The Brooks Koepka swagger is back after muscling his way to a fifth major at the PGA Championship and Rory McIlroy is poised for an intimate viewing experience this week.
With the sport still shaking from the seismic announcement that the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s PIF will be joining forces, Koepka has a chance to extend his dominance in the majors at the US Open.
Alongside McIlroy and Hideki Matsuyama, a star-studded three-ball that can boast 10 majors, the American begins his quest at Los Angeles Country Club on Thursday.
Unlike McIlroy, who has been conspicuous by his silence this week, Koepka’s emotional energy remains compressed into the pursuit of competition, having rebounded brilliantly after a draining battle with injury before a triumphant return at Oak Hill.
“Like I’ve said, the more chaotic things get the easier it gets for me,” Koepka said this week when discussing his unique record of five major wins from nine PGA Tour victories in total.
“Everything starts to slow down and I am able to focus on whatever I need to focus on while everybody else is dealing with distractions, worried about other things. I think there’s a few reasons (I peak at majors), but I think it’s definitely one of them. I enjoy the chaos.”
McIlroy may well be feeling the effects of “betrayal”, in the words of 2021 champion Jon Rahm, but his pairing for the first two rounds offers an ideal opportunity to address an undervalued area of the game: mental resilience.
Never is that more important than the US Open week and this fiendishly difficult test, which could descend into “carnage”. That’s the hope for hotly-tipped world No 7 Max Homa, who holds the course record with a nine-under-par 61: “A little bit of wind is going to make it spicy. I hope it’s a typical US Open. The greens are severe, and if they keep getting firmer and faster I think it’ll be a really good test. I think it will be really fair.
“It will really show a quality shot will go to a good spot, and one that’s not great is going to go to a bad spot and you’re going to see a lot of silliness go on. This venue is awesome for a US Open.”
McIlroy will hope his fresh focus on golf may produce similar results to Tommy Fleetwood. The Englishman was seen bounding down the fairways last week during a Canadian Open practice round at Oakdale Golf and Country Club. Fleetwood shunned a scheduled press conference moments after the PGA Tour and PIF announcement, instead preferring to focus on his game. Fleetwood was vindicated after blocking out a potential distraction when he came closer than ever to his first PGA Tour victory, falling agonisingly short in a play-off to local favourite Nick Taylor.
McIlroy, a US Open champion at Congressional in 2011, has lingered in recent years at this tournament with ninth, eighth, seventh and fifth place finishes.
And ninth at the Canadian Open last week ensures he cannot be dismissed here, but the stress of the last week adds another hurdle to the ever-growing challenge of ending his nine-year major drought.
Not only does Koepka stand in his way, but Scottie Scheffler, the world No 1, is perhaps a change of putter away from lapping the field. Gaining 20.74 strokes on the field from tee-to-green at the recent Memorial tournament, approximately nine strokes clear of second-placed Rahm, underlines the absurd quality of his ball striking. His rivals’ relief comes when examining a woeful 8.58 strokes lost on the greens at the same tournament, placing him dead last from those who made the cut and ultimately forced to accept third.
Should his putting woes extend this week, then the tournament appears wide open, with Matt Fitzpatrick eager to defend the title he won so magnificently last year with such that majestic swipe from the Brookline sand.
The affable Homa’s mantra this week may resonate with all after what promises to be a brutal experience: “bogeys are okay.” McIlroy’s last week might resemble a bogey, so his chances here rest on his resilience and focus. Two qualities perfected by the unflappable Koepka. McIlroy must take notes.
