At the head of the standings of the Masters Tournament in Augusta after two laps we find a name that in recent seasons we have hardly seen so high, that of Brooks Koepka. The American, already a four-time Major winner, commands a ranking with a score of -12 which was also conditioned by the interruption due to adverse weather when several players were still on the pitch.
Brooks Koepka, statements
In the post-round press conference, the focus was inevitably placed on his return to high levels after the serious knee injury and after moving to the Liv circuit, a Saudi-owned league that is trying to “compete” with the PGA Tour.
Koepka he opened like this: “Mine was a very solid lap. I hit really well and did what was needed, I feel my game is where it should be.” Then the first passage on his return: “Towards the end of last year I felt that I was making some steps forward, both in terms of strength and mobility.
Last year there were very difficult moments where I thought I had to stop. It had become impossible to work on a daily basis when it took me 20 minutes just to get out of bed. Now fortunately I’m much better, I feel close to the player I was before the injury.” “I don’t even know if I should tell this thing – continued Koepka in the most heartfelt moment of his speech – last year when I missed the cut I tried to destroy the glass of my car with a fist.
I tried twice, because I failed on the first attempt. I was incredibly frustrated and it was almost all down to my knee.” Then the inevitable comment on the PGA-Liv diatribe: “I miss playing against the best players in the world.
For athletes at our level it is essential to compete against the best and that is why I would always want to play against Rory McIlroy at his best, or Scheffler, or Rahm. But for now this is only possible in the Majors, that’s how it is and I can’t help it.” In closing, Koepka did not hide his ambitions: “My goal remains to complete the ‘Grand Slam’
All the greats have won here, as well as at the British Open, and I miss both, they are like two boxes still to be filled. I still need these two tournaments to be able to feel satisfied with what I’ve done in my career.”
