AUGUSTA, Ga. — A U.S. Open broke out this weekend at Augusta National, so it’s unsurprising that the finest Open player of the past decade embraced the type of grind known to test head and heart as much as technique. Brooks Koepka has won the Open twice, finished in the top four three other times, and won a couple of PGA Championships at USGA venues. Few athletes are better suited to tough examinations, and no other potential winner at the 87th Masters would better exemplify the contradictions and conundrums in elite golf these days.
He isn’t Jay Monahan’s dream champion — and probably not Fred Ridley’s either — but nor is he an ideal winner for Greg Norman, who prefers more malleable and docile types as his promotional playthings for LIV Golf.
