Early Sunday afternoon, Brooks Koepka wished his dog a happy birthday. Cove, Koepka wrote on social media, is 21 (in dog years; 3 in human). He shared photos of him and Cove on the beach. On a boat. On a jet. He punned it up, too. “Let’s Pawty,” he wrote.
Barely an hour earlier, he had finished his final round at the Houston Open.
Which was his final round before this week’s Masters.
Koepka shot a 5-under 65. Which was his second straight 65. Which were his lowest back-to-back weekend rounds since July 2019 at the World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational, his last victory.
Woof. Woof. Woof.
Wanna really know whether Koepka feels at ease for this week’s Masters?
He’s wish-your-dog-a-happy-birthday-on-Twitter-and-Instagram at ease.
Let’s pawty, Augusta.
“Yeah, played good, played good the last two days,” Koepka said. “It was nice. Build some confidence, I guess, going into Augusta. Scoring well.”
On a Memorial Park Golf Course he recently helped redesign, Koepka opened the Houston Open with a 2-over 72, then an even-par 70. Then the 65s. On Sunday, he birdied 3. Then 5 and 6. Then 8 and 9. He shot even-par on the back nine to end up five strokes behind winner Carlos Ortiz. But he finished the week with the most birdies in the field (20).
Koepka said a driver switch during the first two rounds “cost me the tournament.” In Rounds 1 and 2, Koepka was 43rd and 25th, respectively, in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee. He was fifth in both Rounds 3 and 4.
“Yeah, this golf course, if you’re going to drive the ball in the fairway, you’re going to have a lot of scoring opportunities,” Koepka said. “The first two days that driver was terrible, just flat out. I don’t know why we switched. If you’re going to hit three, four fairways a day, you’re going to cost yourself at least three shots. You can’t control it around the greens, and you put yourself in some weird spots.
“No, it’s a shame. I know I would have won it if I just would have stuck with it.”
Augusta is next. He’s never won there. He hasn’t won since the St. Jude. His surgically repaired left knee has been an issue this year.
And yet …
Let’s pawty, Augusta.
“Playing well. Just got to play well next week,” he said.
