KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. — There was a time, not too long ago, when Brooks Koepka would have been the most feared competitor entering a major like this week’s PGA Championship.
That was before the Jupiter resident’s body failed him. Before the freak injuries and the persistent pain in his knees and neck – not to mention nagging injuries to his ankle, wrist and hip – derailed a career that’s on a Hall of Fame track. Before surgeries and stem-cell injections became as much a part of his routine as weight training and hitting the range.
Koepka’s last major championship – which capped a remarkable run of four majors in 23 months – came two years ago Wednesday. That’s not a long time, but to Koepka, it’s been a lifetime.
“Every day has been a long day,” he said Wednesday.
One thing about Koepka is his unquenchable thirst for winning, his dedication to put in the work and his ability to focus on what’s ahead and to not look back. That has been proven through this painful two-year stretch. Koepka, 31, missed his fifth cut of the season last week at the Byron Nelson and his 10th in the last 10 months, as many as he had missed the previous four years.
But each event recently has been a step forward, even if he’s not close to 100 percent. That has been the case since his latest freak injury, a slip in March that dislocated his right kneecap and damaged his ligament.
He has made two starts since, missing the cut at the Masters 19 days after surgery and again last week at the Byron Nelson.
Still, he’s upbeat and although not among the favorites this week, expects to continue that trajectory on the Ocean Course.
“I feel like I can hit every shot,” Koepka said. “It’s not like Augusta where I’m trying to figure out what’s the best line to walk instead of figuring out … how I can actually hit golf shots and understand what’s going on.”
The goal last week in Texas was to walk the course without pain. That was accomplished. And although Koepka said he still cannot run or squat into a catcher’s position when reading putts, he slowly feels his swing coming back with every club and on every kind of lie.
“When I came back, when I started hitting balls, I found that all the way through about 7-iron I was fine, and then anything above 7-iron occasionally I just go to push off my right leg and there was just nothing there,” he said.
“Happened a couple times last week, but it’s only with driver and it’s getting less and less every day I play on it. Now it seems that driver is the only club where it might do it. And instead of being one out of every 10 times, now it’s like one out of every 20.”
Koepka appeared fully recovered early this year when he won the Phoenix Open in February and three weeks later tied for second at the WGC-Workday Championship. He spoke in Phoenix about the persistent pain and having fallen into a “dark place” during his lowest points.
Having to start over again following the slip in March tested that ability not to dwell on the past.
“I’m not really looking at why things happened,” he said. “Not looking at getting down on myself. It’s one of those things where you’ve just got to move on and try to make the next day better than the day before.
“I’ve done a good job at it.”
Golf is much better with a brash Brooks Koepka hunting down his opponents. Koepka’s early success was built on that confidence – especially in majors – with a chip the size of the Wannamaker Trophy on his shoulder, of which Koepka has two to go along with two U.S. Open silver beauties.
Koepka gave the most Koepka-like answer when asked about his timeline to getting back to 100 percent after saying the doctor believes it’s six months.
“Ahead of that,” he said.
“If I beat that, I’m doing something good. I mean, I can play. I can deal with the pain. That’s not an issue. It’s just a matter of being able to hit shots that I want to hit and do things I want to do, and I’m starting to be able to do that. Even though I’m not 100 percent, I can still hit the shots.”
Beating that timeline this week may be a bit too ambitious, or maybe not for someone like Koepka. Typically, among the favorites – if not the favorite – for any major since beginning his run with the 2017 U.S. Open, Koepka is not among the top 10 this week, his odds at 33-1.
The Ocean Course certainly presents challenges with its length and wind. But for Koepka, he likes the way itlays out for him.
“I like this golf course, think it sets up really well for me, and I’m excited,” he said.
“I still have days where it sucks, when my knee just doesn’t feel good waking up and it’s not going to feel good all day, but those are getting less and less.”
Tom D’Angelo is a columnist for the Palm Beach Post, part of the USA Today network. Follow him on Twitter: @tomdangelo44