Brooks Koepka says he doesn't practice before PGA Tour events
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Brooks Koepka says he doesn’t practice before PGA Tour events

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Brooks Koepka doesn't practice before PGA Tour events. Like, ever.

At least that's what he claimed Tuesday ahead of the 2019 British Open Championship at Royal Portrush. The world No. 1 said he doesn't prepare for non-major PGA Tour events with any kind of practice regimen beyond what he does the week of a tournament.

"I just practice before the majors. Regular tournaments, I don't practice," Koepka said in response to a question during a scheduled news conference. "When you see me on TV, that's when I play golf."

The quote feeds into the narrative that Koepka really only cares about the majors, or that he doesn't particularly love playing golf, which is a notion he fed into earlier in his career -- both ideas Koepka has at times protested publicly.

Koepka has six PGA Tour wins, and four of them are major titles won in the last 25 months. Koepka has said the majors are easier to win than regular PGA Tour events, laying out before winning the PGA Championship in May how he views most of a major field as having no chance against him before the tournament even starts.

The Florida State product suggested there's less fear and trepidation in a regular PGA Tour event, leading him to play more aggressively and think ahead.

"That's what has caused me an issue in the regular PGA Tour events," he said in May. "I've gone out on Saturday and tried to build a cushion. Maybe pressed a little bit too hard and gotten ahead of myself, where in the majors, I just stay in the moment. I never think one hole ahead. I'm not thinking about tomorrow, I'm not thinking about the next shot. I'm just thinking about what I've got to do right then and there. I kind of dummy it down and make it very simple, and I think that's what helps me."

At the Travelers Championship the week after finishing second at the US Open in June, however, Koepka said he was going to apply his philosophy at one of his preferred regular Tour courses and see what happens.

"I even told my caddie today, We're going to try to take the mental approach we do at the majors this week," Koepka said ahead of the Connecticut event. "I'm going to try something maybe a little bit different and see how it works out."

It didn't that week. He finished T-57, saying he "wasn't over the PGA" from May. He then finished 65th at the inaugural 3M Open in Minnesota.

Koepka has recoiled from the notion that he doesn't care about PGA Tour events. He has honored commitments he has made months in advance, and he's indicated this season has been difficult for him in trying to time his game for the majors while using regular PGA Tour events to prepare for the biggest championships.

Despite feeling drained at this point in the year, Koepka's system clearly works for him and his goals. He's lost to two people in three majors this year, and excluding last year's Open Championship, he's lost to two people in a stretch of five majors.

About the author

Ryan Ballengee

Ryan Ballengee is founder and editor of Golf News Net. He has been writing and broadcasting about golf for nearly 20 years. Ballengee lives in the Washington, D.C. area with his family. He is a scratch golfer...sometimes.

Ballengee can be reached by email at ryan[at]thegolfnewsnet.com

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