Brooks Koepka ‘scolded’ by coach ahead of US Open

Brooks Koepka says he was ‘scolded’ by coach Pete Cowen ahead of this week’s US Open at Oakmont.

The twice past champion and five-time major winner carded a two-under par opener on Thursday after an uncharacteristically poor start to the season.

Koepka, 35, missed the cut at the Masters and the PGA Championship, the first time he’s done so in consecutive majors.

But the hairdryer treatment from Cowen seems to have done the trick.

“I feel good,” Koepka said. “It’s nice to put a good round together. It’s been a while. I’ve been working hard, just got into some bad habits and bad swing positions.

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“We worked pretty hard last week, Pete Cowen and Jeff Pierce were on me pretty good, and Pete got into me again on Monday, in the bunker for about 45 minutes.

“I just sat there, and he scolded me pretty well.

“Yeah, it’s just a matter of executing the feels versus perception for where I’ve been, I think. It’s been so far off, it’s on opposite sides, but now it’s starting to click.

“Unfortunately, we’re about halfway through the season, so that’s not ideal, but we’re learning.”

On LIV, meanwhile, Koepka hasn’t been in contention since a second-place finish in Singapore in March.

The American finished T33 at LIV Golf Virginia last week, where he spent all of Tuesday and Wednesday on the range with Cowen.

Koepka didn’t detail exactly what the Englishman said to him, however, it had Justin Thomas concerned.

“I’ll put it this way: JT thought he had to come check on me in the bunker,” he said. “We were in there for about 45 minutes, and he was on the other side of the green.

“I saw him Monday night. We were at a Rolex function. He was like, ‘I was worried; your head was down’.

“Yeah, Pete, I’ll keep that between us. I wasn’t happy with it, but it was something I think you need to hear, or I needed to hear at the right time. It’s not the first time he’s done it.”

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It’s been a frustrating period for Koepka, stretching back to the Masters in April.

That result was his worst at Augusta National since 2022 and the first time he’d been sent home early in a major since the 2022 Open.

In fact, Koepka admitted he had to apologise to members of his time for a significant mood slump.

“I would say from the first weekend in April until about last week, you didn’t want to be around me,” Koepka added.

“It drove me nuts. It ate at me. I haven’t been happy. It’s been very irritating. It’s a lot, I mean, I had to apologise, I’ve apologised to Rick, Pete, Jeff, Blake, my wife, my son, everybody.

“I wouldn’t have wanted to be around me.”

Koepka will start Friday’s second round two shots behind early pace-setter JJ Spaun.

The one-time PGA Tour winner, who lost in a play-off to Rory McIlroy at the Players Championship in March, made US Open history on day one.

Spaun made the turn at four-under-par, the lowest front nine score at Oakmont in the showpiece event.

John Turnbull A graduate of the University of Stirling, John joined the bunkered team in 2023 as a Content Producer, with a responsibility for covering all breaking news, tour news, grassroots content and much more besides. A keen golfer, he plays the majority of his golf at Falkirk Tryst Golf Club. Top of his 'bucket list' is a round of Pebble Beach... ideally in the company of Gareth Bale.