Brooks Koepka

Brooks Koepka (/ˈkɛp.kə/, born May 3, 1990) is an American professional golfer on the PGA Tour. In October 2018, he became World Number 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking after winning the 2018 CJ Cup.[2] He won the U.S. Open in 2017 and 2018, and the PGA Championship in 2018 and 2019, becoming the first golfer in history to hold back-to-back titles in two majors simultaneously. He started his career on the European Challenge Tour and eventually the European Tour. He played college golf at Florida State University.

Brooks Koepka
Koepka after winning the 2017 U.S. Open
Personal information
Born (1990-05-03) May 3, 1990
West Palm Beach, Florida
Height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight205 lb (93 kg; 14.6 st)
Nationality United States
ResidenceJupiter, Florida
Career
CollegeFlorida State University
Turned professional2012
Current tour(s)PGA Tour
Former tour(s)European Tour
Challenge Tour
Professional wins14
Highest ranking1 (October 21, 2018)[1]
(47 weeks)
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour7
European Tour6
Japan Golf Tour2
Challenge Tour4
Best results in major championships
(wins: 4)
Masters TournamentT2: 2019
PGA ChampionshipWon: 2018, 2019
U.S. OpenWon: 2017, 2018
The Open ChampionshipT4: 2019
Achievements and awards
Sir Henry Cotton
Rookie of the Year		2014
PGA Player of the Year2018, 2019
PGA Tour
Player of the Year		2018
PGA Tour
leading money winner		2019

Koepka claimed his first major championship at the U.S. Open in 2017 at Erin Hills, Wisconsin.[3][4] He successfully defended his title in 2018 at Shinnecock Hills on Long Island, the first golfer to win consecutive U.S. Opens since Curtis Strange in 1988 and 1989. He won his third major at the 2018 PGA Championship at Bellerive Country Club, shooting a major-championship-record-tying 264 over 72 holes. His 2018 victories in the U.S. Open and the PGA Championship were the first instance of that double since Tiger Woods in 2000. He won his fourth major at the 2019 PGA Championship at Bethpage Black.

Early years

Born in West Palm Beach, Florida, Koepka was raised in Lake Worth, and attended Cardinal Newman High School in West Palm Beach.

Career

Amateur

He played college golf at Florida State University in Tallahassee, where he won three events and was a three-time All-American.[5] He qualified for the 2012 U.S. Open as an amateur, but missed the cut by six strokes.[6]

Professional
Koepka with Justin Rose at the 2018 U.S. Open

2012

In the summer of 2012, Koepka turned professional and began playing on the Challenge Tour in Europe. He won his first title in September at the Challenge de Catalunya.[7]

2013

In 2013, he had his second victory on the Challenge Tour, winning the 2013 Montecchia Golf Open.[8] He followed this a month later with his third win, the Fred Olsen Challenge de España, where he set the tournament record, 260 (−24), and won by a record 10 strokes.[9]

Three weeks later, he had his third win of the year at the Scottish Hydro Challenge. With those three wins, he earned his European Tour card for the remainder of the 2013 season and for the full 2014 season.[10] The day after his third Challenge Tour win of 2013, Koepka qualified for the 2013 Open Championship. Koepka made his debut as a member of the European Tour (he played in three events prior to promotion to membership) at the Scottish Open, finishing T12.[11]

2014

On the 2014 PGA Tour, Koepka played a few events on sponsor's exemptions and through open qualifying.[12] In his first event of the year, Koepka led after the second and third rounds of the Frys.com Open. He finished tied for third. At the U.S. Open, he collected a fourth-place finish, which earned him his first PGA Tour card, for the 2014–15 season, and his first Masters invitation. He was 15th at the PGA Championship, and was nominated for the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year award.[13]

On the 2014 European Tour, Koepka won the Turkish Airlines Open and finished third at the Dubai Desert Classic and Omega European Masters, and ninth at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. He ranked 8th in the 2014 Race to Dubai rankings and was named the European Tour's Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year.[14]

2015

On February 1, 2015, Koepka won his first PGA Tour event, the Waste Management Phoenix Open[15] and moved to 19th in the Official World Golf Ranking.[16]

At the 2015 Open Championship, Koepka improved every day and a final round 68 vaulted him into a tie for 10th at the Old Course at St Andrews. The next week, Koepka was tied for fourth after 54 holes at the RBC Canadian Open but a final round 74 pushed him down to a tie for 18th at the Glen Abbey Golf Course. He then tied for 6th at the 2015 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and tied for 5th at the 2015 PGA Championship. In 2015, he chose to give up his European Tour membership.[17]

2017

In 2017, Koepka won his first major championship by claiming the U.S. Open title at Erin Hills, Wisconsin.[4] His win tied him for the record of the lowest U.S. Open score at 16 under (tied with Rory McIlroy's 2011 record).[18]

Koepka with the 2018 U.S. Open Trophy at the post-tournament press conference following his win in the event at Shinnecock Hills

2018

Koepka had to undergo wrist surgery after the 2017 season and had hoped that his recuperation would be complete in time for the 2018 Masters Tournament but he had to withdraw, saying that he was only 80% fit.[19] He recovered to successfully defend his U.S. Open title at Shinnecock Hills, becoming the first player since Curtis Strange in 1989 to win consecutive U.S. Open titles, which has occurred only seven times.[20] He won his third major at the 2018 PGA Championship at Bellerive Country Club.[21]

At the 2018 Ryder Cup, an errant tee shot by Koepka struck a female spectator and caused a globe rupture of her right eye resulting in her losing vision in that eye.[22][23] Also at the Ryder Cup, it was rumored that Koepka and teammate Dustin Johnson got into a feud over some personal issues but Koepka denied these claims saying "This Dustin thing I don't get, There is no fight, no argument, he's one of my best friends. I love the kid to death and we talked on the phone Monday and yesterday and he told me how he thought. People like to make a story and run with it. It's not the first time there's been a news story that isn't true that has gone out."[24]

On October 21, 2018, Koepka won the CJ Cup, and the win moved him to number one in the Official World Golf Ranking.[25]

2019

On May 19, 2019, Koepka won the 2019 PGA Championship, the first to successfully defend the PGA Championship since Tiger Woods in 2007.[26] With his win in this major championship, Koepka regained the #1 position in the Official World Golf Ranking.[27]

Through the 2019 season, Koepka has made the cut in 92% of the major championships he's entered (22 out of 24).

On July 28, 2019, Koepka won the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational. By doing so, he won $1,745,000 and clinched the season-long Wyndham Rewards Top 10 Challenge and an additional $2,000,000.[28]

On August 4, 2019, Koepka clinched the season-long Aon Risk Reward Challenge and another $1,000,000 for the 2018-19 season. This challenge selects one hole in every participating event and designates it as the Aon Risk Reward hole for that week. The challenge rewards the player who has the best two scores from every participating event that a player competes in throughout the season, measured by the lowest average score to par on these holes.[29]

Koepka won the PGA of America Player of the Year award for the second consecutive year.[30]

Koepka qualified for the 2019 Presidents Cup but withdrew because of a knee injury and was replaced by Rickie Fowler on November 20, 2019. [31]

His caddie since 2013 is Ricky Elliott.[32]

Personal life

Koepka's younger brother, Chase, is also a professional golfer.[33] The two brothers played as partners in the 2019 Zurich Classic of New Orleans on the PGA Tour, the only Tour event using a team format.[34]

His great uncle is Major League Baseball player Dick Groat.[35]

Amateur wins (4)
  • 2009 Rice Planters Amateur
  • 2011 Brickyard Collegiate
  • 2012 Seminole Intercollegiate, Florida Atlantic Intercollegiate

Professional wins (14)

PGA Tour wins (7)
Legend
Major championships (4)
World Golf Championships (1)
Other PGA Tour (2)
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory		 Runner(s)-up
1 Feb 1, 2015 Waste Management Phoenix Open −15 (71-68-64-66=269) 1 stroke Hideki Matsuyama, Ryan Palmer,
Bubba Watson
2 Jun 18, 2017 U.S. Open −16 (67-70-68-67=272) 4 strokes Brian Harman, Hideki Matsuyama
3 Jun 17, 2018 U.S. Open (2) +1 (75-66-72-68=281) 1 stroke Tommy Fleetwood
4 Aug 12, 2018 PGA Championship −16 (69-63-66-66=264) 2 strokes Tiger Woods
5 Oct 21, 2018 CJ Cup −21 (71-65-67-64=267) 4 strokes Gary Woodland
6 May 19, 2019 PGA Championship (2) −8 (63-65-70-74=272) 2 strokes Dustin Johnson
7 Jul 28, 2019 WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational −16 (68-67-64-65=264) 3 strokes Webb Simpson

PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)

No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
1 2016 AT&T Byron Nelson Sergio García Lost to par on first extra hole

European Tour wins (6)
Legend
Major championships (4)
World Golf Championships (1)
Race to Dubai finals series (1)
Other European Tour (0)
No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner(s)-up
1 Nov 16, 2014 Turkish Airlines Open −17 (69-67-70-65=271) 1 stroke Ian Poulter
2 Jun 18, 2017 U.S. Open −16 (67-70-68-67=272) 4 strokes Brian Harman, Hideki Matsuyama
3 Jun 17, 2018 U.S. Open (2) +1 (75-66-72-68=281) 1 stroke Tommy Fleetwood
4 Aug 12, 2018 PGA Championship −16 (69-63-66-66=264) 2 strokes Tiger Woods
5 May 19, 2019 PGA Championship (2) −8 (63-65-70-74=272) 2 strokes Dustin Johnson
6 Jul 28, 2019 WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational −16 (68-67-64-65=264) 3 strokes Webb Simpson

Japan Golf Tour wins (2)
No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner(s)-up
1 Nov 20, 2016 Dunlop Phoenix Tournament −21 (65-70-63-65=263) 1 stroke Yuta Ikeda
2 Nov 19, 2017 Dunlop Phoenix Tournament (2) −20 (65-68-64-67=264) 9 strokes Lee Sang-hee, Prayad Marksaeng,
Xander Schauffele

Challenge Tour wins (4)
No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner(s)-up
1 Sep 30, 2012 Challenge de Catalunya −16 (68-67-65=200) 3 strokes Alessandro Tadini
2 May 5, 2013 Montecchia Golf Open −23 (66-67-62-66=261) 7 strokes Agustin Domingo
3 Jun 2, 2013 Fred Olsen Challenge de España −24 (64-66-64-66=260) 10 strokes Luis Claverie, Édouard Dubois,
Bernd Ritthammer
4 Jun 23, 2013 Scottish Hydro Challenge −18 (70-66-62-68=266) 3 strokes An Byeong-hun, Andrea Pavan,
Steven Tiley, Sam Walker

Major championships

Wins (4)
YearChampionship54 holesWinning scoreMarginRunner(s)-up
2017U.S. Open1 shot deficit−16 (67-70-68-67=272)4 strokes Brian Harman, Hideki Matsuyama
2018U.S. Open (2)Tied for lead+1 (75-66-72-68=281)1 stroke Tommy Fleetwood
2018PGA Championship2 shot lead−16 (69-63-66-66=264)2 strokes Tiger Woods
2019PGA Championship (2)7 shot lead−8 (63-65-70-74=272)2 strokes Dustin Johnson

Results timeline

Results not in chronological order in 2020.

Tournament 2012201320142015201620172018
Masters Tournament T33 T21 T11
U.S. Open CUT T4 T18 T13 1 1
The Open Championship CUT T67 T10 T6 T39
PGA Championship T70 T15 T5 T4 T13 1
Tournament 20192020
Masters Tournament T2
PGA Championship 1 T29
U.S. Open 2
The Open Championship T4 NT
  Win
  Top 10
  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
NT = No tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic

Summary
TournamentWins2nd3rdTop-5Top-10Top-25EventsCuts made
Masters Tournament01011344
PGA Championship20044688
U.S. Open21044676
The Open Championship00013365
Totals4201012182523
  • Most consecutive cuts made – 23 (2013 PGA – 2020 PGA, current)
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 5 (2018 PGA – 2019 Open)

Results in The Players Championship
Tournament 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
The Players Championship CUT T35 T16 T11 T56

CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

World Golf Championships

Wins (1)
YearChampionship54 holesWinning scoreMarginRunner-up
2019 WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational 1 shot deficit −16 (68-67-64-65=264) 3 strokes Webb Simpson

Results timeline
Tournament201520162017201820192020
Championship T17 T23 T48 T27
Match Play T17 QF R16 T56 NT1
Invitational T6 WD T17 5 1 T2
Champions T40 T2 T16

1Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic

  Win
  Top 10
  Did not play

QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
WD = Withdrew
NT = No tournament
"T" = Tied

U.S. national team appearances

Professional

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See also

References
  1. "Week 42 2018 Ending 21 Oct 2018" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
  2. "2018 CJ Cup: Brooks Koepka takes top ranking from Dustin Johnson with win in South Korea". CBS Sports. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
  3. "Brooks Koepka's Sunday in 2 Minutes". USGA. June 18, 2017. Archived from the original on June 21, 2017. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  4. Martin, Sean (June 18, 2017). "Late surge lifts Koepka to major triumph". PGA Tour. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  5. "Brooks Koepka". Seminoles.com. Archived from the original on May 23, 2012. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
  6. "U.S. Open Golf Championship (June 14 - 17, 2012): Leaderboard". ESPN. June 17, 2012. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
  7. "American Koepka claims maiden Challenge Tour victory". PGA European Tour. September 30, 2012. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  8. "Koepka proves his star potential with swashbuckling Montecchia Golf Open win". Daily Mail. May 5, 2013.
  9. "Record-breaker Brooks enters history books". PGA European Tour. June 2, 2013.
  10. "With This Win – Brooks Koepka". PGA European Tour. June 23, 2013.
  11. "Brooks Koepka – Results – 2013". PGA European Tour.
  12. "Inside the Field 2014". PGA Tour.
  13. "McIlroy voted 2013-14 PGA Tour Player of the Year; Hadley named top rookie". PGA Tour. October 1, 2014.
  14. "Koepka named 2014 European Tour Rookie of the Year". PGA European Tour. November 25, 2014.
  15. "Koepka earns 1st PGA Tour win". ESPN. Associated Press. February 1, 2015.
  16. "Week 5: Koepka Breaks Into The Top 20". Official World Golf Ranking. February 2, 2015.
  17. "Notes: Koepka gives up European Tour membership". PGA Tour. Associated Press. October 29, 2015.
  18. "Koepka captures first major, ties U.S. Open record". PGA Tour. Associated Press. June 18, 2017.
  19. Ballengee, Ryan. "Brooks Koepka to miss the 2018 Masters recovering from wrist injury". Golf News Net. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
  20. Murray, Ewan (June 18, 2018). "Brooks Koepka makes history in holding off Fleetwood to retain US Open title". The Guardian. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
  21. Murray, Ewan (August 13, 2018). "Brooks Koepka's nerveless display denies Tiger Woods fairytale victory". The Guardian. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
  22. Zauzmer, Emily (October 2, 2018). "Golf Fan Loses Sight After Ball Hits Her at Ryder Cup: It Was an 'Explosion of the Eyeball'". People.
  23. "Euro Tour to help fan who has lost vision from ball strike". MSN. Associated Press. October 2, 2018. Archived from the original on October 3, 2018. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  24. "Brooks Koepka denies fight with Dustin Johnson, calls injury to spectator 'one of my worst days'". ESPN. October 3, 2018.
  25. "Brooks Koepka has golf's top ranking with win in South Korea". Associated Press. October 21, 2018. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
  26. Murray, Ewan (May 19, 2019). "Brooks Koepka survives mini-meltdown to retain US PGA Championship". The Guardian. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
  27. "Week 20 – Koepka Returns to World No. 1". Official World Golf Ranking. May 19, 2019.
  28. Everill, Ben (July 28, 2019). "Koepka takes out WGC and Wyndham Rewards". PGA Tour. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
  29. Ross, Helen (August 4, 2019). "Wyndham Championship Round 4 updates: FedExCup, Wyndham Rewards, Aon Risk Reward Challenge". PGA Tour. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
  30. Beall, Joel (August 26, 2019). "Brooks Koepka wins PGA of America Player of the Year over Rory McIlroy". Golf World.
  31. Ferguson, Doug (November 20, 2019). "Koepka withdraws from Presidents Cup, replaced by Fowler". The Washington Post.  Associated Press.
  32. https://heavy.com/sports/2017/06/brooks-koepka-us-open-caddie-ricky-elliot/
  33. Huggan, John (June 28, 2017). "Chase Koepka hopes Challenge Tour experience can pay off the same way it did for big brother Brooks". Golf Digest. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
  34. "Zurich Classic of New Orleans – Past Results". PGA Tour.
  35. Hennessey, Stephen (May 18, 2019). "15 Things You Need To Know About Brooks Koepka". Golf Digest.
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