ball much better“, he explained.
It seems incredible that these things can happen at such a professional level as the Masters, but they do. He’s neither the first nor will he be the last. Koepka, in fact, said he is satisfied with almost everything he is doing this week. He stated that he is striking the ball very well, is solid, and that his biggest margin for improvement remains his putting and being somewhat more aggressive at certain moments.
“Ball striking has been really good all week“, he summed up. He also added that he feels exactly as he wanted to feel, with the driver back under control and better aware of where his mistakes lie.
That is another relevant message from his appearance: Koepka can see it. He sees himself playing well, sees himself competing and sees himself with a chance of a good weekend if the putter behaves a bit better. He even hinted that, with a couple of firmer putts, he could very well have posted a five- or six-under par round. Do not doubt we will see a more aggressive Brooks on the greens.
