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PALM BEACH GARDENS, FLORIDA | The kindest thing you could say about Brooks Koepka’s short-lived Honda Classic week is that he looked distracted.
On the course, the world No. 3 flailed to consecutive 4-over-par 74s and missed the cut by five strokes. He finished runner-up in his hometown tournament a year ago, but this time around he deposited four balls into the water and lost nearly five strokes to the field on the greens. His lowest moment came on Friday when he missed a 2-foot bogey putt on the par-4 13th, one of the easiest holes at PGA National.
“I just haven't putted well, and every time I have missed (a full-swing shot), I’ve hit some good shots, but I just end up in the worst place possible,” said Koepka (above). “It is very easy out here to turn a decent round into what can be a little bit of a disaster and you can rack up some big numbers pretty quick.
“I struck it really well on the putting green, but then it’s another thing when the gun goes off.”
The poor performance last week is the latest in an uncharacteristic stretch for the four-time major champion. After finishing T3 at the Tour Championship last August, Koepka has made six worldwide starts in which his best finish is a tie for 17th, and he’s sat out the weekend three times.
A lingering knee injury has played a prominent role in his sluggish play, but Koepka said point blank that his struggles have “nothing to do with the knee” and will not be a factor moving forward. His comfort level is such that one-legged squats, using the knee in question, are a part of his workout routine.
He is slated to play four more weeks in a row starting with this week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Off the course, Koepka prompted several headlines. In a GQ article published earlier last week, he denounced golf’s “country club atmosphere” and fought back against the notion that he doesn’t love golf as much as his contemporaries.
“Golf’s just held to a different standard,” Koepka was quoted as saying in the article. “Because it’s supposed to be a gentleman’s sport. And that’s where I think they lose a lot of people. They just do.
“I just think people confuse all this for me not loving the game. I love the game. I absolutely love the game. I don’t love the stuffy atmosphere that comes along with it. That, to me, isn’t enjoyable.”
Other comments he made before the tournament didn’t feel quite as incendiary or premeditated, but they still drew plenty of attention. His opinion on the proposed Premier Golf League didn’t lean in either direction, but his non-answer garnered speculation that he would be open to the idea.
“I'm just going to play where the best players play,” Koepka said. “Whatever comes of it, comes of it. … I mean, I respect what Rory (McIlroy) said. Everybody has got their own thoughts. Everybody has got a different opinion. It is what it is. I'm pretty sure Rory wants to play against the best players in the world, too. Wherever that is, everybody is going to be playing.”
Sean Fairholm