How Brooks Koepka went from overlooked amateur to the most dominant golfer in the world and possible heir to Tiger Woods' throne

Cork Gaines

May 21, 2019, 01:17 IST

How Brooks Koepka went from overlooked amateur to the most dominant golfer in the world and possible heir to Tiger Woods' throne

Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Brooks Koepka is doing things not seen since Tiger Woods was dominating golf.

Brooks Koepka defended his title at the PGA Championship to stake a claim as the most dominant golfer in the world.
Koepka has won three of the last five majors and four in less than two years, a run we haven't seen since Tiger Woods at his peak.
Koepka's ascent to the top was unusual, and he uses any slight he can find as motivation.
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Tiger Woods is back to winning majors, but it is a once-overlooked amateur who appears to be in a position to become the heir to Tiger's throne as this generation's most dominant golfer.

Brooks Koepka defended his PGA Championship at Bethpage Black and has now won four majors in less than two years, including three of the last five, a run we haven't seen since Tiger at his peak. While Koepka may never be as good as Tiger was, he looks poised to dominate the way Tiger did.

But it wasn't always that way. Koepka was often overlooked as an amateur and early in his pro career while several of his contemporaries received all of the headlines and accolades.

Below we take a look at Koepka's incredible journey to the top of the golf world.

Koepka has athleticism in his DNA. His great-uncle is Dick Groat who played 14 years in the big leagues, was an 8-time All-Star and won the 1960 NL MVP. He was also drafted in the first round of the 1952 NBA Draft.

Koepka's dad Robert played baseball in college and the sport was Brooks' first love. He once told Golf Digest that he wished he had played baseball instead of golf, saying: "If I could do it over again, I’d play baseball—100 percent, no doubt."

Brooks' younger brother Chase is also a pro golfer, following big brother's path on the challenge tour.

At age 10, a car accident sidelined Koepka from contact sports and he spent nearly every day playing golf.

At age 13, he beat his dad in the finals of the Sherbrooke Golf and Country Club championship, ending his father's five-year reign as champ.

Koepka made his high school varsity golf team in seventh grade. At that point, he told his parents he was going to skip college and go straight to the pros. Koepka said his dad nearly crashed the car and had to pull over to tell Brooks he would be going to college first.

Koepka has admitted that he always competed with a chip on his shoulder and uses any slight as motivation.

People overlooked Koepka early on. In high school, he wanted to play college golf at the University of Florida. But when ESPN recently asked him how much interest the Gators showed in him, he simply said, "none."

Koepka instead went to Florida State University.

Koepka admitted that he was an "average golfer" when he arrived at FSU, but that he put in "hard work and dedication" and worked on his "mental toughness."

At FSU, Koepka was a 3-time All-American, a 2-time ACC Player of the Year, and won three tournaments his senior year.

Despite his success in college as an amateur, Koepka was never chosen to represent the United States in the Walker Cup and play alongside contemporaries like Jordan Spieth.

After failing to qualify for the PGA Tour, Koepka went overseas and played on the European Challenge Tour, the second tier of pro golf in Europe.

While most might have viewed the move to Europe's minor league as a setback, Koepka viewed it as an advantage.

In 2013, he played in 25 events in 20 countries, including Kazakhstan, China, India, and Kenya.

He traveled so much early in his career that he had to add about 20 pages to his passport "just to be able to travel."

He won four events on the challenge tour including his first win as a pro in Spain in 2012 where he won €25,600 (US$29,000).

The last of those wins came at the Scottish Hydro Challenge in 2013. Koepka nearly withdrew from the event because he was having trouble adjusting to life in a foreign country. Instead, he won the event and qualified for the European Tour in 2014.

Koepka called his time in Europe "the most fun I've ever had playing golf," noting the camaraderie is better among players.

Koepka could have come back to the U.S. in 2014, but instead chose the European Tour to improve his game. He did split time on the PGA Tour competing in 16 events states-side.

In 2014, he had five top-10 finishes, won €1.7 million (US$1.9 million), and picked up a win at the Turkish Airlines Open in Turkey. He also had two top-10s on the PGA Tour and won another $1.0 million (€930,000).

But in 2015, Koepka did come back to the United States and joined the PGA Tour. He won $3.6 million (€3.2 million) in his first season and won the Phoenix Open in just his third career start on the Tour.

At the time, Koepka said his goal was to have a "bunch more wins and a couple of majors" by 2020.

In 2015, he was passed over for a chance to represent the United States at the Presidents Cup despite a win and eight top-10 finishes that season. Koepka called it "super disappointing."

The lack of respect even extends to his name. Not only do people struggle with his last name, but he says fans often call him "Bruce."

But the worst came at the 2015 Phoenix Open where was introduced to the crowd as "Brooks Cupcake." He went on to win the event.

Koepka also felt like he didn't get the respect he deserved after winning his first major at the 2017 U.S. Open.

In 2018, Koepka missed several months with a wrist injury, including the Masters. Kopeka said it was hard and helped him realize how much he loves competing on the PGA Tour.

Koepka also used that time away to build another chip on his shoulder, saying he learned who his friends really are on the PGA Tour. When asked by ESPN, Koepka easily named the only three golfers to call him while injured: Dustin Johnson, Bubba Watson, and Phil Mickelson.

Since returning from the injury, Koepka has been on a run we haven't seen since Tiger Woods, winning three out of the last five majors and finishing second in another.

But Koepka isn't just winning majors at a Tiger-like pace, he is also shattering records while doing it.

His winning score of 16-under at the 2018 PGA Championship was the best ever for that major,

And at the 2019 PGA Championship he set the record for the lowest 36-hole score at a major (128) and his opening round 63 tied the tournament record and set the course record at Bethpage Black. He also set the records for largest leads after 36 and 54 holes at the PGA Championship (7 strokes).

He is also starting to get recognition for international competitions. In 2016, he was a big factor in the United States' win at the Ryder Cup, going 3-1 in matches.

On the course, Koepka is part of a new generation of golfers who believe aim is overrated and the most important factor is just to hit the ball long. He even said it with a sorry-not-sorry shrug.

Koepka is coached by Claude Harmon III, the son of legendary instructor Bruce Harmon. Koepka credits the younger Harmon for making his driver such an effective weapon.

One thing Koepka doesn't have like Tiger is seemingly Woods' love of the game. Koepka once called golf "kind of boring, not much action," and says he would prefer the sport if they only played 14 or 15 holes in a round.

But like Tiger, Brooks Koepka is fanatical about being in shape, building strength, and being an athlete more than a golfer.

He works out at the Joey D. Golf Training Center in Jupiter, Florida with buddy Dustin Johnson and Joey D.

Koepka is a big fan of hip hop artists such as Wiz Khalifa and Lil Wayne, and listens to Yo Gotti's "Down in the DM" before every tournament.

Koepka is not above speaking his mind on fellow golfers, famously getting into a war of words with Bryson DeChambeau over slow play.

Koepka admitted on SiriusXM if he is playing with slow golfers he will intentionally their group down, even more, to draw attention to their pace. That way, his group will get warned for slow play and it will force them to speed up to a pace Koepka prefers.

Koepka also isn't afraid to take shots at his fellow golfers like Tiger. Koepka said winning majors is easier than other tournaments because there are only a handful of players who are talented enough mentally strong enough to compete with him.

But even though Koepka is now the best golfer in the world, he said he is still looking for chips to put on his shoulder.

According to ESPN, Koepka even keeps this 2018 list of their 20 most dominant athletes in the world as the screensaver on his phone. His name is not on the list.

Nobody is going to say Koepka is as good as peak-Tiger or that he is going to change the game the way Woods did. But in terms of sheer dominance, Koepka is getting close. And while other golfers have had runs in recent years, like Jordan Spieth, Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, and Justin Rose, this one feels different.

If Koepka can keep finding chips for his shoulder, we might finally be seeing the next great golfer to dominate the sport for years to come.

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