LIV GOLF ORLANDO

April 2, 2023

Brooks Koepka

Orange County National

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Welcome our champion, Brooks Koepka, captain of Smash GC. Brooks, what an awesome week you've had heading into Augusta. Tell me what you're feeling right now. What are your emotions?

BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, I feel really good. I've been playing good for a few weeks, it just hasn't really shown on the scorecard, making dumb mistakes, and it was nice to come out this week and play mistake free pretty much. That's kind of what I do leading up to majors just in general.

I'm very happy to get the win. Unfortunately we didn't get the team win, which kind of is a little bittersweet, but look, I'm happy the way I'm playing going into Augusta.

Q. It was a little bit of a battle between you and Seb today. Were you watching a leaderboard?

BROOKS KOEPKA: I'm a leaderboard watcher. I know where I'm at at all times. I knew it was back and forth between Torque and us and then Sebastian, I knew where he was the entire time. It helps playing with him, obviously. He battled really hard. The chip-in on 16 was pretty impressive, and then probably one of the most underrated shots all day was the up-and-down he made on 17.

The fact he just wouldn't go away was props to him because that's just competing right there.

Q. Really seemed like everyone was really pulling for you today, both on social media and in person here. Did you feel that out there, that the fans were really rooting for you?

BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, obviously right. You've got a little bit of Florida State connection. There was a lot of Florida State people here. I heard that quite a bit. Obviously always hear a lot of Blakes, so that's always good. Love that.

Then on top of that, this is Ricky's hometown, my caddie's hometown. I've spent a lot of time here with him. But it's good. I'm glad we were able to squeak out a victory in his hometown. That feels good. This one is for him.

Q. You mentioned this on the podium a little bit, but how does this win compare emotionally to Jeddah?

BROOKS KOEPKA: Way different. Jeddah, all I could think about was all those times just having to bite a towel and deal with the pain and try to bend my leg and the frustration, the anger, those downtimes that no one ever sees.

I mean, three weeks after surgery I was playing Augusta.

I mean, when I had the surgery Dr. El Attrache told me it's going to be a year and a half. I just was refusing like anybody else to listen.

Then you get into bad habits. That's the whole other thing because I can't move the way I want to, so then I start doing stupid stuff, and once you get through the injury and get healthy, trying to break those is tough enough, so that sets you back even further. That's why I felt like it was just so long.

But I'm moving the way I want to, and yeah, this just feels good because I know that when I play good, then I'm going to be right there, and that's what I feel like I'm doing.

I don't think I had everything this week, but I was making the right decisions. Mentally I've just been maybe a little too aggressive, not missing on the correct side of the hole, and I was just more disciplined this week, which is what you need going into a major.

Q. How close are you to the form that you had between '17 and '19?

BROOKS KOEPKA: You know, it's tough to tell just because it's not -- I've only got maybe, what, four events kind of under my belt of truly being healthy. But this is a great start. I like where I'm at. I feel great. I've got no doubt in my mind that I can do it again, and I think this just solidifies it, so there's even more confidence there.

Q. Is it just in time to get your game together for next week?

BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, next week is a big week. I would say so. I'm playing good, and there's really no better way to go into Augusta than playing good and get a win.

I'm very confident. Like where the game is at. Just need to go out and try to rest up for three days, do my usual play nine holes every day and do the homework around these greens, just get a little more adjusted with Augusta.

It was nice to see these greens speed up this week. There was definitely some dicey spots, which made the pin locations -- kind of from four feet you had some downhill sliders that were outside the hole by a good bit, which kind of resembled Augusta a little bit.

Q. Going into next week, you had mentioned you've only been really healthy for four events. The last time you were at Augusta you were pretty banged up. What is the anticipation going to Augusta where you're 100 percent and you're playing lights out, you're coming off a win? You've got to feel good going down Magnolia Lane.

BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, I do. I do feel really good. The last time I really felt good was -- because I had my left knee right before my right, so maybe '19 when I lost to Tiger by one. That was probably the last time I've been healthy playing Augusta.

To be honest with you, I think I missed it the year P-Reed won and I think I missed it one other time. I haven't been the healthiest playing Augusta.

Yeah, so I feel good. I'm just excited to get there, honestly. I'm ready to catch this plane and go up there.

Q. Can you go back to the 18th hole where you had a good four-footer left? What's going through your mind? Were you aware of the options if you missed that, like the money, the possible playoff? What were you thinking?

BROOKS KOEPKA: No, I don't think about the money. I noticed if I missed it I would have been tied for second with Dustin's team, so that was motivation to make it along with winning the golf tournament. A little, I guess, maybe added pressure on that just because I didn't want to tie for second with Dustin's team.

But look, I'm glad I made it.

Q. So much of golf is repetition, routine, going through your patterns and everything. Because the LIV Tour is quite different in its approach, are you going to prepare or feel that anything needs to be worked on going to Augusta, readapting to the life you had before?

BROOKS KOEPKA: I mean, it's just one week. I mean, the only thing I can really say is maybe -- that's kind of why I played Saudi and Oman. I just felt like three events wasn't enough going into Augusta, so playing those two events for four days, as well, just getting more acclimated to playing golf. Five months off is a long time. I've done it a lot over the last four or five years with injuries, and it takes a minute to get comfortable again and playing after that long of a period off.

Look, I'm happy. I'm playing good. I'm just going to keep doing what I've been doing my entire career.

Q. Are there any concerns at all because the fans are all going to be polite, but is there any concern that maybe you don't have that same vibe from the fans just because the people who may not embrace LIV? Is that a factor at all or can you put anything like that out --

BROOKS KOEPKA: I'm going to be honest with you, when I play, I'm in my own bubble. Yeah, I hear some things -- I heard somebody chirp me all the way down 18. He actually came up with a good chirp, so I was impressed with that. I hear some things, but it doesn't matter. I'm not interested in what anybody is saying on the sidelines. They can't affect me. I've got more will to try and win and play my best than what anybody else is going to say or do.

Q. Obviously a win is a win, but it was kind of mentioned yesterday, you won now for the first time in about 10 years in your home state. Is there any added significance to that?

BROOKS KOEPKA: Like I said, it's just Ricky's hometown, Orlando. Usually when I was playing the PGA Tour, I couldn't find my game until pretty much The Players. That was kind of the first time where it was like, all right, just some off time, a little rust, shake it off. But yeah, I don't think -- I didn't play too much of the Florida Swing really. Just when I was playing the PGA Tour it was Honda and pretty much Players, so that was it. Didn't really have many chances in the home state.

Q. Was there much discussion with week with Ricky about trying to win in his hometown?

BROOKS KOEPKA: No, there wasn't. I think there was more discussion coming from Pete Cowan. I think Pete Cowan was going to rip me a new one if I didn't win this week. I know he had a long speech ready for me. I think Ricky read it and Ricky said it wasn't good. I'm glad he doesn't have to read it now.

Q. Obviously you're the first two-time winner at LIV, and everybody here knows how much the win in Jeddah meant to you. We all know that injuries -- it meant a lot personally to you, but I want to talk about this win. You're healthy now; is it safe to say Brooks Koepka is back because when he's back it's scary for everybody, especially during major season. How are you feeling going into Augusta? Do you feel like you did three, four years ago?

BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, I feel like I'm getting there. You know, it's tough, right; that was some of the best golf I've ever played. Yeah, I do feel like I'm creeping up on that. There's not much of a difference. I'm controlling the ball the way I want to, moving it left to right, right to left, and I'm putting good again. I've worked hard with Jeff Pierce over the last few months on that, getting a little more comfortable going back, watching video, just how things were in '18 and '19, and I've got no doubt that I'll return to that form. I just don't know whether it's going to be right now in two months, whatever it's going to be, but I'm damn near knocking on the door, if not here.

Q. I know Greg Norman had mentioned today to a news outlet in Australia that if one of the 18 guys wins in Augusta, the other 17, he'll make sure that they are there on the green congratulating the LIV winner. Do you think that you guys are fighting for something more than yourself at Augusta? Obviously it's probably one of the -- if not the most highly anticipated Masters of all time, you and the LIV guys, are you going to feed off each other? Are you hungrier? This is really the first time we've seen PGA and LIV guys in a tournament together, not only just a regular tournament but it's a major.

BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, it'll be great just to see all the good players back, back in one field again, right? It's the first time we've seen it in a long time. That'll be exciting.

I'm looking forward to it, just to see everybody and compete against them, because at the end of the day, I'll be honest, I do miss playing against Rory, I do miss playing against Scottie, and I'm sure they miss playing against us, as well. That's a fact; you always want to play against the best. That's going to make Augusta even more special.

But yeah, I think if one of the LIV players does win, I think it'll be definitely a huge statement for LIV, and I know that all, what is it, 17 guys --

Q. 18.

BROOKS KOEPKA: All 18 of us want to win. I think when you look at it, if one of the guys does, I would be shocked if all of us aren't there.