PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland – Brooks Koepka is on the cusp of achieving a feat that no golfer has in the modern era, and yet he still sounded unsatisfied with his major results this season.
“It’s incredible,” he said Tuesday at The Open, “but at the same time, it’s been quite disappointing.”
Incredible, to be sure: Koepka has finished second, first and second, respectively, in the first three majors of the year, putting him on the brink of history – no player in the modern era has placed in the top 2 in all four majors in the same calendar year.
Not Jack Nicklaus. Not Tiger Woods. Not Jordan Spieth, who most recently came closest, finishing in the top 4 in all four majors in 2015.
But the way this year has gone has also left Koepka wanting more. “Finishing second sucks, it really does,” he said. “But you’ve got to get over it and realize that any time you put yourself in contention, you learn from it and move on.”
Full-field tee times from the 148th Open Championship
Full coverage of the 148th Open Championship
Koepka was pleased to even give himself a chance to win the Masters. He hit the ball “terrible” during the practice rounds but still found himself in the mix when he stood on the 12th tee in the final round. Four of the last six players to come through golf’s trickiest par 3 found the water, and that included Koepka. He made double bogey there and finished one shot back of Tiger Woods.
“Everybody knows that the wind does whatever it wants on that hole,” Koepka said, “and you just get unlucky.”
The U.S. Open was easier to get over: “I just got flat-out beat,” he said.
Gary Woodland led after the second round and never looked back, playing some clutch shots on the back nine at Pebble Beach to hold off Koepka and secure his first major title.
“Sometimes that’s going to happen,” he said. “You’ve just got to get over it and move on.”
It’s a testament to his sterling major record that The Open actually represents his “worst” major as a pro, but Koepka still has a pair of top-10s in his last three appearances. Benefitting him this week is his caddie, Ricky Elliott, who is a Royal Portrush member.
Said Koepka, “I’m trying to finish off a good major run here.”