PGA Championship: Can Brooks Koepka go two for four in the majors?
The first round of the PGA Championship featured great golf in tough conditions. Can Brooks Koepka win another major at weekend’s end?
There’s nobody in the sport of golf more calm, cool and collected than reigning U.S. Open champion, Brooks Koepka. In nine major starts, Koepka has an incredible nine top 25’s including three top five’s and a win.
Now, he’s in contention yet again at the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow. He’s competing with the dangerous Thorbjorn Oleson and Kevin Kisner, who are the co-leaders.
Although Quail Hollow is more fitting for control golfers, Koepka is still one of golf’s most consistent players. He also has one of the hottest putters in the world, ranking 10th, in Strokes Gained – Putting.
This consistency combined with a scorching hot putter gives him a great chance throughout the
weekend. Yes, it’s still early, but we’ve seen Koepka remain in the top 10 all week, including at The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.
His power may also be a benefit to him, even at an accuracy player’s golf course. Quail Hollow has par-5’s that can be reached in two, it’s just a matter of Koepka keeping his tee shots straight.
One small, yet amazing thing is that the last time he had a double bogey in a major, was the Masters back in April. This means that he has gone nine straight major rounds with dropping two shots.
Ultimately, this is how you win golf tournaments. Bogeys are still bad, but getting doubles can wreck your round in a heartbeat, and play games with you mentally.
Brooks Koepka feels the pressure, but uses it to drive him forward
What’s more, is that he’s still fairly fresh off of his electrifying winning round at the U.S. Open at Erin Hills. This could take pressure off of him, and keep him relaxed, and he’s already the calmest star in the game today.
Back at Erin Hills, I did ask him if that win took pressure off of him and he said it didn’t. However, there has to be a quiet boost of confidence going into the weekend.
When you’re a player who hasn’t won a major yet, you’re hungry for it, but the nerves may hit you like needles. A winner who’s on a tear like Koepka is extremely dangerous out on the course.
It’ll be fun to see if he can keep it up against a top notch group of players on the leaderboard. If he does manage to win, it will be three out of four years that a player has won two of the four majors in a single season. Rory McIlroy won the 2014 Open and PGA, while Jordan Spieth won the 2015 Masters and U.S. Open.
I say get ready, because it’s going to be a wild ride at the PGA Championship. Just please make sure that the high scores don’t give you nightmares of Quail Hollow.
Next: PGA Championship: Rory McIlroy endures roller coaster in first round
Early on, the PGA Championship is up in the air, but how do you like Brooks Koepka’s chances? Who do you like going into the weekend? Let us know in the comments section or hit me up on Twitter @ChiGolfRadio. Keep it locked here at PGN for all things PGA Championship.