After starting with a messy double-bogey six, two-time PGA champion Brooks Koepka was able to "refocus" and make six birdies in a 69 that gave him a share of the early first-round lead in South Carolina
Friday 21 May 2021 01:29, UK
Brooks Koepka "felt like an idiot" after one hole of the PGA Championship. But 17 holes later, he was tied for the early lead after a three-under 69 at Kiawah Island.
Koepka went into the tournament admitting he was possibly six months away from regaining full fitness as he continues his recovery from the knee surgery he had less than a month before the Masters, where he had difficulty walking around Augusta National and missed the halfway cut.
His expectations for a third PGA title were tempered further when he blocked a three-wood off the 10th tee into a waste area and thinned an ambitious second into a mound covered in knee-high grass, leaving him with no option but to gouge back into the fairway.
The errors led to a double-bogey six to start his campaign, but he repaired the damage with two birdies in the next three holes and, after turning in 36, he picked up three shots in four holes on the front nine to earn a share of the early clubhouse lead.
"I felt like an idiot", he told Sky Sports Golf as he reflected on his poor opening hole. "Probably a poor club choice off 10. I thought three-wood would have carried, but it didn't. I also didn't find the face, it barely hit the face!
"The first rule is, if you're in trouble, get the hell out. I couldn't reach the green and it was a bad lie, so I didn't know where I was going. Just tried to hit a sand-wedge up by the green instead of just chopping it out.
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"So a mental mistake there, and I deserved every bit of that double bogey. But it kind of helped me refocus. I can't play with any mistakes, maybe one a day, and that was my one, and I got it out of the way on the first hole. Just had to be real careful and watch what I was doing."
And with only four sub-70 rounds among the early wave of starters, Koepka insisted he was relishing taking on the brutal test of the Ocean Course and felt good about his chances of staying in contention over the next 54 holes.
"I love it when it's difficult," he added. "I think that's why I do so well in the majors. I just know mentally I can grind it out. Like when it's windy like this, it's not so much putting, it's more about ball-striking, and I felt like I struck it really well today. I feel like that's why I've done really well.
"You've got to understand that sometimes that par is a good score. You've got to understand that 30, 35 feet is a great shot sometimes, and you've just got to accept it and move on."
Koepka's philosophy was echoed by defending champion Collin Morikawa, who also defied the tough conditions to open with a solid two-under 70 that gave him an excellent platform to mount a stout defence of his title.
Asked if he wanted the blustery conditions to continue, he said: "Absolutely. I hope it does because it makes you hit good shots, and the guys that are hitting quality drives, quality iron shots, are probably going to be hitting more greens. Pars are going to be a little easier, and you're not going to be as stressed through 36, 54 holes.
"I feel like where my game is at right now and how I'm hitting my irons, it feels really solid, or how I'm hitting my four-irons and five-woods. So, yeah, I hope it does stay windy because it really tests your ability to hit quality shots."
