PGA Championship: With his third PGA Championship triumph, Brooks Koepka returned to the major winner’s circle, but where does he now stand among the game’s all-time greats?
With his two-shot victory against Scottie Scheffler and Viktor Hovland at Oak Hill, Koepka became the 20th man in history to win five major championships. He also joined Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as the only three-time Wanamaker Trophy winners during the stroke-play era.
With this latest triumph, Koepka has completed a spectacular recovery after dominating the majors in 2018 and 2019, only to have his career derailed by injuries prior to switching to the LIV circuit.
According to former major winner Rich Beem of Sky Sports, “I look at the reason why he went to LIV as his confidence being shaken.”
He may never perform at his peak level again, so he may as well sign this contract to ensure his financial security. The most important things in my life, aside from my family, are tournaments and big titles, assuming I manage to return to winning them.
“I hate to use the word “panic button,” but I believe he worried that the strain of attempting to play in 20–25 events year would be too much for his body to bear. The LIV tour is just three days a week and is much more laid back, and I believe that it has ultimately been quite beneficial for him.”
I Got 5 on It 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 pic.twitter.com/IqAI0jx7yk
— Brooks Koepka (@BKoepka) May 22, 2023
Although Koepka has won twice in the LIV since joining last summer and threatened a major victory at The Masters before his victory at the PGA Championship, he has previously acknowledged having concerns about his golfing future.
“The process of what he had to do to get back in the game and get back to his absolute best is impressive,” Beem continued. “I believe that when you sustain an injury like he did and are unable to perform at your peak, it consumes you and your game begins to suffer.
“You feel as though you’ve struck the panic button a little bit and are unsure of your ability to return to your previous position. He wasn’t sure whether he would ever get it back, as we can see in the Netflix original series Full Swing, I believe. Then, all of a sudden, little events begin to occur.”
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