VALSPAR CHAMPIONSHIP

March 17, 2022

Brooks Koepka

Innisbrook Resort (Copperhead)

Quick Quotes

Q. How did it go? How does this course suit you?

BROOKS KOEPKA: It's a tougher golf course. I think it's one of those ones where you got to put it in the fairway. You got to be a good ball-striker around this place to play well. I think that's suiting me.

I drove it pretty well, struck it well, and hit a lot of good putts, just two of them caught a lot of the lip. I can't control that. That's just, I mean, what are you supposed to do?

I felt like I played pretty solid. It was very, very easy. No stress. Stress-free. Three more of those, I should be right there.

Q. How many between 5- and 7-iron, kind of that range, do you hit here compared with other courses you play?

BROOKS KOEPKA: Definitely more. Probably maybe three more than normal.

Q. Why is that? It just forces you off the tee?

BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah. I think there's some shots that kind of nothing. You look at 12. I mean, that's not a 7-iron, but it's 5-iron off the tee, 6-iron off the tee. I'm trying to think.

Q. 3?

BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah. 3. 5-iron off the tee. 2, you could almost hit 5-iron if it's downwind. I think we hit 3-iron today.

You definitely have a lot more. I know my stats are pretty good from 5-, 6-irons, so hopefully kind of plays into an advantage. I never thought of it that way. But, yeah, there's definitely a few more.

Q. Is this as gettable as this course is with the wind down and really soft?

BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, I think so. I would assume it's going to firm up. I would like to see it firm up. I don't get everything I want, so we'll see.

Q. (No Microphone.)

BROOKS KOEPKA: I don't care as long as I play good. You can play good and get hosed and get a, you know, pull a Paul Casey and hit it into a pitch mark and there's nothing you can do. You hit the center of the fairway, stuff like that. I'm playing well, so I'm just excited about that.

Q. Any good luck today?

BROOKS KOEPKA: No, I didn't think so. I thought the first five holes were actually pretty bad luck.

Q. Did you make any an adjustments heading into this weekend?

BROOKS KOEPKA: No. I'm playing good, so I'm very happy with where I'm at. I feel like I've been playing well for awhile, just some unfortunate stuff in L.A., and then THE PLAYERS, bad side of the draw. So it happens. And Honda was just kind of a ho-hum week for me.

Q. Is there anything you've learned about Augusta that you wish you knew early on that it's just inherent that it's going to take some time to figure out or that when you go back to maybe your first or second time you didn't know then what you know now?

^ Mark BROOKS KOEPKA: Probably just a little more comfortable on the areas to miss it. Some areas around the green seem like they might not be the best place to miss it, but they really are. I wouldn't say there's like adjustments, it's just more about understanding where to miss it. The more and more you play and the more and more you just don't want to be short sided out there.

Q. Have you gotten over sort of the awe of the whole thing, having been there now several times, or do you still feel that when you go there?

BROOKS KOEPKA: It's different. The majors are always different. I don't know, I always feel something different. It gets my blood flowing. I don't know, it's tough to explain. I feel different every major week, so it's kind of the same thing. I was actually thinking about it today it would be one of the first times in like five years I've been healthy. I think I missed it in 2017 or 2018, my wrist. 2019 I was healthy. 2020, my left knee. And then my right knee. And then it's like, all right, I'm just ready to be healthy to play it.

Q. Last year was almost as borderline, right, if you were going to go and in retrospect did you wish that you maybe hadn't?

BROOKS KOEPKA: I mean, I wasn't really supposed to play golf until October, so the fact that came back in April and played, I mean, I had in my mind I was going to win, so and it was going to be a cool story. But it's one of those things where nothing you can do. Physically limited. Looking back at last year, I definitely came back too soon, I should have waited.

Q. Are you a hundred percent now? Playing some of your best golf?

BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, I'm playing fine. So I'm fine with where I'm at.

Q. Going back to Augusta, do you think the course suits you and how many times did you play it before you realized that?

BROOKS KOEPKA: I think every major suits me. I like the pressure, I think that's more about it, more of what suits me than anything. I don't think there's really a golf course that really suits anybody. If you hit it long you can take out some of the bunkers. I don't see it being a fader's or a drawer's or I guess more of a drawer's golf course. If you fade the ball, most likely you're hitting 3-wood and it will draw.

13, prime example. You hit 3-wood there. I don't think it really suits anybody. Maybe, I could see where maybe a left hander it might suit a little bit better, just because you look at 12, you pull it you got a better chance.

Q. 16 can be that way.

BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, 16 a little bit there. Yeah. I don't know, you play good, you deserve to win.

Q. I guess, this is the only place you keep going back to, it's nice to build up good memories in terms of the years.

BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, it can work both ways, I guess, if you really are that mentally weak. You can work on the, you know, whatever. If I look back, at 12 I hit one in the water, but I was four back at the time, I mean, what am I going to do? Three back at the time, I think. Was that 2019? With Tiger? Yeah, I rinsed it and I made eagle on the next and then, you know, whatever, but everybody else kind of fell apart as well.