Brooks Koepka is a 28-year-old American golfer making names for himself at the moment, recently taking home a victory at the PGA Championship and beating Tiger Woods. Although his career is still young, there’s a lot we can learn about Kopeka and how he managed to rise so quickly to the top.
Brooks Koepka had the unfortunate luck of playing against Tiger Woods recently at the PGA Championship and experiencing what many other great golfers have had to go through. Although he took home the win, all eyes were on Tiger and his second place victory seemed to get more press than Koepka’s win.
However, that doesn’t stop Koepka from being proud of what he’s achieved in just 28 years of life, and his current ranking as 2nd in the world is nothing to sneeze at. From early days of golf obsession with a family that seems naturally skilled in all things sport, there was very little that was going to stop Brooks from making it big.
We’re here to look back at the early years of this golfing legend who’s already made a name for himself at such a young life. His current rankings, biggest victories and personal life will all be uncovered to give us a better understanding of what makes Brooks Koepka such a rising star.
Early Years and Family Life
Like many other legends of golf, Brook started his obsession with the sport at a young age. However, his entrance into the world of golf came after a car accident which turned out to be a ‘blessing in disguise’, according to Koepka.
When he was just 10 years old, Brooks was driving in a car with his babysitter when they had an accident. As a result, he had surgery that meant he was to avoid all contact sports. His initial reaction was to pick up a golf club and practice his swinging.
By the time he reached middle school, he had seriously improved and made it into the high school team as a sixth grader with an impressive performance of 41 over nine holes. Brooks told his father that now he’d made the high school team he could get a few years of practice out of it and then drop out to turn pro. His father, Bob Kopeka, wasn’t having any of this and assured him he would be finishing school and attending college
When Brooks turned 13, he finally beat Bob, who himself was a golfing aficionado and record holder at their local course. However, Bob and Brooks’ great uncle had a serious love for baseball as well. Brooks even said that if he had a chance to do his time over, that’s where his passion would lie. Brook’s great uncle was Dick Groat, a two time World Series winner in his own right, so it’s obvious that sport is in their blood.
Professional Career Beginnings
After playing college golf for Florida State University and proving that his skills were only getting better, Brooks was ready to turn professional in the summer of 2012. He joined the Challenge Tour in Europe and won his first title in Catalunya.
He followed this up with three more wins on that tour and earned himself a European Tour Card for the rest of the season and 2014, as well as qualifying for the 2013 Open Championship. His first event of the 2014 PGA Tour saw him take home third place and then at the US Open he got fourth. From there, he had some victories at the Turkish Airlines Open and Dubai Desert Classic.
In 2015, Koepka won the Waste Management Phoenix Open which earned him the 19th place on the Offical World Golf Ranking and marked his first ever PGA Tour event win. A slew of wins that year saw him progress further up on the list, but in 2015 he decided to give up his European Tour Membership and focus on home.
Notable Victories and Achievements
Koepka celebrated his first major championship by winning the US Open at Erin Hills in 2017 which also earned him a record for the lowest US Open Score. His 16 under score tied him with Rory McIlroy’s efforts in 2011, but he then had to undergo wrist surgery following this tour.
He had been entered to compete in the 2018 Masters Tournament but as it got closer to the event, he had to withdraw as he hadn’t fully recuperated from surgery yet. However, he was better in time to compete in the 2018 US Open to defend his title, which he did at Shinnecock Hills. This made him the first player since 1989 to win two consecutive US Open titles.
Following this victory, Koepka celebrated again with a third major win at the 2018 PGA Championship. He claimed that playing against Tiger Woods, who he would beat, was challenging as he had the support of everyone there. "Other than me, my team, everybody was rooting for Tiger," he said. "It kind of pushes you to step up your game.”
Current Standings
Brooks Koepka’s current ranking is second in the Offical World Golf Ranking, and he has plans to dominate this list one day soon. He is not far behind the current number one, Dustin Johnson, with just .31 points between them.
Starting his career on a different route and beginning on the European World Tour has allowed Kopeka a unique approach to world domination. With already three major US wins behind him and a slew of victories in Europe, there’s no telling where he plans on going next in his efforts to become the world number one.
His totally monetary earnings are close to $20 million which makes him pretty impressive for a 28-year-old golf professional. With a FedEx Cup rank of 2nd and two wins already in 2018 marking his best season yet, the golfing world is excited to see where Brooks Koepka will take his skills for the rest of the year and 2019.
Interesting Facts About Brooks Koepka
Being so young and so successful already means that Brooks has had the chance to achieve some extraordinary things. Here are some fun facts that you might not know about the Florida golfing prodigy.
A World No. 2 With A Long Way to Go
Being ranked as the world’s second best golfer is no easy feat when you’re 28, but it signals just how far Brooks can go in this sport. With the skills of a much older player and a nonstop determination to keep doing better, he’s got everything required to become a legend in the game of golf and a name that will be remembered forever.
Seeing just how deep sports runs in his family, it’s no wonder that he was going to make it big. With his own dedication and the harsh but loving words of his father, Brooks was able to turn his high school passion for the sport into an illustrious career, and one that is far from over.
