Brooks Koepka Lost This Masters, But He Shouldn’t Feel Like a Loser
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Last summer when Brooks Koepka left the PGA Tour for LIV Golf, it made a lot of sense. The majors are the only stage in golf that seem to truly matter to him. He could focus on them and play a smaller schedule with LIV. The majors are the litmus test of greatness in the game. How could he compare his career against the greats with 20 wins at Hartford and Hilton Head but no majors?
Koepka made you believe his theory that majors were easier to win than other tournaments. Between 2017 and 2021, he had eight top 10s and four wins in 17 major championship appearances. In ’19, he won the PGA Championship, had second-place finishes in both the Masters and U.S. Open and a fourth place in the British Open.
Starting the final round of the 2023 Masters on Easter Sunday with a two-shot lead over Jon Rahm, there was no reason to expect that he wouldn’t earn a fifth major championship. On three other occasions—the ’18 and ’19 PGA Championship and the ’19 U.S. Open—Koepka had held at least a piece of the lead going into the final round of a major. He took both the PGAs but failed in his attempt to win his third consecutive U.S. Open.
But on Sunday afternoon he was out of sorts from the very outset. After playing 12 holes on Sunday morning to complete his third round, he started the final round by pulling his drive at the first hole far left into the ninth fairway. He hit a towering recovery iron shot over the pine trees and made par, but both his putter and ball striking failed him on a Sunday that began with 1-over 73 in his third round.
After making 11 birdies and an eagle through his first 44 holes of the tournament, Koepka only had two birdies over his last 28 holes. In the final round, he didn’t have a birdie until the par-5 13th hole. By then Jon Rahm had taken control of the tournament and he would cruise to a four-shot win. Koepka, who had a final-round 3 over par 75 for an 8-under total, finished in a tie for second with Phil Mickelson. It was his fourth second-place finish in a major.
“Obviously it's super disappointing,” Koepka said after the round. “I didn't play good enough to win. I hit some shots where I also feel like I didn't get some good breaks. I hit some good shots and they just ended up in some terrible spots where it was quite difficult.”
Bad breaks come with major championship golf. If you play in enough of them you’re going to have some disappointments. Jack Nicklaus had 19 second-place finishes in majors. Mickelson has 11. Koepka shouldn’t feel like a loser. He’s endured a debilitating right knee injury that requires therapy before and after he plays. On Sunday evening, he attributed his missed cuts in his two previous Masters to injuries.
“I'm healthy so it's completely different,” he said. “If somebody's not healthy, they can't compete. I just wash those two years in my head.”
Losers also don’t deal with the scrutiny that Koepka has faced around his decision to join LIV Golf. As soon as he got into the lead on Thursday, a narrative emerged at Augusta National about a LIV golfer on the top of the leaderboard. For weeks, there was speculation about LIV and PGA Tour players having a blowup at the Masters. Would everybody play nice at the Champions Dinner and on the driving range?
Koepka is trying to stay above the fray. LIV, for him, seems more a means to an end to a play a shorter schedule and cash big checks than it is a way to do battle with the PGA Tour. On Sunday afternoon as Rahm was snatching the Masters from him, he wasn’t thinking about how his performance was reflecting on LIV Golf or Greg Norman.
“We're still the same people,” said the 32-year-old eight-time PGA Tour winner. “I know if I'm healthy, I know I can compete. I don't think any of the guys that played this event thought otherwise, either. When Phil plays good, we know he's going to compete. Patrick Reed, the same thing. I think that's just manufactured by the media that we can't compete anymore; that we are washed up.”
Koepka, Mickelson and Reed all finished in the top five. They’re all LIV players who won major championships before they joined that tour. They are as important now to the game as they were when they were PGA Tour members. Never mind that Koepka came into the Masters off a victory on the LIV Tour in Orlando to become the first two-time winner on the circuit.
“If you win one of these and then not allow them to play, there's always going to be an asterisk, whether you like it or not,” said Matt Fitzpatrick, who finished in a tie for 10th. “I think it's good for the game they're playing. Me personally, it's good to see familiar faces.”
Rahm might have won this year’s Masters, but golf was also a champion. Koepka played with the same chip on his shoulder that he does every time he tees it up. He has all the finesse of the great players, but with the scowl of an edge rusher. Nothing was lost this week at the Masters from his reputation as one of the most fierce competitors in the majors because he plays on a tour that is not aligned with the Masters or the PGA Tour.
On Sunday afternoon, Koepka’s tour affiliation was the last thing on his mind. He was too busy coming to terms with not winning what he calls the best tournament in the world and finding a way to see the positives of the defeat.
“Not today,” he said. Probably not for the next few days. But eventually it will be a positive. I'd say probably give it a week, and I'll start to see some positives out of it and carry this over to the PGA, the U.S. Open and the Open.”