WGC-Bridgestone Invitational Power Rankings: Top ten at Firestone

Brooks Koepka has clearly been enjoying his time as U.S. Open champion. After his triumphant finish at Erin Hills in June, Koepka took a month away from action, returning only for the Open Championship two weeks ago.

Clearly rust wasn’t an issue. Koepka, who cut his professional teeth on the European Tour, finished in a tie for sixth. While all eyes were on Jordan Spieth, Koepka’s steady hand – never too high or too low – translated into a strong run at golf’s oldest championship.

Now, Koepka will make just his third start at Firestone, with the PGA Championship a week away. He was forced to withdraw from this event in 2016 due to a painful ankle injury, but in his 2015 debut, Koepka finished tied for sixth, with scores of 69-68-69-69. Not a bad way to start a WGC career, despite finishing six shots behind winner Shane Lowry.

Koepka’s ball-striking stats haven’t been as stellar as they were in recent years, but that hasn’t stopped the results he’s gotten from remaining at a world-class level. Ranked just 125^th in greens-in-regulation (compared to 17^th and 59^th in ’15 and ’16, respectively), Koepka is still sixth in birdie average and 21^st in adjusted scoring. If his iron play is even average this week, it can only mean good things.