PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

August 6, 2020

Brooks Koepka

Harding Park Golf Club

Flash Quotes

JOHN DEVER: Welcome back to the 2020 PGA Championship here at TPC Harding Park. Pleased to be joined by two-time defending champion Brooks Koepka.

Brooks, another round, another PGA Championship round in the mid 60s, a 66. You came out strong, four birdies on your front nine. Talk about your start and how you went through the round.

BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, I thought I played really well. Drove the ball pretty well for the most part. Just had that one shot that I can't get on my left side, and it usually goes right there on 1. But put the ball in the fairway, hit some greens and made putts. You just try to break it down pretty simple, and did a good job of that today

Q. What driver did you use today? What did you decide on?

BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, I went with the one I used to play. Same one, same shaft, same driver head but new.

Q. Is that a concern?

BROOKS KOEPKA: No, it's all good. I know what it does.

Q. I know that, but the fact that you came into a major and were still trying to figure out which one you were going to use, did that lead into any doubt?

BROOKS KOEPKA: I mean, I've played it for quite a while, and I know what that driver does. I know what that shaft does. When you're swinging it well, it just goes back to the same thing I've done the last two years with that company. They don't pay me, so I'm not mentioning their name. (Laughter.)

Q. The things that were getting back to what you were doing last week where you felt like things were coming around, did you feel that stuff today, and if so, what kind of things were you doing best?

BROOKS KOEPKA: My iron play I think is key. I felt like we had a lot of good numbers today, which always helps, but struck it really well, put it in the right spots. Felt like I had a good uphill look most of the time, and that's what you need to do out here. You've got to drive it in play, and I felt like I did that. I was pleased with it overall, everything.

Q. You've talked to us so much about how relaxed you are at the majors. Did you feel that way today, it being the first major now in I guess 13 months, and we all know how well you perform in them, so you seem to thrive in them?

BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, I enjoy it. The majors almost seem like an easier week for me, nine holes pretty much every day in the practice rounds and try to stay off my feet and not do too much. I think sometimes guys can not overprepare, but just practice a little too much. If you're going to be here until Sunday it's pretty mentally draining. Physically it's fine, but mentally I'm done after four days of this.

Q. I think you missed a short putt on your second hole, I believe, and you were talking about how unflappable you are. I wonder if that rattles you if you miss a short putt early in a round.

BROOKS KOEPKA: I mean, it was probably eight feet. It was a good putt, just misread it. Nothing I can do. To be honest with you, I probably misread a couple other putts out there, and they happened to go in.

It doesn't matter. As long as they go in or I feel like I hit a good putt, I'm okay with it.

Q. On the flipside of that, I think holes 13 through 18, finishing holes, you birdied four of the six of those. Is that about as well as you can play those, and if you can bottle that --

BROOKS KOEPKA: No, you can always play them a little lower. Birdie every one of them or -- I don't know -- I can barely remember the holes. If you put the ball in the fairway out here, you really can shoot a number.

I definitely don't think 6-, 7-under is out of the question if the wind stays down like this is right now. You can play pretty well. The greens are so smooth, they're so good, and rolling at a good pace.

Q. If you go back to the restart right at Colonial, wherever it is you restarted and you look at the arc of how your game has progressed, how would you characterize the last three weeks?

BROOKS KOEPKA: Getting there. It's getting a lot better. I mean, I feel right where I should be. If you would have said last week and this week, I'd feel perfect, right where I need to be. I'm excited. I'm ready to play. But you asked for three weeks, so it's been okay. There was a missed cut in there.

Q. Was there an epiphany moment at the 3M or last week where you feel like I'm in the right direction.

BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, when we missed the cut at 3M, went back home and spent Sunday with Pete working at Medalist, and then Monday was up with Claude. And to be honest with you, it was probably the first time I think I hit 40 balls and there was a club 70 yards behind me I chucked it and then threw one in front of me. I was pretty heated, to say the right word.

And then we went inside and we went on this mat where they show you your weight distribution and we were kind of looking at some things, and at impact I'm about 70 percent on my left side, 70 percent of my weight is on my left side, and when we were looking at it, it was the opposite. It was 70 percent on the right side. We knew what we had to do was get on that left side, and it's been good since.

Q. I know it's only after 18 holes and you're one back, but if you could describe just how you feel in the position that you put yourself in again.

BROOKS KOEPKA: I mean, it's only 18 holes right now. I feel good. I feel confident. I'm excited for the next three days. I think I can definitely play a lot better, and just need to tidy a few things up, and we'll be there come Sunday on the back nine.

Q. You talked about seeing the weight on the right side instead of the left and you need to get it to the left but you still have this kind of nagging issue on the left knee. How did you do that and was that an issue in doing it?

BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, if you looked at it from behind probably where the camera sits most of the time where we're hitting it probably looks like I'm lined up a little too far left. I'm not, my knee is in the same position, my left foot is just dropped back a hair, and then from there I really -- it allows me to actually go forward on the left side and really drive off that right foot and not feel anything in my left side. We watched a lot of video from the PGA the last two years, me and Ricky when we were home on Sunday night and Monday. We watched a lot of the rounds, and it was pretty much the same thing. My feet are kind of usually a little bit staggered probably from a perfect golf swing too far left, but that's just how we play. It's nice to feel comfortable over the ball. I'm starting to see it come out of the right pocket, the right window, and that's exciting.

Q. I don't know if this was brought up the other day or not, but even though it's just one round, what would it mean to you to win three straight? Would it just be a fifth major or does it mean extra? Would it mean extra?

BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, it would mean extra because I wasn't able to do it at the U.S. Open. I think that drove me nuts a little bit. I mean, obviously I played about as good -- I played good golf, but I just got beat by Gary.

You know, to do it here, it would be special. I think -- I don't know how many -- I think there's, what, six guys that have ever won three in a row. Yeah, not a bad list to be on. That's the whole goal every time we tee it up in a major is to win them. The whole year is spent prepping for these four.