PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

August 7, 2020

Brooks Koepka

Harding Park Golf Club

Flash Quotes

JOHN DEVER: Good afternoon. Welcome back to the 2020 PGA Championship here at TPC Harding Park. Pleased to be joined by Brooks Koepka, who posted a second round 68. He is 6-under par, tied for third place at the moment.

Brooks, a little bit of a challenging day, but you know, you ended with a birdie on 18. Maybe tell us about that and what it might do for you tomorrow.

BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, it was nice to finish that round with a birdie. It got I thought pretty difficult from about 11 on. The wind picks up, and it's quite difficult. It's not an easy golf course. You've got to find the fairway and then find the uphill putt or hit it close to the pin. These greens are so good. You can make a lot of putts. I hit a lot of good putts today, just didn't go in.

Q. A big part of the battle at the majors is just getting yourself there for the weekend and in the mix. How pleased are you as far as how you fought the first two days?

BROOKS KOEPKA: I'm pretty happy. I felt like I probably could be ten right now. Hit a lot of good putts, just didn't go in. A couple of them, if I just hit them, they're in. But driving it pretty well. Iron play, I'm pretty pleased with. You know, I like where I'm at.

Q. Can you tell us what was going on with the trainer? Was that your knee or hip?

BROOKS KOEPKA: It was my hip. Nothing to do with my knee. It's fine. I woke up this morning, it was tight, and worked out and it got even tighter and then we loosened it up. It was a little tight when I was hitting balls on the range but it's nothing to be worried about. We'll loosen it up again and it will be a lot better.

Q. When he does that it feels better? You feel like you can go at it no problem?

BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, my TFL is usually pretty tight on the side. It just kind of moved to the front and tightened up the front and kind of the inside and groin. It will be fine. It's something I'm not worried about.

Q. When you look at your statistics, your ball-striking continues to get better even over the last week. How much does that feed into your confidence?

BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, I feel very comfortable with an iron in my hand. With a driver I feel very comfortable. I feel like I'm hitting it really solid. I just need to make a few more putts. It feels like the first few holes, it was like the putting green was a little bit faster than the golf course. So tried to adjust the speed and then ran one about eight feet by, and I missed the comebacker.

Just clean a few things up on the greens, and I'll be fine.

Q. You mentioned the golf course briefly. What do you think of it compared to the last two PGA Championships that you've won, Bellerive and Bethpage?

BROOKS KOEPKA: It's a lot like Bellerive, I think. It's tough. You know, this rough, you put it in there, you're going to be in trouble. You can't short-side yourself out here. These greens are too firm. There's a lot of wind so you've got to really be able to control your ball flight and it's kind of the same thing. But I mean, I really like this golf course, the way it sets up. I think it definitely separates the guys who are hitting it well and the guys who aren't.

Q. What's the best example of where the wind was more problematic today, and why do you think Harding has this history from Byron Nelson in the '40s to Gary Player in the '60s to Tiger and Rory this century of separating the top players? The top players usually win here. Why do you think that is?

BROOKS KOEPKA: It's just it's a great golf course. I think it's simple. You know, No. 8 today, where that pin is on the left, I think it's 225, and the wind is howling in off the left. You've really just got to understand where you need your ball to be sometimes to make par. You can't go at some of the flags. You've just got to settle for middle of the green and be disciplined. That's what I think separates a lot of times the great players from the guys who are just below.

Q. Couple things for you. When was the last time you needed treatment in the middle of a round like that?

BROOKS KOEPKA: Probably, I can't remember if it was 2014 or 2015 at Arnold Palmer. Just a rib came out, and that was the last time. But it's been a while.

It's usually tight but it's never -- never this tight, but it won't be an issue. I'm not really worried about it.

Q. And I think they showed three different times on TV where you were being worked on. When was the first time and how many times was it in total, and did it help at any point more than the other times?

BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, it was three times. I originally, where I really felt it was off 12 tee. It just like locked up, cramped, and I couldn't really do anything with it. That one, the first one was all right. It definitely relieved some issue I think.

I think the one going into 16, where he yanked on my foot, I don't know what Mark does, but it popped and it felt like it just kind of repositioned itself, and that's when it felt a lot better.

Q. Just going back about the course, what makes the back nine stretch of holes challenging, particularly this weekend if the course firms up and the wind picks up?

BROOKS KOEPKA: Well, I'll start down 10. I think 10 is such a narrow fairway. Those bunkers, usually you have the left side of the bunker out there on the right. They kind of end right where the fairway ends on the right side, but they are actually pushed inward where you get ten yards maybe less of fairway on the right-hand side, so that's difficult.

11 is difficult, depending on where they put the pin.

12, you've really got to shape it, and the landing area is blind. Makes it quite difficult. You've got to pick a good target off that tee.

Then 13, you've just got to really be able to shape the ball on the back side, and I think off the tee, if you can put it in the fairway, you can shoot a good number. But if you're in that rough on the back side, good luck.

Q. Cameron Champ said earlier today he believed Tony Finau was, quote, by far the longest player on Tour. If statistically the ten longest players went out to the range and absolutely unleashed, who do you think would be the longest player?

BROOKS KOEPKA: I have no idea. I mean, there's so many guys that have got a lot in the tank, and if they unloaded, I have no idea. I've watched DJ unload it a couple times and he's flown it 40 by me. Who knows, man. I don't know.

JOHN DEVER: Okay, we're going to wrap it right there, Brooks. Thanks for stopping in.