Brooks Koepka has shown more emotion this week than ever before in his incredible career thus far. But it has been an emotional week, too.
Brooks Koepka has shown more emotion this week than ever before in his incredible career thus far. But it has been an emotional week, too.
Koepka made his PGA Tour return Thursday at the Farmers Insurance Open, signing for a 1-over 74 at Torrey Pines South Course. The five-time major champion showed a bit of rust, especially with the driver, but a birdie on the closing hole put a good taste on what was a nervous return after leaving LIV Golf late last year.
All week Koepka has talked about his nerves in meeting with the media on Tuesday. Nervous being back around other PGA Tour players. Nervous for what the fans would do when he teed it up Thursday morning.
But where do all these nerves come from, especially for someone who has accomplished so much in the game?
"Just because I care," Koepka said after the first round. "I think I've fallen back in love with the game. And honestly, watching my son play a little bit and wanting to be able to see him watch me, or I guess want him to watch me play well and realize how much this game's given me, how fun it is and how cool it is to just be out here."
Koepka said how cool it was to hear "welcome back" from the fans throughout Thursday's round, and even said he really enjoyed playing alongside Max Homa and Ludvig Aberg.
But playing competitive golf for the first time in almost four months, and being back inside the ropes of a PGA Tour event, was almost therapeutic for Koepka.
"It wasn't that you fall out of (love with) it, but I think you can fall deeper in love with it," Koepka said of rekindling his passion for golf. "I mean, I haven't played competitively for, I think, Rickie said 14 weeks, so it's a lot of time off, a lot of time to think, a lot of time to reflect. If you do that for a while sitting on the couch, you can go pretty deep on what you feel. I'm just excited.
"Just the opportunity to be out here. I think that's the main thing. Just being out here and seeing how quickly this has all kind of come together. It's kind of blown my mind and I'm just grateful to be out here and have a chance to compete with these guys."
A little more than a month ago, Koepka was still a member of LIV Golf. Then came Festivus, when he was released from his contract. He then made a phone call to Tiger Woods, and a couple weeks later, he was back on the PGA Tour.
He also realized there's a timeline when he wasn't back on the PGA Tour so quickly. He was prepared to have to grind his way back, similar to what Patrick Reed announced Wednesday he was planning to do.
However, when Koepka made it clear he wanted to return to the PGA Tour, CEO Brian Rolapp and the Tour brass got to put to work plans that had likely been in motion for months when the first LIV star wanted to return. Koepka was the first, and they sprung into action.
"I knew there's a possibility I could be out for a while," he said. "But it's just like anything, if there's a penalty to be paid to get out here and get back, I was going to do whatever the Tour needed me to do. It was very simple. Whatever they wanted, I was willing to do. Obviously got a call Thursday night and went up there to see Brian on Friday, and he told me everything. Yeah, I was very obviously happy with it. I just didn't know what all it was going to entail. Even flying up there, I had no clue."
Perhaps the most difficult round of his return is out of the way. On Friday, he'll head to the easier North Course at Torrey Pines and look to make his second Farmers cut in five attempts. Regardless of if he plays the weekend at the Farmers, next week he returns to TPC Scottsdale, a place he has won twice.
And in the meantime, Koepka is looking forward to plodding forward on the PGA Tour, even though the moments of nervousness.
"Just wanted a warm reception," Koepka said. "Just like everybody else, you walk into a room nobody wants to feel exiled, they just want to be loved. I mean, that's human nature I think.
"I'm the only one in the entire world that's going through this situation so it's very difficult to explain. But I'm enjoying it, I really am."
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Brooks Koepka says 'I've fallen back in love with the game' at Farmers
Category: General Sports
