Born on the third of May 1990 and standing at six foot, Brooks Koepka is, in many ways, the definition of an all-American sports superstar. He was raised in the Lake Worth area of Palm Beach, Florida and went to Cardinal Newman High School. His first real taste of competitive golf came at Florida State University in Tallahassee, which was were he won three events and earned that All-American title on three separate occasions. In 2012, he qualified for the US Open as an amateur, but ended up missing the cut by three shots.
It was in 2012 that Koepka made the decision to turn professional, playing on the Challenger Tour in Europe to gain some experience. His first title came in the September, winning the Challenge de Catalunya, whilst his second win came the following year in the Montecchia Golf Open. Other titles soon followed, including at the Fred Olsen Challenge de España where he set the tournament record with a -24 score of 260. It was in 2014 when he began to make his name on the PGA Tour, including a fourth-place finish at the US Open.
That handed him his PGA Tour card, later being named the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year. If that gave the golfing world a sense of what was to come from him, they may still have underestimated Koepka. His first Major came in 2017 when he won the US Open at Erin Hills in Wisconsin, tying the competition’s record for lowest score. He had to undergo wrist surgery the following year, winning both the US Open and the PGA Championship that year. In June 2022, Koepka decided to take money of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, joining LIV Golf.
Brooks Koepka’s Major Wins
| Years | Masters | US PGA | U.S. Open | Open |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | ✕ | ✕ | ✅ | ✕ |
| 2018 | ✕ | ✅ | ✅ | ✕ |
| 2019 | ✕ | ✅ | ✕ | ✕ |
| 2023 | ✕ | ✅ | ✕ | ✕ |
Masters Wins: None
Brooks Koepka took part in the Masters Tournament for the first time in 2015 when he finished tied-33rd. He improved a year later, coming tied-21st before a tied-11th finish in 2011. He didn’t take part in 2018 but ended up tied-second in 2019, which was his best finish in the competition at the time and was repeated four years later. In the meantime he ended up tied-seventh in 2020 and missed the cut in both 2021 and 2022. Koepka is one of the golfers who might well have earned more respect from the Augusta National crowd if he hadn’t opted to take the Saudi Arabian sports-washing money on offer from LIV Golf.
PGA Championship Wins: 3
Koepka’s first appearance in the PGA Championship came in 2013 when he ended up tied-70th. He enjoyed some steady improvement over the years that followed, ending up tied-15th the following year, tied-fifth in 2015 and then tied-fourth a year after that. A slight drop-off followed when he finished tied-13th in 2017, but he won the PGA Championship for the first time in the tournament that followed. He then won it for the second time a year later, ending up tied-29th in 2020, tied-second a year after that and then tied-55th before winning it for the third time in 2023. His 2024 entry saw him end up tied-26th.
2018 – Tournament Record 264 at Bellerive
The Bellerive Country Club in Missouri played host to the PGA Championship in 2018, with 156 players in the field. That was reduced to 80 after the cut, with Koepka’s opening round of 69 followed by a 63 ensuring that he was never in any danger of falling foul of it. That put him in third heading into the day three, two shots off Gary Woodland in the lead. He took the lead in his own right after the third round, carding a 66 to put him on -12 for the week and two in front of Adam Scott in second. He scored the same on the final day to take his first PGA Championship win, ending up two clear of Tiger Woods in second.
2019 – Second Successive Win After 36-Hole Record Low Score
Winning one PGA Championship is something that most golfers dream of, so winning two in succession is an accomplishment not many manage. Koepka went to the Black Course of Bethpage State Park in New York alongside 155 other players in 2019 as the defending champion, leading at the end of day one thanks to a -7 score of 63. That put him one ahead of the chasing pack, but a 65 on day two stretched that lead to seven shots. When he scored a 70 on the day three, maintaining his seven shot lead, it looked like it was going to be a procession. A 74 on the final day reduced the lead, but a wire-to-wire win gave him his second title.
2023 – Two-Shot Victory at Oak Hill
The 2023 iteration of the PGA Championship took place at Oak Hill Country Club in New York on the East Course. Brooks Koepka made history in more ways than one, becoming just the third player to win a third PGA Championship in the stroke-play era after Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods, as well as the first Major winner to be a member of LIV Golf. An opening round of 72 left him six off the top, but a 66 on day two moved him to within three of the lead as he was tied-sixth. On day three he moved into the lead in his own right with another 66, then on the final day he carded a 67 for a total of 271 for the week and a win by two shots.
US Open Wins: 2
As is often the case for young golfers who turn professional, the US Open was Brooks Koepka’s first foray into the world of the Majors. He missed the cut in 2012, didn’t take part in 2013 and then ended up tied-fourth a year after that. He was tied-18th in 2015 and tied-13th the following year before winning back-to-back US Opens in the two years that followed. He came close to making it a hat-trick in 2019, didn’t play on 2020 and then came tied-fourth in 2021. In the years that came after that he struggled to get back to his impactful best, ending up 55th, tied-17th and then tied-26th in 2024, which was the same as in that year’s PGA Championship.
2017 – Joint Lowest US Open Score Brings First Major
Erin Hills was the scene of Brooks Koepka’s first US Open win in 2017, entering alongside 155 other players before joining another 67 who made the cut at the end of day two. That was thanks to an opening round of 67 put him on -5 and two off the top, whilst his second round of 70 put him tied for the lead alongside three other players. It was Brian Harman who took the lead in his own right after the third round, with Koepka scoring a 68 to be one off the lead. His final round of 67 was only bettered by Hideki Matsuyama in the top ten, meaning that he won the competition by four shots with a -16 score of 272 for the week.
2018 – US Open Title Defended for Only the Third Time
Koepka went into the 2018 US Open as the defending champion, beginning the competition at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in New York with a target on his back. With 156 players in total taking to the turf, the numbers were reduced to 67 after the cut at the end of the second round. He began with an opening round of 75 to sit outside the top ten and six off the top, but a 66 on the second day moved him to +1 and within five of the leader. The third round saw him shoot a 72, which was enough to put him tied for first alongside three other players. On the final day he scored 68, winning with a +1 score of 281 for the week.
Open Championship Wins: None
If the sign of a truly great golfer is to be able to win the Open Championship then it is something that Brooks Koepka has yet to do. He first entered it in 2013 when he missed the cut, then followed that up with a tied-67th finish at Royal Liverpool in 2014. A year later and he ended up tied-10th, missing out in 2016 before ending up tied-sixth a year on from that. His best performance to date came when he finished tied-fourth in 2019, coming tied-sixth in 2021 and missing the cut a year later. He was tied-64th in 2023 and tied-43rd a year on, with the Open Championship crowd feeling indifferent towards the LIV Golf player.