PGA Tour pros roast Brooks Koepka over nude ‘Body Issue’ pics

Brooks Koepka moved back into the top position in the FedEx Cup race with a solid opening round at the Tour Championship. He also moved firmly back into the center of the golf world’s attention on Thursday, but for a different reason: a spread of nude photos in ESPN’s “The Body Issue”. Now his fellow pros are taking him to task, not that he cares very much.

Koepka posted the preview pics from his scantily-clad appearance in the annual magazine issue on Instagram. It caused a big reaction in the golf world, easily overshadowing Koepka’s performance on the course at East Lake. Once their rounds were complete, several PGA Tour pros didn’t hesitate to roast Koepka for the appearance.

“I think it takes some balls to do it – literally, ” Rickie Fowler said in his post-round press conference. “I wouldn’t want to stand there naked and take pictures.”

But as to whether he’d make fun of Koepkla in person, Fowler declined, for safety reasons. “I haven’t, no… he’s bigger than me.”

Rory McIlroy went the subtle route, too, saying, “It’s just a little strange…”

But Dustin Johnson certainly is in the early lead for best Koepka dig. To make sure his good friend didn’t get off too easy, DJ arrived at East Lake early on Friday and covered Koepka’s name plate on his parking space with a blown-up photo from the shoot, showing a naked Brooks striking a pose.

Paul Casey also got in on the action, except he used the opportunity to throw a jab at Phil Mickelson, who had his own revealing photo controversy earlier in the week.

“Was there a coincidence that Phil released his pictures at the same time… Has he let that breath out?” Casey joked.

In his own press conference, Koepka said he’d been looking forward to the revealing shoot for months. “It’s something I definitely don’t regret doing,” he said on Thursday evening. “It’s been enjoyable to see the pictures over the last couple of months and see, I guess, all the hard work I put into it and see the results.”

When asked if he thought his fellow pros would be surprised by his decision to strip down for the photos, Koepka said that they had known for a while, and admitted that it’s nothing they haven’t seen before.

“It’s all good,” Koepka said. “I mean, I’ve walked around naked in the locker room before.”

It’s clear Koepka isn’t letting the nude-photo controversy distract him from the task at hand. His focus is squarely on East Lake right now, and the three rounds that separate him from the $15 million FedEx Cup grand prize. After a solid three-under 67 in the first round, he’s tied for the lead and in perfect position to let his game do the talking.

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