“I never celebrated the small victories”: 2-time US Open winner Brooks Koepka shares what he changed mentally in his game
Brooks Koepka is trying to win his third US Open. It would put him one behind Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan, and precious few others who have the most all-time wins at the major tournament. He has a unique mindset that allows him to shine in the toughest situations in golf.
Part of the reason for that is the journey he went on when he had a devastating knee injury. Not everyone recovers from those, but Koepka came back better than ever. He was asked what might have happened to help shape his mindset right now.
Koepka said:
"I actually think I did a really poor job of it. I never celebrated the small victories during the whole process with my knee, never. Once, I think I told Dr. ElAttrache... three days after surgery, I was hitting balls here at Riv. just was very impatient. Never felt good about being on the sidelines."
He added:
"It's not fun, it's not me. I don't enjoy it. I want the competition, I want to enjoy that. Yeah, I just never celebrated the small little wins to make you feel like you're progressing along the way. That's something I kind of regret along the way."
Koepka also discussed what helped mold the mentality that has made him a two-time US Open champion:
"A lot of these kids now, they have a lot of talent and they think that they've... They've never had to deal with adversity. They've never had to deal with actually having to put in the hard work, putting in the hours or putting in the time."
He added:
"Sometimes when you come right out and whether you make the PGA Tour or whatever tour you're playing, it's very easy. There’s a lot of things that guys have never had to deal with & really feel like they’ve earned it, sometimes it feels like they’ve just been given it.”
Brooks Koepka believes these young golfers haven't been challenged yet, but they will be. Will they turn out like him and be better than before, or will they fold under the pressure?
Brooks Koepka thrives under pressure
If it wasn't clear from his previous major wins and his T2 at the Masters and PGA Championship win this year, Brooks Koepka thrives at major tournaments. Where some golfers fold under the mighty weight of a major, Koepka's best comes out.
He said he thrives under the chaos of a major via GolfWRX:
“Everything starts to slow down, and I am able to focus on whatever I need to focus on while everybody else is dealing with distractions, worried about other things.”
He continued, adding a specific example of how the pressure never got to him:
“First one that popped into my head was Shinnecock. Everyone was b******g and complaining. They were all so focused on the golf course. I think they all forgot about what was going on, that they were there to play a major championship. Instead of yeah, okay, the greens are pretty fast, but if you leave yourself with an uphill putt, it’s not too bad.”
Will Brooks Koepka thrive once more at the 2023 US Open?