Brooks Koepka is done with couch life, targets majors

Brooks Koepka says he’s pretty much done lounging about his house and is ready to get out and play the kind of golf he’s known for. 

Koepka, 32, joined LIV Golf last June with a signing on fee believed to be in the $100m region. No longer an ‘active’ player on the PGA Tour website, Koepka told reporters this week that he took some much-needed time off towards the end of last year to spend with his wife, Jenna, who he married June last year. 

The couple built a house two years ago but hadn’t spend much time in it. That all changed towards the end of 2022. 

“I think just having this break was important,” said Koepka, who appears to have bulked up in his down-time, despite saying he’s five pounds lighter since he took time off.  

“It was fun to get to hang out with my wife for three months (but) I think she was excited for me to get out of the house. It’s been good. It’s been fun. Just keep hanging at home, doing stuff.”

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The four-time major champion, though, added that he’s done with family time and is desperate to get out and play competitive golf once again. He’s playing at this week’s PIF Saudi International on the Asian Tour and will kick-off his LIV Golf season at Mayakoba in late February. LIV Golf recently announced its full schedule for 2023. 

“First maybe month, month and a half, I was just enjoying being home, then it’s great… ‘Okay, now I’ve got to play’. You’re kind of itching to get going. I guess the build-up of playing is something I’m not used to. It’s different. You’re sitting on the couch, you’re hanging at home. I’ve never had the opportunity to do it, which it’s a lot of fun, but at the same time, it’s like, ‘Okay, I’ve never been able to do this. I don’t really know what I’m doing’.” 

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The four-time major champ has eyes on “winning multiple times and winning a major”. In typical Koepka fashion, he talked about looking forward to Augusta and the US Open in LA, but was unaware where the PGA and the Open were being staged this summer. “From there I don’t know, really…” he said. 

When told he would be heading to Oak Hill for the PGA and Royal Liverpool for the Open, he said he’d played both but wasn’t thinking about game plans yet. 

“Like I said, just try to get my game in the best shape possible before Augusta or whatever we end up going to, and I feel like as long as my game is where it should be, ball-striking, putting, chipping, making sure… that’s why you play,” he said. “That’s why I’m playing this week and next week, trying to make sure whatever little mistakes I’m making this week, next week, doesn’t creep into Augusta. You want to fix those as quickly as possible.” 

Koepka has been burdened by injuries in the last few years. In 2019, he had tendon problems in his left knee, while the following year he hurt his left hip. In 2021 he then dislocated his knee cap and had yet more tendon issues. At one point he told his coaching team he thought his career might be in danger. Now, he’s looking forward to some normality. 

“I just want to get back to playing normal golf or the golf I feel like I’m capable of and that I’ve done the past when I’ve been healthy.”