OAKMONT, Pa. — Sassy Brooks Koepka made his triumphant return on Thursday at the U.S. Open, which means one thing – this tournament might be over already.
That might seem overreactionary, but the fact is Koepka is back in a spot he has not found himself in at this championship since 2021 at Torrey Pines—inside the top five at the completion of the first round. Sure, there is a whole lot of golf left on a course that produces week-ruining double bogeys and “others” in bunches, but if Koepka’s history in this event is any indication, the mere whiff of being in contention early is all it takes for him to seriously lock in.
RELATED: How Bryson DeChambeau barely avoided an all-time boneheaded penalty
An early-round eagle at the par-5 fourth on Thursday put Koepka at two under, instantly vaulting him into the mix at the 125th U.S. Open. So he locked in, polishing off a front-nine two-under 33 with five straight pars and then coming home in even par to post a 68, two off the lead of J.J. Spaun.
It was a vintage Koepka Open round, one that made it feel like old times. That vibe carried over into his post-round presser, where he displayed his classic combination of confident and combative, all with a cheeky smile, naturally.
A moment that stood out in particular came when a reporter brought up his famous quote from a pre-tournament presser at the 2019 PGA Championship at Bethpage Black, which Koepka went on to win, proving his words prophetic. Let’s refresh your memory.
“I think sometimes the majors are the easiest ones to win,” Koepka said in 2019. “Half the people shoot themselves out of it, and mentally I know I can beat most of them, and then from there it’s those guys left, who’s going to play good and who can win? There’s 156 (players) in the field, so you figure at least 80 of them I’m just going to beat. From there, you figure about half of them won’t play well, so you’re down to maybe 35. And then from 35, some of them just—pressure is going to get to them. It only leaves you with a few more, and you’ve just got to beat those guys.”
That, of course, was a long time ago. Koepka’s older and wiser now. Does that quote still resonate with the 35-year-old this week at Oakmont, a reporter asked, leading to this A+ exchange.
Q. Everyone always points back to the comment at Bethpage: Five, ten players, whatever, can win this week. Do you still think of yourself that way, or has it changed at all?
BROOKS KOEPKA: I mean, I don’t talk about it, you guys talk about it.
Q. It was your quote, though.
BROOKS KOEPKA: It was. I said it once, and now everybody repeats it.
He’s not wrong.
Koepka gave another illuminating answer shortly after, when he was asked about missing each of the last two cuts in majors, something he’s never done in his career.
“Yeah, I would say from the first weekend in April until about last week, you didn’t want to be around me,” he said. “It drove me nuts. It ate at me. I haven’t been happy. It’s been very irritating. It’s a lot—I mean, I had to apologize—I’ve apologized to Ricky [Eillot], Pete [Cowen], Jeff [Pierce], Blake [Smith], my wife, my son, everybody. I wouldn’t have wanted to be around me.”
RELATED: The busy person’s snappy guide to the 10 most important stories from Round 1
Cowen, Koepka’s short-game coach, could be to to blame, in a good way, for his student’s strong start in Pittsburgh. Koepka said Cowen scolded him during a 45-minute bunker session on Monday, to the point where Justin Thomas, watching nearby, asked him later that evening during a Rolex function if everything was OK.
Koepka declined to specify what was said, but he did note it was needed, even if it wasn’t appreciated in the moment.
“I wasn’t happy with it,” he said. “But it was something I think you need to hear or I needed to hear at the right time. It’s not the first time he’s done it. He’s not afraid. I don’t like having ‘yes’ people around me. I just want somebody to tell me the truth, tell me what’s going on, what they see. If I start swaying from being Brooks Koepka, then I want someone to call me out on it, and he did a helluva job on it.”
The last time Koepka got a similar scolding from Cowen? Erin Hills in 2017. That week ended with Brooks holding the trophy.
MORE GOLF DIGEST U.S. OPEN COVERAGE
U.S. Open 101: Answering all your frequently asked questions How to watch the 2025 U.S. Open Power Rankings: Every player in the U.S. Open field, ranked The 13 best bets to win at Oakmont Tee times for the first and second round Mythbusters: How much distance do you lose from thick rough? The secret everybody misses about U.S. Open carnage The local rule that could cause some chaos at Oakmont The top 15 U.S. Opens, ranked The 18-hole hazard: The U.S. Open rough is impossible and simple 30 fun facts on the 15 amateurs playing at Oakmont The ball moved, rules chaos followed and game changed forever
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
