The 31-year-old out of Florida State has eight wins on the PGA Tour, with three of the first four and four of the first six coming in major championships. Koepka has battled injuries the past couple of seasons and has managed just one victory since 2019, a win in the 2021 Waste Management Phoenix Open over a resurgent Jordan Spieth.
More recently, his feud with Bryson DeChambeau has overshadowed his golf game and even resulted in a televised, 12 hole match with the 2020 U.S. Open champions, which Koepka dominated in a truncated 4 & 3 victory. That performance followed up his contribution to the United States Ryder Cup team that enabled them to recapture the trophy at Whistling Straits on the shores of Lake Michigan in September.
Koepka can be as enigmatic as he is talented, eschewing popularity in favor of focusing on and winning big events, with six of his eight victories coming in major tournaments and limited field events that feature the top players in the world. We have some Christmas wishes for Koepka that, if granted, will bring him and PGA Tour fans more enjoyment.
Wishing Brooks Koepka a Respite from Injuries
Brooks Koepka is ranked 16th in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR), a position that would undoubtedly be much higher if he hadn’t suffered from a series of injuries over the past three seasons. As recently as August, he was forced to withdraw from the Tour Championship with a wrist injury, which was healed enough three weeks later that enabled him to compete in the Ryder Cup.
He has also had issues with his left knee that have periodically kept him out of action, with health a big factor in his inability to play a full season since he won his first major championship in the 2017 U.S. Open. We wish Koepka an injury-free season so he and the fans can get a glimpse of the player that was able to win three times in 2018-2019, including the fourth of his major wins in the PGA Championship.
Wishing Brooks Koepka can Lighten Up and Add to His Win Total
The public dispute between Koepka and DeChambeau resulting in the Match may have signaled a change in demeanor for the intense player who relies on having a chip on his shoulder for motivation purposes. However, it’s difficult to get behind him as a fan because his success certainly belies the notion that he is somehow a disrespected underdog.
Between getting healthy and playing a little looser, which we saw during the final round of the Waste Management where he picked up his second career win at the event, could result in freeing up his incredible all-around talent and enabling him to reel off some victories in more prestigious events like the Players and the Memorial.
So we wish that Brooks Koepka can get the chip off his shoulder and embrace the moment, enjoy the ride, have some fun, and rack up another two or three victories in 2022.
