Masters Mishap Key For Koepka's PGA Triumph - But He Won't Reveal Secret Formula
Brooks Koepka says he wouldn't have won his third PGA Championship without the secret formula he learned at the Masters
Brooks Koepka learned the secret to winning more Majors when he blew the lead at this year’s Masters – and he’s going to use that secret formula to add to his third PGA Championship title.
Koepka says he would not have claimed the 2023 PGA Championship had it not been for what he himself described as choking away his lead at the Masters – although he won’t reveal his secret.
The five-time Major champion says his victory at Oak Hill definitely wouldn’t have happened had it not been to what he learned at Augusta this year – when he led going into the final round but faded away behind Jon Rahm.
It’s thought that he went into that final round of the Masters with too much of a defensive mindset, determined to not lose the Green Jacket rather than to go out and win it, although Koepka is keeping his secret guarded.
And he certainly attacked from the start in the final round at Oak Hill, with three front-nine birdies in a row setting him off on his way to a commanding victory – where he looked very much like the Koepka that won his first four Majors in style.
“I just learned I knew what I did in Augusta. I spent the whole night thinking about it,” said Koepka after lifting the Wanamaker Trophy for a third time. “I knew what I did and I knew I was never going to come out and think that way again. Didn't do that.
“I definitely wouldn't have, I don't think, won today if that didn't happen; right?
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“Definitely take it and keep using it going forward for each event, each major, any time I'm in contention, but I'm not going to share. I can't give away all the secrets.”
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Koepka says that he felt in control of his emotions all day, despite Viktor Hovland snapping at his heels all the way until his bunker trouble at the 16th – and he admitted that after a few lean years this one was special.
“I felt in control all day. I felt - to be honest with you, probably the one that was settling - what's the par 5, making the birdie there, I felt like that was a good putt. The other ones were three, four feet. But I think making that 7-footer just helped build some momentum early.
“Yeah, this is probably the sweetest one of them all because all the hard work that went into this one, this one is definitely special. This one is probably it for me.”
Paul Higham is a sports journalist with over 20 years of experience in covering most major sporting events for both Sky Sports and BBC Sport. He is currently freelance and covers the golf majors on the BBC Sport website. Highlights over the years include covering that epic Monday finish in the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor and watching Rory McIlroy produce one of the most dominant Major wins at the 2011 US Open at Congressional. He also writes betting previews and still feels strangely proud of backing Danny Willett when he won the Masters in 2016 - Willett also praised his putting stroke during a media event before the Open at Hoylake. Favourite interviews he's conducted have been with McIlroy, Paul McGinley, Thomas Bjorn, Rickie Fowler and the enigma that is Victor Dubuisson. A big fan of watching any golf from any tour, sadly he spends more time writing about golf than playing these days with two young children, and as a big fair weather golfer claims playing in shorts is worth at least five shots. Being from Liverpool he loves the likes of Hoylake, Birkdale and the stretch of tracks along England's Golf Coast, but would say his favourite courses played are Kingsbarns and Portrush.
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