'I Don't Think I Could Have Won The PGA Without Blowing The Masters' - Brooks Koepka Believes Augusta 'Choke' Can Fuel Quest For Double-Digit Majors

Brooks Koepka already has five Major championships to his name, but the Florida-born pro believes he can finish his career with at least 10.

The 34-year-old claimed his first Major in 2017 at the US Open before defending that title the following year, ultimately going on to secure a maiden PGA Championship a matter of weeks later. A successful defence of the PGA Championship followed in 2019 prior to his fifth huge triumph arriving in 2023.

But the journey to reaching that most recent Major had been a long and bumpy one for Koepka, featuring several near-misses and a sense of loss at what to do next once he had reached World No.1 for the first time in 2018.

Speaking to new LIV ambassador, Rick Shiels during a match for the latter's YouTube channel, Koepka revealed that he struggled to find new goals once he reached number one in the world before eventually realizing that he wanted to become just the fourth man ever to reach 10 Majors behind Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Walter Hagen.

The five-time Major champion stated he felt he had already let a few slip through his fingers, the biggest of which was the 2023 Masters.

Rick Shiels Vs Jon Rahm & Brooks Koepka - YouTube

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Koepka said: "That's something, I think, that is very attainable. I've said it a few times, I should have eight, realistically, right now.

"I handed Phil [Mickelson] one on a silver platter, I really think in '19 I blew Augusta to Tiger [Woods], and I gave one to Jon [Rahm]. I mean Jon played phenomenally two years ago. That was an interesting one."

Heading into the final round at Augusta National, the 34-year-old held a two-stroke advantage over Rahm and was in the perfect position to tick off his third different Major, having won two PGA Championships and two US Opens at the time.

However, Koepka ended up shooting 75 on Sunday as the Spaniard roared past to claim his own maiden Green Jacket.

In the aftermath of the tournament, Koepka insisted that he "choked victory away" during the final round and claimed he knew why he lost - declining to publicly share the reason until now. Speaking to Shiels, the Floridian finally revealed exactly what happened in his mind which caused the opportunity to slip by.

Koepka shared: "I mean I can say it now. You're the first person I've said it to, I got so focused on... I wanted it so bad, that was the problem. I couldn't take my own advice.

"It's easy to say it, right? But in the moment when you're doing it you're like 'I want to win Augusta, I've always wanted to do this' and you've got the opportunity - it's right there in front of you. All you've got to do is finish 18 more holes.

"And I got so far ahead. And when you get so far ahead you lose what's going on and it just became a disaster and a snowball effect and you're just going down and down."

Koepka went on to reveal that, once he was back home later that night, he stayed up with his best friend until the early hours of the morning talking through every shot and discussing what he was thinking in the moment.

The immediate therapy of sorts obviously had the desired effect as Koepka - who currently has 21 professional victories in total - responded to win the subsequent PGA Championship at Oak Hill.

He said: “To go back out and win the PGA Championship in the next [Major] - that was probably the coolest thing in my career. Because it meant so much because I had just blown [The Masters].

"We figured out what the problem was and then to actually put it into action was a huge thing. I mean, going forward, it’s going to help me years down the road now.

"I've got quite a few seconds - I think I've got four of them. I would say to everybody, everybody looks at it as failure. I don't look at it as failure. If you learn something, it's a success.

"I don't think I could have won the PGA without blowing The Masters to Jon. Because if I limp down to the finish line and win by one, I didn't really learn anything. I didn't learn that 'hey, I wanted this so bad and I can't think about that, just go out and go play.' It wouldn't have happened, I don't think, I really don't.

"I'm happy that I was able to win the next one, but it's learning. Every time I go to Augusta now, it's like... I'm not saying you downplay it, but it's like every other tournament, you go in there, you add the scorecard up and when you're done, you figure out where you're at and there's nothing you can do."