SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Embarrassing.
That’s the word four-time major champion and former World No. 1 Brooks Koepka used to describe entering the week ranked No. 20 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
“I mean, that’s embarrassing to be 20th, I feel like,” said Koepka, who is winless since last year’s WM Phoenix Open. “A lot of it has to do with injury, man. I’ve been hurt, on the sidelines, not playing, playing through injury, you can’t compete with guys out here. It’s nice to be somewhat healthy and get out here and I mean I’m not too worried about it, it will bounce back up.”
There was nothing embarrassing about Koepka’s play in the opening round at TPC Scottsdale as he carded six birdies and a lone bogey to shoot 5-under 66, one stroke behind the early clubhouse leader K.H. Lee.
Koepka, a two-time champion in Phoenix, has missed the cut in three of his last four official PGA Tour starts and hasn’t recorded a top-10 since the British Open in July. But the WM Phoenix Open is a tournament that sounds and feels a lot like a major to Koepka and he thrives in that environment.
“He loves playing in front of people,” said Koepka’s caddie Rickie Elliot. “He loves the big crowds this tournament always gets and how the course this week is playing firm and fast.”
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“I love when people get rowdy.” Koepka added. “They’re cheering you when you hit it tight, and they’re booing you when you hit it bad. It almost feels like a real sport, like football, basketball, things like that, soccer.
“If you do something wrong, you deserve to get heckled. If you do something right, they will cheer for you. I think that’s what makes this event so cool. I understand why some guys don’t like it. They don’t agree with, or they just don’t play it, I guess, because they don’t like it. It’s something I have always loved.”
Koepka, 31, also loves TPC Scottsdale, site of his first PGA Tour victory in 2015.
🐦 to end the day @WMPhoenixOpen 💪 pic.twitter.com/rCjg7VdDjc
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 10, 2022
“It suits me down to the ground. I think you see a lot of guys that hit it long and fade it, play well here,” Koepka said. “It’s a bomber’s paradise. If you can put the ball in play, you can make some good scores.”
After tweaking the swing weight and lie on his driver, Koepka was “dialed in” on Thursday – his words despite hitting just 6 of 14 fairways – noting it’s one thing to find fairways at home during practice and another under the bright lights of a tournament. He did, however, spray a 3-wood at the 348-yard 17th hole ringed by water to the left and behind the green that could have been disastrous.
“Helluva drive,” Koepka cracked of his shot that sailed some 50 yards right of his target. But he drew a decent lie and liked the distance of 83 yards to the hole. He lofted a pitch to 7 feet and stole a birdie from the jaws of bogey or worse.
“I was trying to be 25 feet short and left of the hole, but it was starting to roll towards the water and it was a little too close to me,” he said. “I’ll take three, for sure.”
Korea’s K.H. Lee is a big fan of TPC Scottsdale, too. Last year, he finished runner-up to Koepka. He picked up where he left off by rolling in three birdies and an eagle on the front nine en route to posting 6-under 65. Xander Schauffele, Louis Oosthuizen and Charley Hoffman shared third place at 4-under 67.
“Just very comfortable here,” said Lee, who won the AT&T Byron Nelson last year for his lone victory on another TPC layout, at TPC Craig Ranch. “Everything better.”
But to improve upon his showing last year and hoist the trophy on Sunday, Lee may have to outduel Koepka, who seems set on making another run at the title of world No. 1.
“I mean there’s nobody out here that’s shooting to be No. 2 in the world,” Koepka said. “So if you are, you’re probably playing the wrong – shouldn’t be playing. So 19 spots to go.”
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