PGA Tour: Is Brooks Koepka is the golfer we need, but don’t deserve?

2019’s major season might be over, but Brooks Koepka’s story is far from its conclusion. 

Contending at Augusta, defending the PGA Championship title, chasing down Gary Woodland on his own stomping ground and making his presence felt at Royal Portrush made the world’s No. 1 golfer a danger at every major. For Brooks Koepka, it’s the dynamic golfer’s unshakable confidence and candid nature that’s spoken arguably louder than his game.

These days, it seems like it’s a bigger story when 29-year-old Koepka misses a major title than when he’s actually winning another. Koepka’s whirlwind-like rise to PGA Tour dominance quickly brought him into GOAT conversations. The historical 2017 U.S. Open title sounded the alarm. But his response to a nagging wrist injury in the form of two major titles in 2018 cemented his place as one of the era’s toughest golfers.

Koepka’s growth as a dominant modern sports figure includes a dynamic character progression seldom found in the professional golfing world. His refusal to assimilate into the traditional “play-it-safe” persona is everything the golf world has craved for ages but is he what we truly deserve?

More from Pro Golf Now

• Golf Rumors: LIV set to sign Masters Champion in stunning deal
• Fantasy Golf: Grant Thornton Invitational DFS Player Selections
• Brutal return leaves Will Zalatoris looking towards 2024
• Stars You Know at World Champions Cup Starts Thursday at Concession
• Fantasy Golf: An Early Look at the 2024 Masters Tournament

It’s necessary to raise this question for various reasons. Gone are the days of the madness of John Daly, and it’s unlikely we’ll witness something akin to that again.

We still sing the praises of a man who owns a yacht named “Privacy”, marveling at an athlete who’s slowly opening up, past his prime. And of course, Phil Mickelson’s Twitter account is an undeniable feed of pure excellence.

Enter an edgy Brooks Koepka, where composure meets unrelenting honesty. Koepka, who claims he’s “always had opinions”, felt his play had to back up his criticisms before he could voice them, he told Barstool’s Fore Play crew.

The first few victims included a Sergio Garcia tantrum and PGA Tour officials. Now, it’s leaving Tiger Woods on read, to specifically calling out slow play fiend J.B. Holmes, and only practicing before majors. By denotation, Koepka very clearly means well. There’s no aggressiveness or savagery. It’s the world’s number one golfer sharing his sentiments (that likely mirror other PGA Tour players’), and a rightful display of confidence.

But most importantly, Koepka’s openness brings a sport that oft seems out of reach much more down to Earth.

Koepka himself isn’t a product of a country club background. He detailed his upbringing on Sway In The Morning, noting the financial aspect as difficulty in his childhood

"“I think that’s part of the problem, it is so expensive. When I was growing up, we didn’t have any money,” Koepka said. “I remember when I got a new set of clubs, it was like ‘these are gonna have to last you a long time, so don’t grow.'”"

His seemingly “natural talent” didn’t blossom overnight. Universities weren’t chasing Brooks Koepka down, with Florida State University and Central Florida the only schools to offer Koepka any sort of scholarship to play. The golfer spent his high school years working at a luxury resort in Palm Beach, Fla., where he carried bags and cleaned equipment, leaving less time to hit the course for his own benefit.

A solid career at Florida State wasn’t enough for the PGA Tour. Koepka spent his time on the Challenge Tour, and eventually the European Tour before solidifying his place on the PGA Tour in 2015.

The world of golf is fortunate to have a layered individual like Brooks Koepka who isn’t afraid to thoroughly utilize his platform for the betterment of the game. It’s much too late for other PGA Tour professionals to rewrite their story to match Koepka’s unique path.

His colleagues could take a page or two out of his book in regularly speaking out. Yes, Koepka’s remarkable play adds a level of validity critics wouldn’t offer otherwise. But it would be unfair to say that Koepka’s level of expressiveness as No. 1 isn’t beneficial.