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ZURICH CLASSIC OF NEW ORLEANSApril 25, 2017Chase KoepkaBrooks KoepkaAvondale, Louisiana DOUG MILNE: You played here in 2015 and finished in the top 25. Just some thoughts on being back? BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, it's good to be back. This is actually where I locked up my card. I had to Monday qualify for it, was it three years ago I think. So it's nice to be back. Got some good, positive thoughts around this place, so it will be a fun week and playing good, so really looking forward to playing with my brother. We'll see how it goes. DOUG MILNE: With that said, Chase, a few comments from you on playing with your older brother and making your first start on the PGA TOUR. CHASE KOEPKA: Yeah, it will be a lot of fun playing with him. We group together and it was one of the things we always dreamed, playing in a PGA TOUR event together. That's a dream scenario. DOUG MILNE: I read somewhere that, I'm not sure which one of you said it; that "this could either turn into just the biggest celebration of all time, or we could wind up killing each other." BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, I said I think on the second hole, we could either kill each other or it could be an awesome week. It will be fun. We played nine holes today. It was fun. It's fun to get out there. Be fun for my family. The whole family is here, so it will be neat for them, especially having it be his first PGA TOUR start, it's pretty neat to tee it up together. Q. When you saw this format announced last year, what was the impetus for playing together? BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, I heard about it in Vegas last year. I heard about it, I forget who I was talking to about it but I started asking a bunch of questions, and kind of Chase popped into my mind I think right away when they started talking about it. Just kind of one of those things. So we started asking a few more questions, and here we are today. So I'm excited. Been looking forward to it for quite a while and it's nice to be playing well coming in. Q. Do you think being brothers, maybe you can be more candid with each other and honest? Maybe other teams might be worried about stepping on someone's toes or hurting feelings. Brothers can just tell each other how it is, pretty candid. BROOKS KOEPKA: We've definitely hurt each other's feelings before, nothing we haven't done. It's pretty relaxed. I'm pretty chill on the golf course. Nothing is really going to get to me. He might be in a few different spots than what he's used to behind some trees and not in the fairway every time, but other than that, we should be all right. Q. When you joked that you said that you guys might kill each other on the second hole, were you speaking from personal experience that you had actually tried to kill each other on the course before? BROOKS KOEPKA: No, I just know the first shot he's behind a tree, I'm going to feel really bad. Hey, he's been in fairways, he's used to putting it right next to the hole and making some putts, whereas we have been known to spray it a little bit off the tee. It will be interesting. It will be fun. It's something I look forward to. I don't think we're going to have a problem. It's just more of a brotherly love kind of thing I guess. CHASE KOEPKA: I just think that the way this format is set up, we know each other's games so well that it will actually suit us I think pretty well going in. I know his strengths and weaknesses he knows mine. I think that's actually a good asset for this format. Q. Growing up, did you guys ever play a foursomes or fourballs competition together? CHASE KOEPKA: No. BROOKS KOEPKA: No, I don't think we've ever played anything together. I don't think we've ever actually played in the same golf tournament together. I could be wrong on that. What do you think? CHASE KOEPKA: Played in a U.S. Am qualifier. That was it, yeah. Other than that we just play one-on-one against each other and that's where we kill each other. BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, at home, messing around, that would be the only time. Q. How do you guys go about strategizing, as far as alternate-shot, do you sit down and draw it out the night before or what's the plan? Do you look at the stats? Do you have a feeling of where you want to tee off? CHASE KOEPKA: We talked about it a little bit today. Just kind of deciding who was going to tee off what hole. He kind of said he wouldn't mind hitting some of the longer par 3s but it could change last night, whether we decide and when we get on the first tee. But we both feel confident in our games, so we think it can go either way. BROOKS KOEPKA: And I don't care. Doesn't matter to me. Whatever he's comfortable with. I guess, what, three of the par 3s are on odd holes, so that will be interesting. But I mean, it doesn't make a difference to me. Whatever he's comfortable with. Q. I feel like every time I've asked you about your brother's game, you say you haven't beaten him for a long time. What is the scouting report, and when is the last time you did beat him? BROOKS KOEPKA: I don't know, he probably beat me today. I mean, he's real solid. He puts the ball in the fairway. He's hitting it a little longer than -- I don't know, the last time I played with him was months and months ago, but he's definitely hitting the ball longer. Still putting it in the fairway. No shocker there. He doesn't make the big mistake that I've kind of been -- that I every once in a while get into. Make some doubles; he won't do that. Put the ball in play and make sure he's got par with the best-ball. He's a good putter, good short game. I really don't -- I think we can really -- I think we can win this thing. I wouldn't are surprised at all come Sunday if we're right there. Q. Did anybody else ask you to play with them in this tournament? BROOKS KOEPKA: No, nobody asked. I was thinking of Chase the entire time. I know me and Brandt, we kicked it around a little bit. Just because we played so well at The Ryder Cup and we kind of chatted about it for a little bit. And I told him, I was hoping Chase, and he understood that. It's one of those things where I'm excited and chase is excited and hopefully put on a good show this weekend. Q. Do you guys feel like alternate-shot is going to be the difference-maker this week, those two rounds? BROOKS KOEPKA: Should be. I mean, it's alternate-shot. You think about it, guys are using different balls. If there's a one-ball rule, I have no idea. You get wedge shots, things like that, guys will be playing different balls, it will be a little interesting whether they are playing, whatever ball. Like we played with Bubba today, and J.B. is playing Srixon. It could be interesting, guys spinning it, not spinning it around the greens, things like that. I think it will be a little bit of an adjusting period just for the one week. Last time I did it was The Ryder Cup. You are taking three or four days to actually truly prepare for that, and it's still a little difficult getting used to the ball. But I mean, luckily we play the same ball. But I think the alternate-shot is really going to separate it on the first and third day. Q. On best-ball, how low do you think scores might get on those two days? BROOKS KOEPKA: Could be anything. I know -- isn't rain coming on the weekend? I don't even know the forecast. Honestly I don't even look that far ahead in anything. I mean, best-ball, they could take it pretty deep. I couldn't be surprised if we saw 12, 13, something like that. But alternate-shot, you have to get off to a good start the first day if you want to have any kind of chance. Q. Wouldn't be surprised if you saw a 59 -- BROOKS KOEPKA: 59 is still pretty good but I wouldn't be shocked. Q. Chase, I don't have to remind you that you're built a little differently than your brother. At what stage in your golf career did you realize that you had to play a little bit differently than your big brother did? CHASE KOEPKA: Probably when he got to high school, he started growing a bit and I was maybe 11, 12 years old. I never really hit the ball all that far growing up, so I was kind of used to it. I'd play up and try to compete with him and go back on his tee. Everything was always a little bit longer for me growing up. I just learned how to hit a lot of woods and use my short game and my wedge game to really be an asset for me, and that's kind of what I've stuck with my whole career is just wedging is close and short game-wise, just be one of the best out there. That will take me to, you know, play some really good golf. BROOKS KOEPKA: He wasn't that far behind me and Bubba and J.B. today. He was only like ten behind us. He still hits it pretty far for his size. He's picked up some length in the last few months or whatever but he wasn't that far behind us, and that's a pretty good group, three of the top 5 in driving distance. So that's pretty solid. Do you go do you go thanks for joining us. We appreciate it and best of luck. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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