The PGA Championship is set up to be a thrilling tournament, with the likes of Brooks Koepka and Rory McIlroy finding form ahead of an event where World No.1, Scottie Scheffler, will still be favorite.
Coming into the second men's Major of 2024, Koepka is the defending champion and, following his win at LIV Golf Singapore, the five-time Major winner will be one to look our for. However, his run hasn't been plain sailing, with legendary coach, Pete Cowen, revealing all in an interview with Telegraph Sport.
At The Masters in April, Koepka finished in a tie for 45th and, following the poor result in an event he finished runner-up in 2023, Koepka gave a lengthy rant to Cowen, who has worked with the five-time Major winner for over 10 years.
Speaking about the moment, Cowen, who works with a number of stars, stated to Telegraph Sport: “I gave him one of my old-fashioned b******ings when he was moaning to me about his putting. I told him to stop whinging and to just get to work on the issue. Again, that’s the sort of thing that triggers him. I gave him a b******ing before he won his first Major (the US Open) seven years ago.
“He’s put in the hours and turned it around on the greens since then and with Valhalla being a big boys’ course, I can see him, at the very least, contending. If he wins, he’ll join (Sir Nick) Faldo and (Phil) Mickelson on six Majors and at his age that would be exciting. They’d probably still go on under-rating him, though.”
Koepka and Cowen during the 2023 PGA Championship
Arguably, Koepka has been the most prolific winner in the modern era, as the American has picked up five Major scalps since 2017. Certainly, when it comes to Majors, that is the aspect that keeps Koepka going as, previously, he has stated that double digit Major wins is well within his grasp.
“To me it’s all Majors, that’s what you’re defined by, right?" Koepka said of his future ambitions. "You look at most golfers, hey why is Tiger or Jack the best and it all comes down to Majors. That’s the pinnacle of our sport, I've got five of them now and I want to get to double figures. I want to win 10 or 12 - I think that’s realistic.
"I think if I win two more I get into the top 10 in Majors, out of all the people that have ever played golf. I'm like 'damn I'm that close'. And that’s what kind of keeps me going."
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