By Frank Pingue
AUGUSTA, Georgia (Reuters) – Brooks Koepka once had a reputation as a major-winning machine until injuries halted his momentum and stymied his confidence but he appears to have his motor purring again after another solid outing at the Masters on Friday.
Overnight co-leader Koepka, who won four majors in eight starts at one point, was in cruise control throughout his second round as he fired a flawless five-under-par 67 in ideal early conditions to reach 12 under on the week at Augusta National.
It was the latest encouraging sign for LIV Golf’s Koepka, who admitted on Friday that after missing a second consecutive Masters cut last year he was so frustrated he tried to put his fist through the window of the car he was using that week.
“I tried to put it through the back window, not once but twice. First time didn’t go, so figured try it again,” said Koepka. “It was a lot of frustration last year. Super annoying.
“But like I said I’ve come a long way since then. A lot of it, it’s pretty much all health-related.”
Now Koepka, who also missed the 2021 Masters cut when he played three weeks after ligament surgery on his right knee, enters the weekend looking to restore his identity as major-championship specialist.
It is a stunning turnaround for Koepka, who once considered quitting golf as he went through rigorous rehab for a myriad of injuries, including a torn patella tendon in his left knee and a labrum injury in his left hip.
Koepka, who came to Augusta National fresh off a win at last week’s LIV Golf event in Orlando, turned a corner in regards to strength and mobility in January and finally feels close to the way he felt when he won the fourth major of his dominant stretch in 2019.
“I mean, I’ve got a completely different knee, so the normal is a little bit different. But swing-wise, it still feels the same,” said Koepka.
“I’m able to do everything I need to. And the confidence is there. The confidence was lost just because of my knee and that was it.”
Koepka also admitted that his decision to join LIV Golf would have been tougher if he was in full health and playing as well as he currently is but added that he was “happy with the decision” he made.
Koepka, who began the day in a three-way share of the lead with late starters Jon Rahm and Viktor Hovland, missed just one fairway and took advantage of the par-fives as he covered the four super-sized holes at Augusta National in five-under.
Koepka started to pull away when he coolly got up and down from a greenside bunker at the 575-yard par-five second for birdie and struck again at the eighth where he steered a 13-foot eagle putt into the heart of the cup.
The 32-year-old American did not take his foot off the gas on the second nine, where he birdied from four feet at the par-five 13th, and added a tap-in birdie at the 550-yard 15th after his eagle putt stopped one foot short.
“It was really solid. Didn’t really do too much wrong,” said Koepka.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Augusta, Georgia, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
