Some major victories are more significant than others, and Brooks Koepka’s authoritative triumph at the US PGA Championship at Oak Hill is likely to have far-reaching implications for men’s professional golf.
There is no doubt that the Floridian’s performance last week is encouraging to the Saudi-funded breakaway chain LIV, where he now competes. Koepka has proven that you can win majors on a diet of 54-hole, 48-man tournaments.
His third PGA title and fifth major also put him in prime position for a spot on the US Ryder Cup team, an issue American captain Zach Johnson did not want to address.
Koepka is now second on the US points list thanks to his success at Oak Hill and his second-place finish to Jon Rahm at the Masters last month. There is an argument to be made that he is the best player in the world right now.
He has certainly recovered his extraordinary ability to find his best form at the biggest tournaments. Koepka has won 14 percent of the majors he’s played in, a quarter of them with top-three finishes and half of them with top-10 finishes.
These are staggering statistics that compare favorably with Tiger Woods’ career.
In the official world rankings, Koepka is the 13th best player and that is an inaccurate reflection of his ability. Likewise, a resurgent Bryson DeChambeau finished fourth and is 90th in the world this week. That’s also wrong.
In the era of LIV, the ranking quickly began to diverge from reality. This is becoming an increasingly important problem and finding a solution is far from easy.
Even accounting for Koepka’s brilliance and the strength of players like Open champion Cameron Smith and two-time major winner Dustin Johnson, there isn’t much depth in the LIV fields compared to the PGA Tour.
It’s a cozy, comfortable format with guaranteed money and no clipping. The team element can also compromise individual play as a player may be late with a shot for the benefit of the team instead of doing so as an individual.
The move may have minimal impact on the world rankings, but it could be the difference between another golfer making it to a major or not.
Whatever their foibles and compromised competitive legitimacy, the new tour – which has fueled discord in the game – now has in Koepka and Smith two of the four current major title holders.
They are powerful assets and the new PGA champion is an inspired signing, a fact LIV boss Greg Norman was quick to pounce on.
“Congratulations BKoepka, your comeback was impressive. So proud of you,” the Australian wrote on Twitter.
He added that “golf knows” its players are among the greats, pointing out that there are three LIV golfers in the top 10 and five in the top 20.
Koepka admitted that his win “is a huge thing and helps LIV”, but said he “cares more about himself”.
“I am here competing as an individual. I’m just happy to take this home for the third time,” he added.
Things might have been different had Koepka not suffered a series of fitness problems since 2019, including a horrific injury to his right knee in 2021. “I just slipped. I was at home,” he said recently.
“I dislocated my knee and then I tried to put it back in and then I broke my knee cap. My leg was sideways and out. My leg was turned out and then I snapped it back because the knee cap had already broken. “
At this time last year, he was still in pain and wondered if he would ever be able to return to his previous levels of fitness and physique. Soon after, he decides to sign on for LIV’s financial security – and what a coup it looks like now.
Selling tickets for the next few LIV events in Washington, Spain and England will be a little easier with Koepka headlining.
September’s Ryder Cup was thought to be a free zone at LIV, but since Koepka remains a member of the PGA of America, he could play for Team USA in Italy.
That could present a team harmony problem for Zach Johnson. Last week at Oak Hill, he did his best to avoid the uncomfortable questions raised by Koepka’s form.
“I can’t answer that,” said the American captain. “I will say this: The guys that are on the PGA Tour that make this team, they have direct ownership in this collectively.
“So for me to stand here and say I’m going to be comfortable or uncomfortable with that would be irresponsible because it’s not my team.
A former European captain told me it could be bad for the biennial if the US missed out on the PGA Championship. “Imagine if Europe wins when it’s obvious Team USA doesn’t have their strongest team?” he said.
“That won’t be good for the Ryder Cup, will it?”
Koepka’s victory undoubtedly increases the pressure on the golf club as the rest of the world’s players recognize that there is yet another giant to be defeated.
It is significant that last Sunday the American proved that his mentality is as strong as his physique. He made a string of crucial shots, not least one on 15 to salvage a tie, to keep his nose ahead under intense pressure from Victor Hovland.
“I think failure is how you learn,” said Koepka, who claimed to choke at the Masters in April. “You realize what mistakes you made.
“Every time I make some kind of adjustment. It’s more of a mentality than anything else. It’s not really a golf swing or anything like that.”
It is clear that the Masters defeat stung and that the reported $100m (£80.5m) LIV fee offered no balm for his competitive psyche.
“I really think the big key is just being open and honest with yourself, and if you can do that, you’ll be miles ahead of everyone else,” Koepka added.
It was a fascinating major that started with frost, weathered Saturday’s torrential rains and duly flourished in glorious spring sunshine on the final day.
Koepka bulldozed to hold off a formidable chasing pack. Shooting a three-under 67 on the final day for a two-shot triumph was a testament to temperament and skill.
Hovland improved his fundamentals, Scotty Scheffler returned to world number one by finishing second alongside the Norwegian and looked more like the dominant figure who won the Players in March.
Rory McIlroy maximized his comeback to finish seventh at a time when he was clearly not in the mood. Rahm had an off week while Justin Rose’s top 10 showed why he will be an asset to Europe when he returns to the Ryder Cup team later this year.
Before that, though, there are two more majors and an awful lot of backroom talk to shape the future of the men’s game. Koepka’s form already has a big say.
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