Brooks Koepka Was Always Right: Nothing Matters More Than Majors
Brooks Koepka has never tried to come off as a firebrand convert to LIV Golf. He might not have even made the move from the PGA Tour last year were it not for some nagging injuries that forced him to consider his longevity in the game. Any kind of tour affiliation has been secondary to his almost singular focus on winning major championships.
Most elite players dream their whole lives of just becoming a PGA Tour member. Koepka was like them until Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods got into his head with their success at majors. A Tour card gave Koepka job security, but once he discovered that he had a knack for playing well in majors he set out to win as many of them as he could. On Sunday, the 33-year-old West Palm Beach, Fla., native further burnished his place among the greats by taking the PGA Championship at the Oak Hill Country Club for his fifth major championship.
Many have viewed his win at Oak Hill as a victory for LIV Golf. He is the first player under contract with the tour to win a major championship. Yet there was never any doubt about the ability of the gifts and resumes of these players. This isn’t a case of David vs. Goliath. For all the controversy surrounding the ongoing feud between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, Koepka’s win is an indication that while the game is fortified by tours and governing bodies like the USGA and the R&A, it’s the performance of players in the majors that inspires greatness and awareness in the sport.
Despite all the hype on the LIV Tour about team play and the PGA Tour’s posture of elitism and supremacy in the game, Koepka reminded us that professional golf is mainly an individual sport dominated by the four major championships. Of all the reasons why he jumped to LIV Golf about a year ago—a reported $100 million signing bonus, the lighter schedule to spend more time with his family, financial security, the team format and growing the game—probably the most plausible explanation is that, for him, any tour is fine as long as it doesn’t encumber his right to compete in the majors.
“I definitely think [winning the PGA] helps LIV, but I'm more interested in my own self right now, to be honest with you,” he said Sunday evening. ”It's a huge thing for LIV, but at the same time I'm out here competing as an individual at the PGA Championship. I'm just happy to take this home for the third time.”
Ultimately, Koepka’s win on a very penal Oak Hill layout is a victory for major championship golf, and no one was better suited than him to make this case for the game. A legacy brand with the cache of having the support of Woods, Rory McIlroy, Nicklaus and other legends, the PGA Tour has been the main gatekeeper to the majors for decades. World ranking points and victories amassed at their events give players the right to play in majors at storied venues like Oak Hill and Augusta National. This organization will continue to wield this authority as long as players don’t receive world ranking points from LIV events. Koepka is exempt into the majors for the foreseeable future and in the prime of his career he can dedicate himself to winning these tournaments.
Koepka has been sharpening his game on the LIV Tour in 54-hole events, where if you were paying attention he’s won twice, most recently in April in Orlando. He carried that momentum into the Masters, where he finished in a tie for second. He showed up at Oak Hill as a favorite because of his record in major championships, where he has finished in first or second place nine times in 36 appearances. For sure, regular events still matter but where they are played is not as important as some organizations would lead you to believe for the viability of the game. Koepka doesn’t need 35 regular event wins on either the LIV or the PGA Tour to become a World Golf Hall of Famer or to shine in the majors. All the $20 million purses and no-cut events in the world can never equal the stage of a major championship.
By the time Koepka finished on Sunday afternoon his tour affiliation was the least important thing on the minds of most of the spectators that gathered outside of Rochester, N.Y., for the PGA Championship. They had a club pro named Michael Block, who mesmerized them with his charisma, deft touch around the greens and a hole-in-one at the par-3 15th hole. They were excited that he was staying near the leaderboard at a major championship and holding his own against the best players in the world. Majors have that effect on people. They are the reason why we’ll never forget Block or why Koepka places them above all other tournaments.