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PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

May 17, 2019

Brooks Koepka

Farmingdale, New York

JOHN DEVER: Good afternoon again from the 2019 PGA Championship at Bethpage Black. Pleased to be joined by our second round leader, Brooks Koepka, who posted a 65 today for a two-day total of 138. That's a 36-hole scoring record for not only the PGA Championship but all major championship golf. He also has the largest 36-hole lead in PGA Championship history, and that is at 7 strokes presently.

It's pretty obvious there are some special things happening in your game. Have you ever played two round of golf back-to-back as well as you did here in the last 24 hours or so?

BROOKS KOEPKA: This probably sounds bad, but today was a battle. I didn't strike it that good. I was leaking a few to the right. But I don't think -- the way I hung in there today and battled it, I think that was probably more impressive than yesterday, not having your A game but still being able to shoot a great score. I was very, very pleased with the way I played today.

Q. When you say you didn't strike it that good, one of the things that's been most impressive this week is when you have gotten in the long grass, it seems like you've been able to muscle it out to get some good shots, good positions on the greens. Have you been surprised at how good you've been out of the rough?
BROOKS KOEPKA: That's why I go to the gym (laughter). (Smiling).

JOHN DEVER: That's why he goes to the gym.

Q. One of the things that's been common through your three prior major wins, and has been so true this week, is your putting. Can you talk about how well you've putted this week?
BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, I putted great. I feel every time -- I feel like I even slide the putter right behind the ball, it's lined up perfectly, and I don't -- I don't have to do anything. I don't have to kind of adjust. I feel as comfortable as I've ever felt putting this week. You know, like I said, poa isn't my favorite grass to putt on, but I felt like my speed control has been pretty good.

Today was a little off. I left a few short. You know, and then 17, I actually hit a great putt. Just bounced twice on me. So I'm very pleased with the way -- with what we've done in the past -- since Augusta, the changes we've made and where it's at right now.

Q. Just curious, did you go away from Jeff or just not work with him for some time, and if it had just been a while since you'd worked with him, what finally pushed you over the edge to say, we need to sort something out here?
BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, we didn't work together for about eight months, nine months, I guess, is probably a good guess. And then I just got so lost and so uncomfortable, I felt like I needed to get back to where I was. I started getting too mechanical, and if you know me, that's not me, to start thinking about the stroke or thinking about where my hands need to be or where shoulder position is or anything.

Usually I just set up and go, and we've finally gotten back to that. The stroke zeroed out, and I feel comfortable over the ball, and actually feel like I'm going to make it. Even on these, I feel like I'm one of the best putters inside eight feet, and I did not feel like that for those, basically, the first four months of this year.

So I asked him. We worked a few times down at Medalist and then from there, I felt like if I wanted to play well at Augusta, if I wanted to play well here, you know, I needed to bring him back and get on the team.

Q. Two baseball questions, if you don't mind. Your dad played college baseball. Tiger's dad played college baseball. Does that ever -- does baseball or your fathers playing baseball, does that ever come up in your conversation?
BROOKS KOEPKA: Not really. Yeah, no. We've never talked about that. I know when we're both playing, we're both focused on what we're doing. There's not much chatter going on.

Q. Just related to that, did you hear a lot about Dick growing up, and what did that mean?
BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, obviously I couldn't see him play, but my dad being a big baseball fan; our family is a big basketball fan, and my boys back home, all they do is talk baseball.

You know, when I was growing up, he was -- you know, we heard about him getting his number retired at Duke, being the first player to have his number retired at Cameron, and then to be able to win two World Series is pretty impressive. I mean, he's some athlete, I know that. I mean, it's hard. You couldn't do that now.

Q. On the weekend, do you plan on thinking about turning 7 into 8, turning 8 into 9, turning it into a 10-shot lead, 11, or do you even bother to look at leaderboards?
BROOKS KOEPKA: There's one about every two, three holes, so it's tough not to look. I'll check it out and see what's going on.

Yeah, I'd like to see that lead grow as large as it possibly can. I still have to go out there and do what I'm supposed to do, keep putting the ball in the right spot and make sure that you don't make any double-bogeys, and I should have a good chance of winning the championship.

Q. A lot of these fans this week obviously came out to watch Tiger Woods, but they might --
BROOKS KOEPKA: You think?

Q. They might just accidentally have witnessed the passing of the torch. How do you feel about that narrative?
BROOKS KOEPKA: It's fun. It's always fun to get in Tiger's group. I enjoy the crowds. The crowds are definitely lively. I mean, it's New York. You know they are going to be loud.

You want them on your side, that's for sure. It's something I've enjoyed every time I've played with him. I enjoy them cheering for him, the energy that they bring. It makes it exciting, and especially if you're going to play good. That's a good time to play good.

Q. But if the narrative is they witnessed the passing of the torch, how do you feel about that?
BROOKS KOEPKA: I mean, I've got 11 more to go, or 12 more to go before that happens.

Q. You talk about avoiding double-bogey, and I think you mentioned that as a goal you take into majors generally. Can you talk about where that sort of started for you, and how much do you kind of consciously hold it up as something you keep in mind, and why?
BROOKS KOEPKA: Well, it's just something -- I forget who told me this, but a long time ago, it takes two holes to recover from a double and one hole from a bogey. You know, you can get into trouble, and you just need to minimize the damage that you are about to cause. You know, you want to make sure -- you've got to look at par, and if sometimes bogeys -- bogeys aren't going to kill you in a major championship. They are tough. The golf courses are set up so tough, and you never know when you're going to squeak a birdie in.

I mean, even par is a good score, anywhere you put it. You just have to try to battle it out and put yourself in the best position possible, no matter where you're at.

Q. What does that practically mean? Does it mean playing more conservatively or looking out for the bigger trouble?
BROOKS KOEPKA: That's just if you get into trouble. If you get into trouble, find a way to make bogey or a score. It's not -- I would say I play conservatively aggressive into every hole, every pin location, depending on where it's at. Unless I feel 100 percent, I'm not going to go at it.

Obviously, with that being said, you know, anything inside 150 yards, I'm going straight at it, or maybe favoring a little bit of the side. Like 15 today, maybe I was aiming, I think, five feet left of it. You know, I push it ten feet. You're going to be okay. You've got to know where the short-side, where the miss is, and if you look at my whole front side, it was just basically hitting the center of the green, and that's what I needed to do.

Q. I apologize, walked in a little late. Did anybody ask you what Tiger said to you when you shook hands with him at 18?
BROOKS KOEPKA: Just said, "Keep it up. Great playing, and finish it off strong."

Q. We're talking about all the people that wanted to see Tiger. You would think you'd would get a little extra satisfaction out of the fact that you were able to do what you did these two days, with Tiger there and all those fans saying, oh, yeah, we kind of -- we know that guy now because now we've been seeing him and we're seeing what he's doing today with Tiger in the group.
BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, I mean, it's always fun to -- like I said, it's always fun to play with him and play in front of a large crowd and kind of showcase your stuff. I think that's fun. You know you have to bring your game when you're with him. You know he's going to have a large support system out there. I think that's a given everywhere we go.

But I mean, I enjoy playing with him. I love it. I think it's fun. I don't -- I've learned not to really -- I've gone these 36 holes and I've really -- I couldn't tell you what shots any friend or Tiger hit. I mean, I watch him, but it really just doesn't register of what's going on. I'm just watching ball flight, how they hit it, the contact, the sound, and then from there, making my judgment off the clubs or any adjustments I need to make.

It's not -- I don't really remember anything that they have done. I'm so focused on myself, and I learned that the first time I played with Tiger, this championship, I think in 2013. All I did was watch him for nine holes. That's what I grew up doing. I grew up watching him on TV, and I spent the first nine holes, all I did was pay attention to every move he made. You know, whether he was just picking up his tee, whatever it was. And you can't do that. You've got to focus on your own game.

I'm so focused on what I'm doing now, it doesn't matter who is in the group, where it is, but it's fun to have that energy of him in the group for sure.

Q. It's not often that somebody runs this far out ahead halfway through a major or any golf tournament. Did anybody, a fan or a player, say anything funny, like, "Hey, take it easy on the rest of them," or anything like that?
BROOKS KOEPKA: No. I mean, I've heard a lot of stuff (chuckling) from the barstool interview the other day. I've heard that. That's been shouted out quite a bit.

I mean, I think there was some guy yelling, "Shank it" all the way up 18. I felt pretty confident I wasn't going to shank the driver (laughter). I mean, that happens every time you play with Tiger; New York. It's fun. It's just something to laugh at.

Thank you. Appreciate it.

JOHN DEVER: He's focused. He's Brooks Koepka. Thank you.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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