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PGA CHAMPIONSHIPMay 16, 2019Brooks KoepkaFarmingdale, New York JOHN DEVER: Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome back to the 2019 PGA Championship at Bethpage Black. I'm pleased to be joined by defending champion Brooks Koepka, who posted a 63 today, and that's special in many regards. It's a course record here at Bethpage Black. That's never been done before. Also it was bogey-free, and also the first player in PGA Championship history to post a pair of 63s in our championship. So Brooks, a lot of questions to come here, but maybe just tell us about the last hole, that long putt on No. 9, what's going through your head there. BROOKS KOEPKA: Nothing. Just make it. I think that was the only thing that was going through my head. It turned a little right to left, pretty flat. I had good reads on it all day. The speed control was very solid. I felt very comfortable with the putter after a couple of changes we made, and very pleased with the way I putted today. JOHN DEVER: Let's ask you about what you might anticipate in the afternoon today. Things are going to dry out a little bit more the rest of the field; will the added distance in the fairway help them or will the speed of the greens getting a little faster hinder them? Do you anticipate people will be able to score today. BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, I think it's out there. The only thing you have to do is hit fairways. If you're going to hit fairways, you're going to be able to hit the greens and get the ball close to the hole. I mean, obviously my length is an advantage here. But I mean, the one thing I didn't do is take care of the par-5s. I didn't birdie any of the par-5s. So you can definitely shoot a number. Some of these hole locations I think are quite gettable. I wouldn't be surprised if you see another good score in the afternoon. Q. Brooks, do you think anyone may be intimidated by what you've been doing over the last few months, few years? BROOKS KOEPKA: I don't know. You're going to have to ask them. Q. Do you hope they are? BROOKS KOEPKA: Doesn't matter to me. You know, I'm there to do one job, and that's play a good round of golf. It doesn't bother me too much what anybody else thinks. Q. Brooks, Tiger said after the round he thought 63 was about the highest you could have scored today given how you played. You nod. Why? BROOKS KOEPKA: Well, I didn't take care of the par-5s, didn't birdie any of the par-5s. That was disappointing because I felt like you know those are holes you should be able to birdie. Definitely can reach, what is it, 4 and just hit a bad drive there. And then 13 I can get there, too, I just hit it in the bunker. And then the second hole today, my 11th hole, I missed about a five-footer. That would have been nice to shoot 60. I guess that would have been pretty good. Q. What was your best shot out of the rough today? Because you hit quite a few of them, good ones. BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, I would say the one on 15 was probably the best one, just because the hole is so uphill. Luckily enough, it was kind of trampled down a little bit where the fans were. But I mean, it still wasn't a good lie by any means. But just to get that ball up and on to the same shelf as the pin was on, because that front little corner, left-hand corner of the green, you've got to go up over that ridge, and that's an extremely slow putt. But to get it 15 feet short of the hole and get 4 there was probably the best one of the day. Q. I know it's only the first round, but how important with all the hype surrounding Tiger winning the Masters, how important was it for you to make a statement today? You obviously did make a statement, but how important was it for you to show today that you really are the guy to look at in this conversation, also, it's not just a one-way street? BROOKS KOEPKA: I mean, I felt like I won this last year. I'm playing good. You know, it was great that Tiger won Augusta, but I mean, we're at a new week now. It's just -- I've just got to go out there and focus on me. I'm not really concerned about what's going on. You know what you're going to get when you play with him. I mean, obviously everybody in New York is going to be cheering for him, and it's going to be loud, especially if he makes a putt. You've just got to keep battling and find a way to get through it. Q. Can you talk about how the course played today versus your previous rounds out there, and do you think that it lent itself to a round that you put up today and we'll see this in the tournament moving forward? BROOKS KOEPKA: I mean, obviously it lent it up. I was able to do it, so -- you know, I don't know, it all kind of depends. They can move some of these tee boxes back a little bit. They can move 12 back where some of the guys can't carry the bunker. Even 7 was moved up for us. They can definitely add probably about 100 yards in length to this golf course. It kind of all depends on the wind direction. I think it would have been a bit excessive today if they had those tees all the way back. But you never know what's going to come. Q. You spent a lot of time on 4, both dealing with the shot off the tee, your second shot, and then up at the green looking at the lie. What was going on with those two different shots? What were the dilemmas for you there? BROOKS KOEPKA: Well, I hit it in the fescue or whatever you want to call it, and that's not where you want to be. I knew the ball was going to -- it was going shove it down the club face and kind of squirt it left. I picked out a spot that was on the very right side of the fairway and just tried to hit it there knowing it was going to turn it down a little bit, and if it didn't, then it still had a chance to be in the fairway. And then when I hit it up by the bunker and ended up on a downslope and side slope all kind of in one, and as I was there, the ball started to -- it was a great lie for how bad the lie was being there. And then the ball started moving, so we just had to call an official over and make sure that I didn't do anything to move it. I wish it would have just rolled another couple inches into that bunker, it would have made that hole a lot easier. Q. I just wonder, this stretch that you're on right now, have you ever felt more confident, and can you describe your confidence level right now as you step to a first tee today? Just where you're at with your head and your game right now? BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, I mean, obviously it's never been -- I mean, it's never been this confident. I think I'm still learning, understanding my game, and I've figured it out, and I think over the next few years, I'm excited for what's to come. I understand a lot more about my misses, where to hit it, and major championships I just suck it up, and you don't always have to aim at the flag like you do in regular events. Sometimes it's just about how few bogeys and doubles you make this week. Q. There's kind of an axiom in golf how difficult it is to follow up a great round with another one. Is that something you'll think about tonight or do you do the same thing you did last night, this morning? Do you find it difficult to back something up like today? BROOKS KOEPKA: It's a whole new day. They say that, but plenty of people have followed it up with a good round. I mean, tomorrow is a whole new day. Get out here and stick to my normal routine and then go from there. But I'm excited about tomorrow. Q. What would you say was the defining shot of the round for you today? BROOKS KOEPKA: That's a good one. I don't know, there was a few of them that were pretty good. I mean, maybe No. 10, the putt on No. 10, to get off to that good of a start. It's not really -- well, not really. It's not a birdie hole. Q. (Off microphone.) BROOKS KOEPKA: I think we had 195 into the breeze, a little chilly, and tried to hit 5-iron and missed it in a good spot, right where I was looking. From there when you roll that putt in -- because I hit it a bit hard, it was probably going about eight, nine feet by. So for that to kind of sneak in I thought was very big, especially you want to leave that 10 through 12 stretch -- even if you're 1-over during that stretch, I feel like you're not really losing ground to the field. Q. You mentioned before about the fact that like the New York crowd obviously is going to be rooting behind Tiger, et cetera. Come Sunday if you're still towards the top, do you find that to be -- the crowd noise, et cetera, a distraction, or is that motivation for you? Does the crowd have any effect on you personally? BROOKS KOEPKA: I love it. I think it's fun. I think it's fun when they're getting loud, they're rowdy. You see it at Phoenix, 16. I enjoy that. I enjoy when they can really get behind you. You definitely want them on your side this week, that's for sure. Q. As the aspiring course designer that you are, what catches your eye about this place, and in your opinion what's the best hole out here? BROOKS KOEPKA: That's a good question. I don't know. Yeah, I don't know. I don't know what would be my favorite hole. All seven of them that I birdied today. We'll go with that. Q. What catches your eye about the whole place? BROOKS KOEPKA: I mean, this place is just beautiful. You stand on every tee, and it's -- you can kind of get sucked in, mesmerized by the design of this golf course. It's just very pleasing to the eye. Every time you step up on every tee box there's a side to miss it and there's a side where you can't miss it. It's just -- it makes it very difficult if you're not going to drive the ball well. It's definitely -- it definitely tests every part of your game, that's for sure. Q. I heard you described today as the most dominant golfer since Tiger Woods back in the day. I also hear a lot that you don't get the credit and the recognition you deserve. What do you think about that, and what do you think you need to do to change that? BROOKS KOEPKA: I mean, I don't know. I've opened up. I'm being me, so I'm happy with how I'm, I guess, communicating a little bit better. I feel like I'm finally in a good spot now to say things that I probably couldn't say before or was maybe afraid of. But I mean, the rest of it, it's just what people think. It's up to them. Hopefully -- I know what I look like on the golf course, and I know what I'm like off the golf course, and it's two completely different people. When I'm out there, it's just like anybody else. I'm at work and I'm just trying to grind and shoot the best I can. Q. Do you think perhaps you might get to a certain number of tournament wins or major wins where it wouldn't even matter what your personality was, you would get the credit anyway? BROOKS KOEPKA: I don't know. We'll find out maybe, I guess. Q. I believe you were six when Tiger won his first major in '97. Growing up and watching him over the years, is there anything about Tiger's approach or mentality in the majors particularly that you've incorporated into your game over the years? BROOKS KOEPKA: Just to grind on every shot. You can't take a shot off. I mean, in the majors, I mean, even if it's a tap-in from a foot and a half, I'm still going through my routine, still making sure I'm taking nothing for granted, just grind it out, don't lose focus. I'm focused the entire -- I don't know how long we were out there today, five hours, five and a half, something like that. But just never give up, fight through it. You can't take anything for granted out there. Q. It's just one round of golf, but you hear course record, seven birdies. When did you realize today that it could be a special outing and why? BROOKS KOEPKA: Just on No. 10. When that putt went in on No. 10, that was kind of the momentum that kind of set me. But I never once thought about the course record or anything. I was just trying to shoot the best I could. Simple as. Just keep going and total them up at the end. Q. If earlier this week you said majors are easier to win, 35 or 40 guys could beat you, how many guys could beat you now that you've posted this score? BROOKS KOEPKA: Like today? I don't know. I wouldn't say there's very many guys. That was one of the best rounds I've played probably as a professional. This golf course is brutal. If you're not going to drive it, like I said, it tests every asset of your game. You've got to drive the ball straight. It's long, so you've got to hit it far and really position yourself with some of these shots in. You can't miss -- you can't take a shot off, and that's what I love. It reminds me -- I think that's why I play so well at U.S. Opens, this golf course, typical U.S. Open golf course. I mean, if you don't have a good day, you can very easily shoot 5, 6-over. There's a fine line between 5, 6-over and a couple under out here. It's a fun golf course to play, that's for sure. Q. You mentioned at the beginning about the putter change. It was either the stroke or the club, I'm not sure which one, but can you talk about that and what made you feel so comfortable with that change on these greens? BROOKS KOEPKA: First off, I'm not the most confident person on poa, believe it or not. I know I won Shinnecock on poa, but I haven't played on it too much. It's easier being able to tap down spike marks now, that's for sure. But we made a few changes. I brought my putting coach back for Augusta, and that was kind of the first time we really got three solid days of work in in a long time. Maybe about a year. And so it was nice to -- because I was doing it on my own. To have him back and just kind of touch up some speed control with getting on the same putt lab and zeroing everything out, he comes over to the house every night and we just putt downstairs in the basement and make sure everything is fine tuned and ready to go. Q. I know you made it clear that you're just focused on going as low as you can, but when you're extending the lead the way you did over the field today, do you think about the importance of that and how much pressure it puts on everybody else and increasing their degree of difficulty pursuing you? BROOKS KOEPKA: I'm not thinking about it. I'm just going about my business. You know, you'd love to make it more difficult for them. You know, it's always nice being out ahead. I don't think it's happened to me that often where I've got a, what is it, three, four-shot lead over the field as of right now. But that's -- you take a hole off, it could change very quickly out here. So you've just got to keep the pedal down. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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