PIF SAUDI INTERNATIONAL POWERED BY SOFTBANK INVESTMENT ADVISERS

January 31, 2023

Brooks Koepka

Royal Greens Golf and Country Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: How has the time off between tournaments been for you?

BROOKS KOEPKA: It's been nice to do things I haven't done in a long time, just enjoy the house, just enjoyed hanging out at home. It's been great. Good off season. I feel good.

I started playing maybe about two weeks ago, and just came back into rhythm, and obviously it's nice to be back here, nice memories here, so hopefully a good week.

Q. Does it feel different, the approach to the season? How do you feel mentally, physically?

BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, I mean, it's been a while since I've felt like I've felt this good. Been about four years. Just excited to play, play healthy. Feel like I can play to my potential again, which is exciting.

Q. How have you been striking it and playing?

BROOKS KOEPKA: I feel like it's been pretty good. Came down with my caddie, and we came down, had a good little practice session last week, and I really enjoyed it. It was a lot of fun. Some good stuff came out of it. Obviously it's a little different when you've got a scorecard in your hand versus practicing, so it'll be a good test this week just to kick it off and see where we're at.

Q. How do you set your goals for 2023?

BROOKS KOEPKA: Obviously just win as many times as you can. That's the goal. But yeah, I've got some that I've kind of just mentally ticked off, winning multiple times and winning a major. I think that's always a goal going into every season, which is little things along the way. Just kind of make sure you're reaching those goals.

Q. Will you expect a fast start after having a bit of time off?

BROOKS KOEPKA: I mean, technically just kind of how things have gone on the last nine, ten years in professional golf, I usually get off to a pretty slow start. You know, that's part of the reason why you keep playing. Like I said, put a scorecard in your hand, play a few events, get some rounds under your belt before Augusta.

Q. Looking to the overall 2023 season, what excites you most about how you've planned your season?

BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, there's a lot of things. The whole team side I think is fun, some changes there. I guess knowing exactly what's going on for the whole year is exciting and something I'm looking forward to, some familiar spots and some new ones, and I think that's the plan.

Q. Any change in perspective? Obviously a different lifestyle; you're now a married man. Is this a good way to look at 2023?

BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, exactly. It was good. I think just having this break was important. It was fun to get to hang out with my wife for three months. I think she was excited for me to get out of the house. It's been good. It's been fun. Just keep hanging at home, doing stuff. It's simple, we're never really home. We're always on the road. Built a nice house a couple years ago, so it's just nice to be able to enjoy it.

Q. How important was that win at this (indiscernible)?

BROOKS KOEPKA: It was massive, I thought. The last few years haven't gone as planned, just injuries and a few things like that. But started to -- I could see it in Thailand. I could see that I was knocking on the door, and I just wanted one more, whether it be Thailand, here or Miami. I thought that was good just to vibe off a win, just some confidence. It had been a while since I'd won.

But just get back to what I was doing in Philadelphia now, so everything is good.

Q. You mentioned about spending time with your wife. Yesterday was Chase's birthday, as well. The family aspect of it, was that one of the main reasons why you decided to do what you did?

BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, I mean, yesterday was probably the shortest birthday he's ever had coming this direction. Yeah, it was fun to get to spend his birthday with him, right? Usually he's traveling, I'm traveling, doing different things, but to get to spend time with him has been good for me. We've become closer, which I love. It's been fantastic. That whole family atmosphere that we've kind of created is really, really special.

I think he's enjoyed it, as well. He's learned a lot. If I'm around doing marketing, doing his thing, we never really get to team it up; we don't get to play practice rounds. We don't get to even practice at home together half the time whenever we're at home at the same time. Now we're able to do it, and it's been special for me just to see him -- I've seen him grow so much in the last six months, as a golfer, as a person. It's special to see, so I'm proud of him.

Q. I also wanted to ask you, you seem to have bulked up since the last time we saw you. Is that a conscious thing that you've tried to do? Also, your swing, just the short video that you posted, have you tried to work things around the injury?

BROOKS KOEPKA: I'm good. (Indiscernible) hit the shot that was put on (indiscernible) into the wind blowing around 20 miles an hour. Yeah, I'm not normally swinging into the wind.

Q. You had just that one short (indiscernible).

BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, I feel good. I'm healthy with everything now, so like I said, I hope to spend a little more time. Worked pretty hard at the club the last few weeks and the end of last season, so I feel like everything is right where it needs to be.

Q. Did you bulk up for any reasons or just the holiday --

BROOKS KOEPKA: I took a month off at the holidays and I was 220, and I'm like 215 now, so I lost weight. But thanks for noticing.

Q. You've always been one that's sort of looking forward to (indiscernible).

BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, I think I'd say the first maybe month, month and a half I was just enjoying being home, then it's great, okay, now I've got to play, so you're kind of itching to get going. I guess the buildup of playing is something -- I'm not used to that. It's different. You're sitting on the couch, you're hanging at home. I've never had the opportunity to do it, which it's a lot of fun, but at the same time, it's like, okay, I've never been able to do this. I don't really know what I'm doing.

I was definitely itching to get out and play.

Q. Traditionally are you sort of a fast starter when you get into a new season or does it take you --

BROOKS KOEPKA: No, it takes me -- I'm usually by March I feel like I'm just starting to get my feet under me, get going. I don't know why, but that's just how it goes for me.

I think I feel like I need a few rounds under my belt just to assess where I'm at, kind of build a rhythm from there. I think that's why I've played so well consistently from about May until end of July. It's just kind of the buildup, the ramp-up of it after a slow start, I guess.

Q. You mentioned coming here and playing. What do you think about this event, coming to Saudi, the field?

BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, I would say they have very good fields here. I was here four months ago, five months ago and won. I enjoy it. It's a good golf course. It's tough. I know the times I've been here in February before, it's blown a lot, more than it was in October when we were here. A little different wind, plays a little different, little bit cooler, which is nice, because it was hot last time in October.

Yeah, I enjoy this golf course. It's fun. I know Dustin has got a pretty good record around here, so I feel like if you can beat him this week, you're doing all right.

Q. We can't let you go without talking about the majors. How are you looking at that? Obviously Augusta National is always the Masters, but the other three courses, what do you think about them, and have you played them in the past how have you done, LA Country Club, Royal Liverpool and obviously Oak Hill?

BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, I haven't really -- I don't think too much about it. Augusta U.S. Open is in LA, I believe, and from there I don't really -- where did you say it was?

Q. Oak Hill for the PGA and Royal Liverpool for the Open.

BROOKS KOEPKA: I've played them both. It changes so much from year to year, right? Whatever game plan you think you're going to go in with, it's different weather, it's raining, windy. You can't sit here in February and try to predict what's going to happen months from now.

Like I said, just try to get my game in the best shape possible before Augusta or whatever we end up going to, and I feel like as long as my game is where it should be, ball-striking, putting, chipping, making sure -- that's why you play. That's why I'm playing this week and next week, trying to make sure whatever little mistakes I'm making this week, next week, doesn't creep into Augusta. You want to fix those as quickly as possible.

Q. You mentioned the benefit of playing this tournament, spending time with the family. Is it very beneficial to have less tournaments for your body to recover?

BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, for me it was. The last -- 2019 through last year, just all the nagging little stuff that I could never spend as much time as I needed to to get ready. You can only do so much at home, and then you're traveling. Things get tweaked over the course of the year.

But like I said, having that much time at home was great. Took a month off, didn't go to the gym, didn't do anything, just enjoyed life, and then got back into it. Just got back in the gym, making sure everything is the way it should be. I'm looking to put all that stuff behind me and not even talk about it anymore. That's how I feel. I just want to get back to playing normal golf or the golf I feel like I'm capable of and that I've done the past when I've been healthy.