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THE RYDER CUPSeptember 27, 2018Brooks KoepkaGuyancourt, France BRIONY CARLYON: Brooks, thank you very much for your time today, as well. We've spoken to a couple of the guys, and they say what a great atmosphere it's been in the team room and being here in France. Perhaps your thoughts on the start to the week so far and your expectations. BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, it's fun. Obviously any time you can get this group in one room and guys are telling stories, laughing, and having a good time, it always makes it enjoyable. We've only got Bryson and Tony, I think, the rookies, and I feel like this group's been together for awhile with Presidents Cups and Ryder Cups. It makes it that much more special. But no, looking forward to this week. This golf course is in great shape. It's going to be a tough test. You know you need to hit the fairways. The greens are pretty flat, so there's nothing hidden there, but it's definitely a first-shot golf course. BRIONY CARLYON: Just talking about the golf course, I know you've played it previously, but this week, is it a different setup or anything that you remember that stuck out for yourself? BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, I remember everything. The golf course definitely doesn't play this hard as it does in the French Open. The rough's juicy. You miss just off the fairway and everything seems to grow right into you, so it's hard to advance the ball, hard to get a good lie, anything you can really advance to the green; and then you miss it even further, you're in the fescue and you can barely advance it there. So hitting fairways is a premium and you kind of position yourself from there. Q. Having played on three of these teams now, and having won three majors since your last Ryder Cup, do you feel in the team room, your role evolves a little bit? BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, for sure. I think it's definitely a lot different than it was the first Ryder Cup, being a rookie. Now I know how things go. I definitely feel like -- not that my opinion really didn't matter in the first one, but it's definitely more important. But I'm more comfortable opening up now, too. The first one, you're a little bit shy and you don't want to say anything and kind of get off to the wrong start, but now I'm definitely more comfortable with the guys, especially the captains, vice captains, because it's been pretty much the same guys for the last few years. You can definitely -- voice my opinion or who I think I should play with or strategy or things like that. It's definitely gotten a lot easier. Q. How much can having played the 16th hole at the Phoenix Open where you've won help you for the scene that will greet you tomorrow on the first hole? BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, I'm excited for that. I love it. I love it when you feel a little bit of nerves. I don't view it as nerves, though. I kind of view it as excitement, just ready to go. You kind of feel like you're a horse in the gate getting ready to go and just kind of antsy. I wouldn't really call it nerves, but then once that first tee shot goes, you're ready to go. The excitement you have, you're fired up, you're representing your country, playing for the rest of the team. You know, it's bigger than just me. You're playing for everybody else. Q. Three majors in 15 months. In terms of world golf, you're on top of the form charts in these massive, massive events. I think one or two European folk will probably be asking, how long can this hot streak last. So, how long can it last? BROOKS KOEPKA: I don't see why it has to end. If I keep doing what I'm doing, you know, I don't see why, why it should stop. I feel like I'm playing really well. You know, TOUR Championship wasn't my best showing. Just had one bad day, but I've been playing well. I seem to get up for big events, and I shouldn't have a problem doing that this week. Q. Who has had the best stories so far in the team room? BROOKS KOEPKA: You know, we kind of -- it's more about laughing about stupid things we've done. Maybe not -- I mean, you hear a lot of stories. There's a lot of golf stories or funny things we've done. We definitely don't mind poking fun at each other when somebody says something, you know, that's not the brightest; you're not going to get away with it. It's always fun, and got to be able to take it, too. We've got a great mixture of that with the guys. Q. What's been the highlight this week, on or off the course? BROOKS KOEPKA: You know, I think, what was it, two nights ago, we all got away as a team, the girlfriends and wives and everybody, it was nice just to kind of sit around. We all sat around for probably like an hour or so. Any time you get to do that with everybody, it doesn't happen that often, especially when you get -- like last night, and you've got Tom Kite and Michael Jordan was in there, Corey Pavin, guys, and they are just telling stories, and that's so cool. Michael was talking about how he would always play on the road and things like that against tough opponents, or crowds that were always against him or whatever it might -- whatever the case might be. It's just funny hearing a different athlete's point of view or the way they would go about it, and then you can kind of take what you want from there. Q. You must have a few good stories of your own from traveling around Europe when you were competing on The European Tour. What was your best one, and do you think this feels less of an away match for you because of the experience that you've had on The European Tour? BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, it's definitely different starting over here where I kind of found my success, found my game. Really kind of developed into the player, person I am today by coming over here. So there's definitely -- it's nice to be back over to play. I've wanted to compete in The Ryder Cup overseas, and that's always been a goal for the two years I played The Challenge Tour and European Tour. They weren't afraid to let me know it, so hopefully that can change this week. Q. Your best story? BROOKS KOEPKA: My best story? From The Challenge Tour or European Tour? I mean, there's a lot of them. There's definitely some interesting ones. I don't think -- I mean, getting lost in Kenya and being in a taxi, and I thought the guy was going to kill us. I mean, he took us on a joyride, a bunch of guys hopped out of the gas station, tried to get in the car. I even called my family to try to turn my location services on to try to tell them where we were at. I mean, we went out -- we were supposed to -- if we were supposed to go left, we went right and went into -- wasn't the best part of town, put it that way. Q. Having played on team events the last two years, those were both at home. Do you have any expectation for just how different that environment is going to be for you, specifically, the next couple days? BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, I think it's obviously going to be a little different. I don't know what quite to expect. Obviously you're going to hear a lot of Europe chants and cheering if you hit bad shots, whatever. I enjoy that. I think that's so much fun. Like you said, it kind of reminds me of Phoenix a little bit. That's probably one of my favourite tournaments on Tour to play, and any time -- The Ryder Cup truly feels like a sporting event; a football game, a basketball game, whatever it is, it's loud and people aren't afraid to boo you. That's fun. I look the atmosphere and I kind of got a taste of that at Hazeltine. It was the coolest experience, coolest thing I've ever done as far as playing golf in an atmosphere like that. So hopefully this week can top it with a win. Q. What did Michael Jordan tell you about winning on the road, and the second thing is, have you heard much about being Player of the Year in the team room? Do they kid you about it? Do you kid them? BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, I heard about it yesterday. I didn't know. Actually a buddy of mine that worked at Medalist texted me, Aaron. Yeah, he texted me. I had no idea. No, we haven't talked about it and I'm not going to bring it up to them. And what was the other one? Q. Jordan? BROOKS KOEPKA: He talked about how he didn't hear the crowd. It's kind of the same thing. But I think, also, too, I took that as, he couldn't wait to shut them up, and the second he would go off, it was -- you might hear a few boos, whatever it is, but the quieter they are, you're kind of laughing inside; you've done what you wanted to do, and I thought that was pretty cool. Q. So we can't take for granted how many more teams Phil and Tiger will both grace. As a player and teammate of theirs, does that make this week any extra-special? Is that the motivation, to try to win for them? BROOKS KOEPKA: I wouldn't say it's motivation. I think everybody's just excited. I mean, I don't know anybody that isn't excited that Tiger is playing as well as he is. I feel like he's back. I think we all know he's been back for awhile. It was only a matter of time before he was going to win, and that was a given, but it's nice to see him playing well, and in good form coming here. He's a big part of our team. I'm sure he's just as excited to be here, you know, missing the last one, and Presidents Cup. I'm excited. I'm excited for him. I know he's ready to go. Q. Do you have any stories or memories of when you played The French Open here, struggling, trying to make a name for yourself, and eventually do what you're doing now? BROOKS KOEPKA: I don't have any interesting stories from when I was here last time. I actually stayed right by kind of where we're staying now. I remember going into town, going to the Palace of Versailles, checking it out, doing a couple like touristy things. I mean, I didn't know at the time, like I was going to be back here playing The Ryder Cup. You kind of hope for it, but you don't really know what's going to happen. But it's a beautiful city. It was fun. It was fun to kind of walk around and enjoy the town. But as far as the golf goes, this was probably one of the best golf courses and exciting golf courses, because it kind of reminds me of a major championship. There's a disaster around every corner. Every shot, you've got to be very focused. I mean, you miss a fairway, both guys miss a fairway in alternate-shot, bogey could even win the hole, so you never know. Q. How much do you think that course setup will neutralise your power game, or will you just continue to bash driver? BROOKS KOEPKA: No, I'm not -- this golf course, I don't think you can. There's a few holes you can hit driver on. There's not many holes where it sets up. Like I'm even thinking 9, perfect example, I can't hit driver. I can still run through into the water if I hit driver. These fairways are a bit firm, so if you land in the fairway, it's going to go another 20, 30 yards from where it lands. There's quite a few doglegs -- the hole doesn't dogleg but the fairway angles, so you're going to run out, even if you hit the fairway, and you can't be in the rough. You can't be -- if you want to, there's maybe five or six holes where you've really got a good birdie chance if you hit the fairway, but if you hit the rough, you're just hoping to make par, and I feel like the importance on fairways here is definitely way more important than length. Q. What is Tiger like in the team room as a player compared with a vice captain, and from a wider view, you've got a couple of examples like that, Davis, and Kuch and Zach? BROOKS KOEPKA: I think he's probably taking more ice baths this week, considering he's playing, than, you know, riding around in a cart is a little easier on your body. It's fun. Obviously you could look at him as a leader and kind of feed off him as he goes, and especially coming in off a win. You know, we always -- I mean, he talked strategy with me at the Presidents Cup a little bit and on the putting green and things like that. Then you look at this week, he's actually hitting shots. It's one thing to be on the sidelines, and you get an idea, well, it's obvious, don't miss it left here, don't miss it right here. But when you're playing, you can see shots. He might be able to see something different than what I see going into the hole or going into a certain pin location. Hey, it might be better to lay 20, 30 yards back here, as opposed to getting it down in that area where you're looking because it opens up a certain part of the green, or the miss is a little bit better. Things like that, I think there's definitely an advantage having him play. Q. You guys played on Sunday in Atlanta to divide up $30 million in bonus cash. This week, you only play for pride. For the person who is not a hard-core golf fan and might tune in this week to watch this event, how would you explain that to them? BROOKS KOEPKA: Well, we're playing for the United States, too. I think that's pretty simple. Yeah, there's no money, but there's definitely a lot of pride, egos, a lot of, you know, reputation and kind of I guess legacy, too, a little bit. I think people always remember how many majors you've won, and you definitely don't forget when you lose a Ryder Cup. It's pretty simple. I think we all know it's been a while since we've won one. We've been told a million times by you guys; we've read it; by other people; guys even on the team now have told us, and it's pretty simple: We need to win. Q. We already talked about your background on The European Tour, The Challenge Tour and your mind game with the major wins, the three in the last 15 months. In my opinion, you're one of the key players on the team and the perfect person for this situation. Is this something which makes you proud, and are you happy about this situation? BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah. I mean, I'm excited. I think any time you can play an important role in winning a Ryder Cup, I think that's what everybody wants. Everybody wants that winning putt to win The Ryder Cup or to win your match, or whatever the case might be, or on the sideline cheering the guys on. You've got to be a good teammate, and you've got to be ready for anything this week. You don't know what's going to come at you. But I'm excited. I'm excited for the role, a little different role than I've had in the last one, and we're looking forward to it. I'm ready to get started. BRIONY CARLYON: Thank you very much for your time, Brooks. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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