Brooks Koepka has given gruesome details of his horror knee injury - and revealed he was confident of his recovery because his surgeon also operated on Kobe Bryant and Tom Brady.
The former world No. 1 won four majors in 2018 and 2019 but then suffered two years of injury hell. The LIV Golf star claimed he is fit at the Masters for the first time since his runner-up finish in 2019 before the first major of the season.
And the American showed he is back to his old best with his lowest ever round of 65 at Augusta to share the first-round lead with Jon Rahm and Viktor Hovland. In his post-round press conference, Koepka talked about his run of injuries which started with a torn patella tendon in August 2019, a hip injury in 2020 and a horrific injury to his knee cap and patella tendon in March 2021.
Koepka recalled: “I just slipped. I was at home. I dislocated my knee and then I tried to put it back in and that's when I shattered my kneecap and during the process tore my MPFL (medial patellofemoral ligament). My leg was sideways and out. My foot was turned out, and when I snapped it back in, because the kneecap had already shattered, it went in pretty good. It went in a lot easier!”
His Los Angeles surgeon, Dr. Neal ElAttrache, had also operated on fellow sports stars Bryant and Brady. “Yeah, Dr. ElAttrache is the best in the world at what he does, I think. Look, I have a lot confidence in him. We have a great relationship.
"I still talk to him today. His daughter was out here today. I feel like I'm pretty close with him and his family. He did a hell of a job. I think he said it was the first time that surgery had ever been done. I think the closest to it was probably [rapper] Travis Scott when he dislocated his kneecap. I don't think he shattered it. It was nice to know that he was the one operating on me. That was the one I wanted.”
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Koepka became the first player to win two LIV Golf individual events with his victory in Orlando on Sunday. “I don't think I've rediscovered anything,” said the world No. 118. “I just think I'm healthy, so I can move the way I want to.
"If your body won't allow you to do the things you want to do, it's frustrating and all of a sudden you create a lot of bad habits and then try to work out of the unhealthiness, takes a while, and then all of a sudden you have to get out of those bad habits. When you break three, it's kind of nice. I have spent the last two years off. I am healthy now, and that is all behind me.”
Koepka, 32, was asked about his motivation to keep playing and winning. “Honestly, I just think of all those hard times. I think of the lady, Heather, that was doing my rehab; just to play Augusta in '21. [Caddie] Ricky [Elliott] was with me, I just remember biting down on a towel and tears were coming out of my eyes and she was trying to bend the knee. I figure if I can go through that, I can go through anything.”
