PORTRUSH,෴ Northern Ireland — Brooks Koepka has been the most sought-after player at this British Open. Not by the fans. Not by the media. But by🦹 his fellow players.
If you consider Koepka the favorite to win his first Claret Jug this week at Portrush, beginning with Thursday’s opening round, you wouldn’t be stepping out on a limb considering the results of his last four major championships: a win at the 2018 PGA Championship, a tie for second at the Masters 🌺in April, a win a🐼t the PGA in May at Bethpage and a second at the U.S. Open last month at Pebble Beach.
Add to t▨hat remarkable prowess in major championships, of which Koepka has won four of the last nine he’s played, the fact his caddie, Ricky Elliott, is a native of Portrush and grew up playing the golf course on which Koepka will be trying to win his fifth career major.
Maybe we should just give Koepka a 2-under head start on the week and let him march to yet another major𒀰 champ꧋ionship victory. Because — to borrow a football phrase when one team is dominating the other — the field feels tilted in favor of Koepka.
“What he’s done in the last four major championships has been just unbelievable,’’ Tiger Woods, who knows a thing or two about dominating his competition, said Tuesday. “To be so consistent, so solid … he’s been in contention to win each and every major championship.’’
Koepka actually sounded annoyed this week by his runner-up fini💛sh♏ to Woods at the Masters.
“Yeah, it’s incredible,’’ Koepka said of his run. “But at the same time, it’s been quite disappointing, you know? Finishing second sucks, it really does. But you’ve just got to get over it and kind of🍌 realize that any time you p🎃ut yourself in contention, you learn from it and move on.
“I made a mistake there at 12 at Augusta,’’ he said, referring to his tee shot into the water that helped open the door for W𝔍oods to win. “And then at the U.S. Open, I just got flat-out beat [by Gary Woodland]. Sometimes that’s going to happen. You’ve just got to get over it and move on.’’
Koepka has moved on to this British Open and he’🎀s going at it with his highly accomplished bag man, who was once one of the best youth players at Portrush.
As Koepka, with Elliott at his side, has played practice rounds this week, the fans have been more v🐻ocal toward Elli🍌ott.
Koepka sounds as if h♈e wants to ꧃win this British Open as much for Elliott as he does himself.
“There would be nothing cooler,’’ Koepka said. “I don’t think when he grew up that he ever thought there would be an Open Championship here. And to top it off, I don’t think he ever thought he’d be a part of it. And to be caddying and to be🅘 able to win one here would b🥀e a legend, wouldn’t he? He already is. But it would be cool to see him win.’’
Elliott, in a recent interview with the Irish Times, called Koepka “one of my best friendsꦍ.’
Koepka said, with Elliott’s local knowledge, he’s simply letting him call t✃he shots on the course th⭕is week.
“Every hole I just st𒁃ep up on, I say, ‘You tell me what to do, you’ve played it more than anybody,’ ’’ Koepka said.
Koepka cavalierly told rep🧸orters this week that he does🍸n’t practice before regular PGA Tour events, but he grinds before majors. So it’s no accident Koepka has been a non-factor in non-majors during is remarkable stretch of major championship wins.
“I just practice before the majors,’’ he said. “Regular tournaments I 💙don’t practice. If you’ve seen me on TV, that’s when I play golf. I left Travelers [Championship[ and showed up at 3M o🎀n Tuesday night [in Minnesota].’’
Koepka finished tied for 57th at the Travelers and 65th at the 3M꧒ Ope൩n.
How good has Koepka been at the majors?
Since the beginning of 2♕017, he owns the lowest cumulative score related to par at 64-under. The next best is Rickie Fowler at 29-under and then Jordan Spieth at 27-under. Koepka has the most top-six finishes in majors since 2017 with six. The next best of Xander Schauffele with five, but Schauffele hasn’t won.
This, along with t🤪he fa⛦ct that Elliott is the local-knowledge king, is why Woods texted Koepka after the U.S. Open to ask him about playing a practice round together and heard nothing but crickets in response.
“I said, ‘Hey, dude, do you mind if I tag along and play a practice r🥂ound?,’ ’’ Woods said. “I’ve heard nothing.’’
It was Koepka treating Woods as ruthlessly as Woods used to trea🎐t others when he was dominating the sport.