Open Championship power rankings: Top ten at Royal Birkdale

SOUTHPORT, ENGLAND - APRIL 24: The Claret Jug, the Open Championship trophy, in front of the clubhouse at Royal Birkdale Golf Club, the host course for the 2017 Open Championship during a Media day for the 146th Open Championship on April 24, 2017 in Southport, England. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images) /

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HARTFORD, WI – JUNE 18: Brooks Koepka of the United States reacts after finishing on the 18th green during the final round of the 2017 U.S. Open at Erin Hills on June 18, 2017 in Hartford, Wisconsin. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images) /

Making this trip to the Open as reigning U.S. Open champion puts Brooks Koepka in a special position. Koepka, of course, took about as non-traditional of a path to the PGA TOUR as any American, playing the European Challenge Tour upon his graduation from Florida State.

Now a full-time PGA TOUR member since 2015, Koepka has built quite the career on the foundation he laid during those years overseas. The only real question is what his game will look like after a full month away from competitive golf.

Surely Koepka won’t just show up at Royal Birkdale and hope for the best. He didn’t grind his way around Europe just to forget where he came from now. The world’s No. 8-ranked player may not be able to overpower Birkdale the way he did Erin Hills, but if he continues to putt the way he has all year (ranked 21^st on Tour in strokes gained: putting), he’ll have a solid shot come the weekend.

Two majors in a row is a tough proposition for anybody, but Koepka won’t be a pushover at any level.

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