Brooks Koepka: Waste Management Is Bomber’s Paradise

No wonder Brooks Koepka loves to play the Waste Management Open.  In his pre-tournament press conference, he described the TPC Scottsdale as a “bomber’s paradise.” Like other long-ball hitters, he does love to see it fly.

While Koepka might not be the longest of the bombers, he’s certainly not far behind.  More importantly, he can also keep the ball on the planet.

This week, what’s important for him is that he loves the course. He has good memories there.  It was his first PGA Tour victory and is also his most recent PGA Tour victory.

“Maybe the drive I hit on 18 in ’15 when I won, just being the first time really in contention out here, stepping up, hitting a good drive. I thought that was big, just for confidence going forward, things like that,” Kopeka explained.

“It almost feels like a real sport, like football, basketball, things like that,” Brooks Koepka said about the noise fans make at the WMO.

He is also one who loves the noisy atmosphere.

“I don’t know the numbers, I don’t want to screw it up, but, I mean, it’s pretty much the biggest tournament we have on the PGA Tour as far as fans, people, the presence,” he added. “The atmosphere is unbelievable.”

He loves it when fans get rowdy.  He likes it if he hits a bad shot and they let him know he messed up.  He loves it when they cheer for his good shots. He likes gallery enthusiasm so much that he actually enjoys playing at Bethpage in New York where the crowd is notoriously vocal and not always nice. Bethpage is where the fans once counted the number of re-grips Sergio Garcia had in his pre-shot routine. It was many years ago. It was brutal.  You need nerves of steel for that. How Sergio finished his rounds was beyond amazing.

“It almost feels like a real sport, like football, basketball, things like that,” he noted about the uproar.

In other words, TPC Scottsdale gets his competitive juices flowing in ways that other tournaments don’t.  The high decibel count brings out the jock in him. Makes him feel like a manly man, one would guess. Not that there’s any doubt. In other words, if you want Koepka at your tournament, find a way to get 10 or 20,000 fans to yell at him for 18 holes.

Koepka says instead of being insulted if they boo, he gets refocused and fixes whatever is wrong that caused them to taunt him in the first place.  That is real mental toughness. But that’s Brooks.

Last November, Koepka signed an equipment deal with Cleveland Golf.  He’s playing driver, irons, and the Srixon ball.  Even though the deal was announced recently, he’s been working with Cleveland for six to eight months in all to assure a good changeover.

“The irons have been probably the easiest transition I have ever made,” he said.

In the past, he explained, because he is steep with his angle of attack, every once in a while, the club would grab and drag the ball left a little bit. But he has not experienced that at all with the Cleveland set.  He was happy with those right away.

He had previous experience using Cleveland wedges when he was a junior.

“It’s all about getting the grind work done for me. My lob wedge is probably a little difficult to get the grind right. Takes a few tries,” he noted. “Once we got that done, everything else, you know, you just match your specs.”

He has noticed a big change in the Srixon ball. He called it crazy because it doesn’t move in the wind.  (Golfers, take note!)  With a 7-iron, he said, the ball goes 15 feet higher with the same spin.  That allows him to land it more softly on hard greens, like those at TPC Scottsdale this week.  He thinks the ball change is only going to help him.

As far as the Saudi Tour, in case anyone wonders, Koepka has no interest.

“It’s been pretty clear for a long time now that I’m with the PGA TOUR,” he insisted. “It’s where I’m staying. I’m very happy. I think they do things the right way. People I want to do business with. I’m happy to be here.”