Brooks Koepka Had the Perfect Two-Word Answer About Who Can Really Handle Ryder Cup Pressure

The five-time major champion gave an honest assessment of all 24 players in this year’s match-play competition.

Brooks Koepka is never afraid to speak his mind in front of the media, and his pre-Ryder Cup press conference at Marco Simone was the latest example. 

When asked about the pressure of closing out a Ryder Cup, the five-time major champion delivered a bluntly honest answer: 

“If the Ryder Cup came down to one match on the course to decide it, I suspect if you ask all 24 guys here if they want the ball, they’d say yes. How many of them do you think really mean it?” the reporter asked. 

Koepka’s initial two-word answer spoke volumes. 

“Very few,” the LIV golfer said, followed by a lengthy pause. 

Watch the full exchange below:

Q: If the Ryder Cup came down to one match on the course to decide it, I suspect if you ask all 24 guys here if they want the ball, they'd say yes. How many of them do you think really mean it?

Brooks Koepka’s answer ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/lbfdvp5acP

— Patrick McDonald (@pmcdonaldCBS) September 27, 2023

Never one to lack confidence, Koepka elaborated on why he finds it hard to believe that most players would welcome the opportunity for the Ryder Cup to come down to their final match. 

“False confidence, I think,” Koepka said. “I think other than the Ryder Cup, I think the most pressure you can feel is in a major. I don’t know what — yeah, guys should believe in themselves, but everybody else has got to be thinking that they don’t. That’s why I think that way. You’ve got to think you’re the best player on the golf course, best player on the team, best player in that current time, and if you don't, then there's something wrong with you.

“You've always got to believe you're the best and want to be the best and have that drive, and that's what's going to put you over the edge. I think a lot of guys have it, but I don't know how many guys would want an eight-footer with this on the line.”

Those comments underscore the competitive fire Koepka brings to Rome, along with the immense pressure of representing one’s country on an international stage. As Koepka said, there’s not much else like it.