"I always enjoy competing" - Brooks Koepka looks forward to defending his title at the 2024 PGA Championship
Brooks Koepka, the defending champion for the 2024 PGA Championship, is all set to begin his campaign on May 16 at the Valhalla Golf Club. The competition will be tough this year, as Koepka will have to face off against the likes of Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, who are hot favorites coming into this week.
Brooks Koepka won the 2023 PGA Championship after edging out Viktor Hovland and Scottie Scheffler by two strokes. While he had a rather disappointing performance at the 2024 Masters, he is coming off of a win at the LIV Golf Singapore event. Koepka is confident and ready to take on the competition.
Speaking about his excitement about playing a Major, Koepka said at the PGA Championship press conference:
"I'm just looking forward to a Major championship. That's kind of my -- gets my excitement going. Something I look forward to all year. So yeah, look, I always enjoy competing against these guys, and anytime you get the best, it's always good, and you just want them to play their best, too. You want to go out and win it."
Brooks Koepka will tee it off alongside Max Homa and Jordan Spieth for the first two rounds of the PGA Championship.
"That's something I get up for" - Brooks Koepka expresses excitement to play at a Major championship
Despite making the switch to the LIV Golf Series, Brooks Koepka said that he still looks forward to playing at the four Major championships every year. He said that the courses for the Majors are tougher, which makes it more enjoyable to play.
"I think the Majors are different than everything else. The Majors are -- they just have a different feel than any other golf tournament. I've always enjoyed it and they are always tougher golf courses. That's something I get up for."
Brooks Koepka will be hoping to bounce back after his Augusta disaster last month. After the Masters, Koepka decided to take a week off from practicing before returning to the game. He came back for the LIV Golf Adelaide event with everything figured out.
He felt his T45 Masters finish was a disappointment, and he felt like he let down his team. Since then, Koepka has focused on doing 'punishment workouts' to build his endurance and improve his game. He spent long hours on the range with his team, going back to the basics once again.
Going back to the fundamentals has been a crucial part of the game for Koepka, and he will be hoping to capitalise at the Valhalla Golf Course. Koepka switched his putter a few weeks before the PGA Championship, which he said has helped his dispersion pattern become tighter.