Golf

Brooks Koepka PGA Championship 2023 Preview – Can He Go One Better After Coming Up Short At The Masters?

Brooks Koepka PGA Championship 2023 Preview – Can He Go One Better After Coming Up Short At The Masters?
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Brooks Koepka is one of 16 LIV Golf players who are set to tee it up at the 2023 PGA Championship this week at Oak Hill. The 33-year-old was one of the biggest names to defect to the controversial tour last year but there have been rumours ever since that he may be regretting his decision to leave the PGA Tour.

Regardless, Koepka is coming into the second major of the year as a LIV golfer and one who came very close to shocking the golfing world and winning the Masters last month. No one believed that LIV players would be able to compete in major tournaments due to their lack of competitive action but Koepka proved that theory wrong by finishing in a tie for second alongside Phil Mickelson, another LIV player.

The four-time major champion saves his best golf for the majors, so can he add a fifth to his collection this week? Let’s take a look.

Brooks Koepka’s Form this Season

Earlier this season, Koepka became the first man to win two LIV Golf events when he won LIV Orlando at the start of April. The event took place just a week before the Masters and the 33-year-old certainly took his form into Augusta National and he led the first major of the year after the three rounds.

Despite having a four-shot lead at times during the third round, Koepka was eventually pegged by Jon Rahm who never looked back after overtaking the American on the back nine of the final round. Despite the disappointment, a top-two finish at the Masters isn’t to be sniffed at and he has retained his form ever since.

He is currently second on the overall LIV leaderboard after a number of top-ten finishes and will still believe he has a chance of winning the overall prize at the end of the season.

Best result

Victory at LIV Orlando at the start of April.

Last result

Tied for the 5th at LIV Tulsa.

Brooks Koepka’s PGA Championship Record

Brooks Koepka is clearly a big fan of the PGA Championship and is a two-time winner of the event. His first victory came in 2018 when he finished with a score of -16 at Bellerive Country Club. He finished two shots ahead of Tiger Woods and the win cemented his name in golfing folklore as it was the 100th edition of the PGA Championship.

A year later, Koepka successfully defended his crown when he won at Bethpage Black with a score of -8. That year, Koepka finished two shots clear of Dustin Johnson and the win made him a two-time champion of the famous tournament. This victory marked the last time Koepka won a major tournament.

In the year since 2019, Koepka has been in contention a couple of times but last year he had one to forget when ended the week with a score of +8.

Odds on Brooks Koepka to Win the PGA Championship

The bookmakers have seemingly woken up after pricing Koepka as long as 66/1 to win the Masters back in April. For the PGA Championship, Koepka is priced much lower at 20/1 and is being tipped by many to be the man holding the famous trophy on the 18th green on Sunday.

Koepka’s status as one of the tournament favourites makes sense when you consider his record at major tournaments and the fact he is fully fit and playing well. Now that he has proven LIV golfers can still compete with the best at major tournaments, there is no reason to price him in any other way.

Who is Koepka playing with at the PGA Championship?

Since 2019, the PGA Championship has been held in May which means we no longer get the star-studded grouping across days one and two of the year’s three major champions. However, organisers have still made every effort to create some interesting groupings and Koepka is in one of the best.

Across days one and two, Koepka is playing alongside world number two, Scottie Scheffler, and seasoned pro, Gary Woodland. They will be teeing off early on Thursday and late on Friday.

First round tee time

  • 14:50 UK time

Second round tee time

  • 18:25 UK time

Brooks Koepka Masters Prediction – Top ten finish

Since 2017, Brooks Koepka has secured a top-two finish in one-third of the major tournaments that have been played. That tells you all you need to know about the 33-year-olds ability to handle the pressure of the biggest stage of all. We expect him to be at his brilliant best once again this week and to be among the top ten when play finishes on Sunday. Can he win it? We wouldn’t rule it out.


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