Brooks Koepka Rallies on Back Nine to Finish Under Par in First Round of British Open
HOYLAKE, England — The first 10 holes of Brooks Koepka’s trip around Royal Liverpool Golf Club on Thursday was not what he hoped for, with three bogeys and a lone birdie, but his recovery from that poor start may be worth more than he knows come Sunday night.
When he stood on the 11th tee at 2 over, the 2023 PGA champion clearly needed a boost and he got it with three birdies over the final eight holes.
“Just sloppy on the front,” Koepka said. “First nine holes didn't feel like I hit any good shots, but it's one of those things you've just got to find it as you go.”
Finishing at 1 under par, four shots off the lead of South African amateur Christo Lamprecht and England’s Tommy Fleetwood at 5 under, Koepka seemed unhappy, saying he was a long way back, but there was nothing he could do about it.
Koepka blamed his ball striking on the front nine, hitting two shots in bunkers that required pitching out both times, effectively costing him two shots.
“It's windier than you think,” said Koepka, who has four top-10 finishes in eight previous Open appearances. “The problem is it's just the crosswinds. There are some pins that are kind of tucked that you can't go at. You've got to hit it 35 feet (away), So you're just hoping to make a putt there.”
When his pairing of Patrick Cantlay and Hideki Matsuyama was first announced on Wednesday, it was billed as somewhat of an anchor for Koepka, a fast player with two slower players.
But ironically, the group in front of them, with K.H. Lee, Davis Riley and Taiga Semikawa, was much slower.
“I think they were on the clock,” Koepka said. “We were on 8, I think they got put on the clock.”