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TURKISH AIRLINES OPEN BY THE MINISTRY OF YOUTH AND SPORTNovember 16, 2014Brooks KoepkaANTALYA, TURKEY PAUL SYMES: Many congratulations, your first European Tour win and not a bad tournament. BROOKS KOEPKA: No, not bad at all. It's a special week obviously, these four events and The Race to Dubai are ones you prepare for all year, and to win one of them is very special, and you know, I hope I carry it onto next week. PAUL SYMES: What a big tournament to go into next week with such form and confidence. BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, I feel like I've been playing really well. I've been knocking on the door, and these last maybe two, three months, I've been very close over here and in the States. I felt like I should have won a couple. But I've been knocking on the door and I've learned something every time, and used that today. I was very relaxed, very calm today. It showed I guess. PAUL SYMES: You're making your debut in Dubai next week. You must be looking forward to that. BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, to look where I was a year and a half ago on The Challenge Tour and now to be a winner on The European Tour is incredible, especially winning four times there and winning out here, it's very special. So I'm excited. I'm excited to get to next week and hopefully carry my form over. Q. What was the distance on your third shot on 18? BROOKS KOEPKA: We hit driver way right in the trees. So we chipped out. And then I think we had 227, 228 hole. We just hit 5‑iron right in there. Kind of aimed it at the slope, hoping that if I pulled it, it would be right at the stick. I hit a good one. Hit it right on target and it was a quality golf shot. Q. Do you intend to play here at all next season or both tours or what's the plan? BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, the plan is to play both of them right now. I don't know where I'll go, World Rankings, if I'm in all the WGCs yet. I don't really know. I don't really pay much attention to that. I just kind of go where I can play. But the goal was to be Top‑50 in the world by the end of the year to be in all the major, all the WGCs, and that was my goal, and then I would come over and play as many times as I could playing both the PGA and European Tour. I don't see a reason why I can't do it. Q. Rory McIlroy was one of the first to go on Twitter and congratulate you and he's a friend of yours. Just wondering what you've made of the season he's had and getting close to maybe the level he's playing at, what do you need to do? BROOKS KOEPKA: Well, first off, he's had an unbelievable year. I think what he did this year was pretty special, and you know, we've gotten closer over the last maybe year and a half, year. He's a good friend of mine. To watch him‑‑ we played a couple practice rounds together. I think it's important just to play with good players in the practise rounds. I do it in the majors as much as I can, play with guys like Adam Scott, Rory, and guys like that where you can learn something. And although we are similar in age, he's got a lot more experience than I do. And just watching him and how he handles and preps for golf tournaments has helped me, and just talking to the guys. But Rory has had an unbelievable year. You look up the leaderboard and see McIlroy up there, and you're just trying to catch him. But it's been fun. Q. You wouldn't be surprised‑‑ take you back to Aviemore‑‑ BROOKS KOEPKA: Imagine that. Q. Was that a love‑changing experience, not just Aviemore, but Sunningdale the next day, won the qualifying for The Open there and to get into The Open; massive confidence? BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, I think it was a big confidence boost. I've always said, it doesn't matter where you win. Winning's winning. It's hard to do, especially in golf. I don't think anybody would tell you it's easy. It's taken a lot of guys a long time. And to look back there, what I did at Aviemore and then to go down to Sunningdale and qualify is still kind of all a blur to me, barely remember it, not getting much sleep. But as far as today or these past few months, although it has not worked out, you've got to go back to that. You've got to go back to that mind‑set of what you were doing when you were winning, how you're handling yourself. You learn from it. It's nice to put yourself in contention. But to win is really special; to be able to build off those experiences. Q. To win the Rookie of the Year after Peter won it, must be a nice thing, as well, do you think you'll change Americans' view of playing here‑‑ BROOKS KOEPKA: It was funny, today we were actually having a conversation about it. My caddie, he was telling me that I wasn't eligible for it, he read somewhere. So I don't know the truth or what it is‑‑ PAUL SYMES: Yeah, you are eligible. BROOKS KOEPKA: There you go. Final answer. It would be nice. I just want to see‑‑ it would be nice to have him hand that trophy over to me. You know, I'm sure there will be some good matches between the two of us in the future. Q. But what the two you have achieved in a short time coming over‑‑ BROOKS KOEPKA: Looking back, it's unbelievable. I think he came over maybe six months before me, maybe five months or whatever. But he left college and came over. I didn't really talk to him when he came over to see how he liked it or anything but my goal from the get‑go was to come oversees and play, and took advantage of it. Q. Growing up in Florida, since joining The European Tour and Challenge Tour, and you've travelled all over the world; do you think you would be sitting here in Turkey with a trophy like that in front of you? BROOKS KOEPKA: That's a good one, maybe in the last six months, I felt like I should have won a couple. Maybe gave some away. I look back to even Dubai in the beginning of the year, I know I had the lead and blew that, but I felt like I've blown a lot of them. But I've learnt, and you know, to be sitting here today with the trophy is unbelievable, such a good field. You look at the guys that played this week, Ian Poulter, he played really, really well. I just got lucky and beat him by a shot I guess. It's an unbelievable field here and to do it here is special. Q. Is Hazeltine 2016 in your mind, The Ryder Cup? BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, that would be the goal. Ryder Cup is what you want to play. But I would say first, The Presidents Cup this year. That would be more the short term, but long term I guess could you say would be The Ryder Cup. I don't see why not. I felt like‑‑ I don't know how close I was this year, if I was going to be close at all. I was actually somewhere in Europe, I guess Tom Watson mentioned my name in one of The Ryder Cup‑‑ played with him a couple holes at the PGA this year. That's the goal, two years, to be on The Ryder Cup Team. Q. Just to follow that up, you are at a bit of a disadvantage in Europe trying to get on either of those teams, aren't you? BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah. I don't think they have a point scale system like the Europeans. I think they have a world‑‑ you can correct me if I'm wrong. They have like a world one and then one that's‑‑ the. Q. Europeans do but the U.S. doesn't. BROOKS KOEPKA: The Europeans do and the U.S. don't, so I'm kind of at a disadvantage until I guess when I‑‑ maybe this year. But I'll be playing in the States, too. So still, I don't want to be picked for anything. I'd like to qualify. Q. You mentioned you learned from the‑‑ I don't know if you want to say mistakes or whatever happens during this year, and you used some of that today, can you talk about exactly where you used some of that today? BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, I would say the 15th hole. We actually caught a bad break. There was a sprinkler head or something and we were kind of on the downslope and that tree, it was almost impossible to get it to the pin. And we hit the tree, obviously, and came down short. But just didn't react. I felt like maybe in the past, I would have gotten a little upset or ahead of myself, and wouldn't have handled it properly. Today I just kind of moved on and was more interested in making the up‑and‑down than I was the shot that hit the tree. And even 17, with what happened there, to make the up‑and‑down and refocus and everything like that was big. Just to be able to refocus and just relax a little bit, I felt very calm today, where maybe in the past, I don't want to say I was a bit giddy or anxious, but I was definitely more calm today than I think I've ever been. Q. People talk about Europe's Ryder Cup successes and recent years‑‑ we talk about the bond. Have you witnessed the bond among the players? Do you feel that someone like yourself on the American side might help that having seen it? BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, it's actually pretty neat, playing both tours, you can see how everything goes. Over in Europe, everyone's very‑‑ guys like to hang out together, more camaraderie, I guess you could say, or guys going to dinner. You see everybody from Spain out to dinner or just hanging out, having a couple drinks or whatever it might be. But I feel like everyone's kind of, I don't want to say‑‑ they are in one hotel or two hotels so everyone is bunched together and everyone hangs out. I feel like everyone is very, very close over here. I'm not saying that aren't in the States, but I think over here they are a bit more involved in each other's lives. Q. Apologies if this has already been asked but what exactly happened on 17? BROOKS KOEPKA: I just heard something. I don't know, somebody screamed or what it was, but something happened behind us. I mean, it happens. It's not going to be the first time anybody does that. It wasn't that big of a deal. It just kind of like startled me. But it is what it is, move on. Q. You didn't look too happy about it at the time. BROOKS KOEPKA: Well, I mean, it happens.  Doesn't matter where you are. I mean, if you look at, for me, it's like growing up watching Tiger. I can't tell you how many times things like that have happened to him. You just move on. You don't get too upset about it. You just forget it. Q. Did it startle you on the second shot, is that what you're talking about? BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah. Q. So did you end up hitting it low or‑‑ BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, I kind of like, I don't want to say bladed it, but thinned it, hit it a couple grooves low. Obviously went right and over the green. Wasn't exactly the best spot. But managed to get it up‑and‑down. Q. This period of time where you kind of made this transition from getting mad at yourself to trying to deal with the situation better, could you pinpoint that during the season when that occurred? BROOKS KOEPKA: I wouldn't say it was much of a problem. It was more of maybe pressing too hard. That was the thing. I think I was trying to win. I think that's more the issue. I wanted it so bad; whereas today, I just kind of let it come. It's been a learning experience. But you've got to do it. In golf, you're going to have so many failures. You look at Jack Nicklaus, I mean, how many second places did he have. I don't know, I know it's a lot, and I'm sure he'll tell you every one of those was a failure to him because he showed up to win; and Tiger, or anybody else, the same way. He showed up only for one reason and the reason was to win. Q. Can you talk about the putt on 18, what you read and ended up doing? BROOKS KOEPKA: It was kind of a tricky little putt. We read it like a ball outside. My caddie read it pretty close to that. I actually hit a good putt in fairness. It just turned off. It didn't have much speed to it either, so I think that might have made it turn a little bit. It was hard, Marcel's had come straight up the hill and didn't move and then Danny's snapped on him. So I got a little bit confused. I originally read it right edge outside and still missed left. I thought it was a good putt. Just didn't go. Q. Do you think Ian Poulter was going to hole his putt on 18? BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, I did. He's been in this situation plenty of times, you know, watching him in Ryder Cups and everything, he gets it done. I think if you look at his track record, he holes big putts and he gets the job done. I was kind of mentally prepared to head back to 18, but fortunate enough, I'm here. Q. Where are you going to start in the States? BROOKS KOEPKA: Humana. Q. And is there places that you haven't played before, tournaments that you haven't played before that you are really looking forward to? BROOKS KOEPKA: I think I would say most of them, because a lot of them I couldn't get in last year. I felt like‑‑ I'm looking forward to Phoenix. I think that will be fun. Charlotte will be good. Hope I don't know if I'm in or what the deal is with The Players, but I would really like to play down there. That's one I've kind of marked on the calendar that I really wanted to play because I know I haven't‑‑ I didn't qualify, I guess, before today. I don't know if this‑‑ with the World Rankings and all that stuff. But those are definitely a couple. Q. Augusta? BROOKS KOEPKA: Well, yeah. I've had that kind of on the schedule since the U.S. Open. That's been nice. I was actually told in the locker room, I didn't even know at the time. My dad somehow knew it, which I have no clue‑‑ he said something to me and I was like, okay, right, funny. But no, definitely looking forward to that. That will be‑‑ growing up, watching that tournament, is special. Q. This tournament, you had to go through tough conditions with the weather, and it ends on a beautiful sunny day by the ocean and you're hoisting the trophy. Overall where with you put this memory on your list of career accolades? BROOKS KOEPKA: Oh, I think this is right up there at the top I would say. Looking at the quality of field this week is first class, and the win here is special. Like I said, I've been working my butt off for a while now and been knocking on the door, and it's nice to finally break through, and especially at a tournament like this with the field being so strong. Q. How do you think it can help you moving forward now knowing that you have 1‑under your belt? BROOKS KOEPKA: Any time you win it boosts your confidence, doesn't matter where. Any time you win, you're going to feel good. I'll try to carry it over to next week. PAUL SYMES: Congratulations again. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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