"That was the best thing to happen to me" - When "DJ chants" motivated Brooks Koepka to win his fourth major
Brooks Koepka once recalled how he felt during the final round of the 2019 PGA Championship at Bethpage Black. Koepka looked in control heading into the final round, when he hit four straight bogeys and two more on holes 11 and 14. After that, his lead was narrowed to just one over Dustin Johnson.
When he approached the 15th tee, the audience started chanting 'DJ,' which felt like a home game for his rival, Johnson. ESPN shared Koepka's interview regarding this on their YouTube channel five years ago. While recalling the exact moment before his 15th tee, Brooks Koepka stated:
"I was disappointed. I was pissed off. I was upset and then all of a sudden, I heard a bunch of DJ chants - and.. that was the best thing to happen to me." [1:04 onwards]
"It kind of built a little bit of a chip on my shoulder. We've always talked about that—you know, you gotta find something. And in that minute, minute-and-a-half walk to the 15th tee, I thought, 'Alright, well, I see where we're at. I see what I'm up against. Let’s prove the fans wrong,'” Koepka added.
Recently, in March, at the LIV Golf Singapore event at Sentosa Golf Club, Brooks Koepka delivered rounds of 67,69, and 65. He secured a second-place finish behind Joaquin Niemann. In addition to that, Koepka also participated in the 2025 Masters.
Brooks Koepka's nightmare finish at the 2025 Masters
Brooks Koepka had a disappointing campaign at the 2025 Masters. The American had a rough finish to his second round at Augusta National. Entering the second round, Koepka was at even par with just two holes to go. However, on the 17th hole, he hit a bogey and needed a bogey or par to stay in contention. Koepka ended up with a quadruple-bogey 8 on the scorecard.
He eventually finished with a score of +5 with rounds of 72 and 77, missing the cut by three strokes. Notably, Koepka missed his first cut at this event since his 2020 appearance. It's also his first miss at any major championship since the 2022 Open tournament.
Before the Masters championship, Brooks Koepka had a runner-up finish at Augusta. In addition to that, he also came second at LIV Golf Singapore in March, carding rounds of 67,69, and 65. As of now, he's in 10th place in the 2025 LIV Golf individual standings.
At the 2024 Masters tournament in Augusta, Koepka secured a runner-up finish. As a result he earned $2.6 million. The 2025 event offered a $21 million purse, with winner Rory McIlroy taking home $4.2 million.