Those guys would have to study their rearview mirrors to even find Brooks Koepka, lagging way back at 13th.
But beware. Objects in mirror are much larger than they appear.
No one would be surprised if Koepka wound up winning the U.S. Open this week at Los Angeles Country Club. He doesn’t collect world ranking points for LIV Golf events.
Koepka is coming off a victory at the PGA Championship last month, his fifth major title, and has returned to his form of a few years ago, when he spent 47 weeks as the top golfer in the world.
That was before a serious right knee injury set back the career of the two-time U.S. Open champion and played a role in him leaving the PGA Tour for the upstart rival league.
“To look back to where we were two years ago, I’m so happy right now,” Koepka said after winning the PGA at Oak Hill Country Club. “This is just the coolest thing.”
On Sunday night, Koepka had dinner at the home of Dr. Neal ElAttrache, the world-renowned orthopedic surgeon who two years ago rebuilt his right knee. The reconstruction came after Koepka suffered an undisclosed accident during a fall at his Florida home. He recovered so quickly that it even surprised the doctor, and played in the Masters three weeks after surgery.
ElAttrache repaired the ligament to restore stability to Koepka’s fractured and dislocated kneecap, adding internal bracing and protection to allow accelerated rehabilitation and the chance to return to competition months ahead of a typical schedule.
“I’ve never seen anybody be able to do what he did,” said ElAttrache, team physician for the Rams and Dodgers. “On one hand, I’m extremely proud and impressed that he did that. But I think I could have talked him out of coming back so quickly, because it was impossible to see what was coming down the line.”
(Abbie Parr / Associated Press)
Not only did Koepka almost immediately resume play, but he also played well, finishing in the top eight at the final three majors of 2021. All that eventually caught up to him, however, and he wallowed through a career slump in 2022 that led to his decision to leave the tour for the staggering $100 million from LIV.
“Even though he wasn’t 100% when he came back from surgery, what he did in that string of majors showed how gritty and determined and talented he is,” ElAttrache said. “But the moral of the story is all those qualities that enabled him to do that, there was probably a downside to those same qualities.”
Koepka missed the cut at the Masters in 2022, finished 55th at the PGA and U.S. Open, and missed the cut at the British Open.
At the time, it appeared he had lost the strength, flexibility and trust in his right knee to generate the necessary power in his lower body or even squat to read putts. Asked in April if the decision to leave for LIV would have been more challenging had he been fully healthy at the time, Koepka conceded: “Yeah, probably, if I’m being completely honest.”
Koepka is nothing if not brutally honest. He has the build of an NFL safety and the attitude to match. He doesn’t hide his emotions; his body language betrays those from three fairways away. He’s more likely to stomp on toes than walk on eggshells.
For instance, at the PGA in 2019 — which he wound up winning — he described his approach to the sport’s four biggest tournaments.
“I think sometimes the majors are the easiest ones to win,” he said. “Half the people shoot themselves out of it, and mentally I know I can beat most of them, and then from there it’s those guys left, who’s going to play good and who can win. I don’t see any reason it can’t get to double digits.”
Many golf fans might view Koepka as a villain. His doctor is not among them.
“I think that L.A. would be very proud if a guy like Brooks were to win the Open here,” ElAttrache said. “He’s a hard-working guy, a comeback story, someone tough enough to overcome adversity to get back to the top of his game. Maybe he’s made some decisions that looking back on he might have done differently, but he’s willing to admit it.”