‘Only one in the world going through this’: Inside Brooks Koepka’s Tour return

He sure looked like Major Brooks. The world beater. The swaggering, smirking, growling, grounding-and-pounding pro immune to anxiety. Thanos in a polo.

But the person sitting at the dais on Tuesday morning didn’t sound much like Brooks Koepka. 

That guy said he was nervous, which was a term the guy everyone knew maybe would have had to look up. 

“I think it feels a little bit different,” he said. 

“I’m definitely a little bit more nervous this week just coming back.”

Tuesday, though, perhaps that was to be expected. He was returning, to the PGA Tour, where he had been, before bolting for LIV in 2022. Two days ahead of Christmas, Koepka and that circuit parted ways, and a dozen days later, Koepka and the PGA Tour agreed to a comeback deal.    

But none of that was playing. 

How would that go? Would there be nerves there? Birdies? Bogeys? Thursday, at a little after 9:30 a.m. local time, we started to find out. That was when Koepka teed off on the first hole on Torrey Pines’ South Course, his first stroke of his first round at the Farmers Insurance Open. 

Below is how the rest of the round went for the four-time major winner. 

So how did Koepka look?

He shot a one-over 73, which was 11 shots behind leader Justin Rose. And as you would suspect with a one-over 73, there was some good, and there was some not-so-good. 

The good? Shot one of the round found the fairway, and shot two dropped to 10 feet. On 5, from thick rough left of the green, Koepka chipped to an inch. On 10, after coming up short on his second shot on the par-4, he pitched to 6 feet and made par. On 18, after hitting over the green with his second shot and with the green sloping toward water past the hole, he chipped to 7 feet on his way to making his only birdie of the round. 

But there were hiccups. He bogeyed 4 after a tee shot into a fairway bunker and a three-putt. He took four strokes from 43 yards on the par-5 13th and made bogey. From the tee, he hit just six of 14 fairways, and he averaged two putts on greens hit in regulation. 

The round was fair. A 73 on the more difficult South Course didn’t hurt his chances, but he’ll need a lower number on Friday on the North Course to make the weekend. It should also be noted that Thursday’s round was his first since Oct. 4 of last year. 

Any interesting moments?

The moment below was good. 

There was also an interesting interaction on the 1st tee. There, Koepka was greeted by Tony Perez, the event’s longtime 1st tee announcer — and the father of Pat Perez, who’s also looking to return to the PGA Tour after a stint on LIV Golf. 

What did the TV analysts say about Koepka?

They talked positively. 

Said Golf Channel’s Notah Begay: “I think he found a little bit of rhythm toward the end of the round, a couple nice tee shots there on 17 and 18, great approach at 16. All in all, I think he has to be pretty pleased.”

Said Golf Channel’s Curt Byrum: “I think today wasn’t that far off. I feel like you make a couple putts early on that front nine — he missed two short putts for birdie on the front side. I feel like he’s swinging pretty good at it, not-that-far-off kind of thing. I wouldn’t be surprised if he goes out and shoots a good round tomorrow on the North. The question will be will it be good enough to make the cut and play all four days.”  

What did the fans say about Koepka?

They, too, were positive, Koepka said. Afterward, he also said he wasn’t sure what he’d hear. 

“I don’t like thinking ahead at all or trying to anticipate what was going to happen,” Koepka said, “but I wasn’t sure, which is kind of weird being uneasy, or you don’t really know. 

“From the first tee on, it was great. It actually made me settle down a little bit. Like I said, it made me feel good just to be out here. It was a good group with Max [Homa] and Ludvig [Aberg], I enjoyed that. The whole day was great.”

Did he know the last time that he cared about what others thought to the degree he has this week?

“I don’t know, that’s tough,” he said. 

“I’m the only one in the entire world that’s going through this situation so it’s very difficult to explain. But I’m enjoying it, I really am.” 

What did Koepka say afterward?

Koepka, in talking about his play, said he was happy with his ball striking, but his driver failed him. He also said, outside of 18, he didn’t make any putts. 

Nerves, he said, played a part during the round. But why? After all, he’s been a pro for a while. He’s won big. As mentioned in this report’s introduction, he’s Brooks Koepka.

“Just because I care,” Koepka said. “I think I’ve fallen back in love with the game. And honestly, watching my son play a little bit and wanting to be able to see him watch me, or I guess want him to watch me play well and realize how much this game’s given me, how fun it is and how cool it is to just be out here.”

Fallen back in love? Had he fallen out of love with the game?

“It wasn’t that you fall out of it, but I think you can fall deeper in love with it,” he said. 

“I mean, I haven’t played competitively for, I think Rickie said, 14 weeks [Rickie Elliott, his caddie], so it’s a lot of time off, a lot of time to think, a lot of time to reflect. If you do that for a while sitting on the couch, you can go pretty deep on what you feel. I’m just excited.”

On Tuesday, Koepka appeared to talk softer and more reflectively than normal, and that continued on Thursday. 

What did his scorecard look like?

Koepka played Torrey Pines’ South Course — the first two rounds are split between Torrey Pines’ North and South courses — and here’s what his scorecard looked like:

No. 1, 453-yard par-4 (par):
Shot 1: 301 yards to the right side of the fairway, 148 yards to the hole
Shot 2: 150 yards to the right side of the green, 10 feet, 4 inches to the hole
Shot 3: Putt 11 feet, 8 inches, 14 inches to the hole
Shot 4: In the hole

No. 2, 392-yard par-4 (par):
Shot 1: 311 yards to the right rough, 83 yards to the hole
Shot 2: 68 yards to the left side of the green, 43 feet, 1 inches to the hole
Shot 3: Putt 43 feet, 10 inches, 17 inches to the hole
Shot 4: In the hole

No. 3, 166-yard par-3 (par):
Shot 1: 160 yards to the right side of the green, 30 feet, 6 inches to the hole
Shot 2: Putt 34 feet, 2 inches, 3 feet, 5 inches to the hole
Shot 3: In the hole

No. 4, 491-yard par-4 (bogey):
Shot 1: 290 yards to a right bunker, 204 yards to the hole
Shot 2: 189 yards to the right side of the green, 52 feet, 1 inch to the hole
Shot 3: Putt 42 feet, 9 inches, 9 feet, 4 inches to the hole
Shot 4: Putt 11 feet, 11 inches, 2 feet, 2 inches to the hole
Shot 5: In the hole

No. 5, 461-yard par-4 (par):
Shot 1: 307 yards to the left bunker, 162 yards to the hole
Shot 2: 164 yards to the left rough, 23 feet, 1 inch to the hole
Shot 3: 22 feet, 11 inches to the right side of the green, 1 inch to the hole
Shot 4: In the hole

No. 6, 541-yard par-5 (par):
Shot 1: 308 yards to the left side of the fairway, 239 yards to the hole
Shot 2: 243 yards to a left bunker, 52 feet, 2 inches to the hole
Shot 3: 69 feet, 9 inches to the right intermediate, 17 feet, 8 inches to the hole
Shot 4: 20 feet, 1 inch to the right side of the green, 2 feet, 1 inch to the hole
Shot 5: In the hole

No. 7, 461-yard par-4 (par):
Shot 1: 299 yards to the right side of the fairway, 159 yards to the hole
Shot 2: 155 yards to the right side of the green, 27 feet, 1 inch to the hole
Shot 3: Putt 27 feet, 9 inches, 10 inches to the hole
Shot 4: In the hole

No. 8, 180-yard par-3 (par):
Shot 1: 181 yards to the right side of the green, 22 feet, 7 inches to the hole
Shot 2: Putt 21 feet, 4 inches, 16 inches to the hole
Shot 3: In the hole

No. 9, 615-yard par-5 (par):
Shot 1: 295 yards to the right rough, 315 yards to the hole
Shot 2: 162 yards to the right side of the fairway, 154 yards to the hole
Shot 3: 157 yards to the right side of the green, 9 feet, 6 inches to the hole
Shot 4: Putt 11 feet, 4 inches, 17 inches to the hole
Shot 5: In the hole

Front nine: 1-over 37

No. 10, 460-yard par-4 (par):
Shot 1: 300 yards to the right rough, 164 yards to the hole
Shot 2: 131 yards to the right rough, 34 yards to the hole
Shot 3: 94 feet, 10 inches to the left side of the green, 6 feet, 10 inches to the hole
Shot 4: In the hole

No. 11, 231-yard par-3 (par):
Shot 1: 226 yards to the right side of the green, 28 feet, 6 inches to the hole
Shot 2: Putt 31 feet, 8 inches, 2 feet, 10 inches to the hole
Shot 3: In the hole

No. 12, 492-yard par-4 (par):
Shot 1: 312 yards to the left side of the fairway, 181 yards to the hole
Shot 2: 184 yards to the right side of the green, 17 feet, 7 inches to the hole
Shot 3: Putt 19 feet, 8 inches, 21 inches to the hole
Shot 4: In the hole

No. 13, 600-yard par-5 (bogey):
Shot 1: 315 yards to the left rough, 275 yards to the hole
Shot 2: 236 yards to the left side of the fairway, 43 yards to the hole
Shot 3: 55 yards to the left rough, 36 feet, 5 inches to the hole
Shot 4: 27 feet, 0 inches to the left side of the green, 9 feet, 5 inches to the hole
Shot 5: Putt 10 feet, 10 inches, 18 inches to the hole
Shot 6: In the hole

No. 14, 440-yard par-4 (par):
Shot 1: 305 yards to the right rough, 144 yards to the hole
Shot 2: 117 yards to the right side of the fairway, 88 feet, 2 inches to the hole
Shot 3: 93 feet, 10 inches to the right side of the green, 5 feet, 6 inches to the hole
Shot 4: In the hole

No. 15, 477-yard par-4 (par):
Shot 1: 313 yards to the left side of the rough, 168 yards to the hole
Shot 2: 168 yds to the left side of the green, 16 feet 0 inches to the hole
Shot 3: Putt 18 feet, 7 inches, 2 feet, 4 inches to the hole
Shot 4: In the hole

No. 16, 227-yard par-3 (par):
Shot 1: 222 yards to the left side of the green, 22 feet, 4 inches to the hole
Shot 2: Putt 25 feet, 5 inches, 2 feet, 8 inches to the hole
Shot 3: In the hole

No. 17, 443-yard par-4 (par):
Shot 1: 311 yards to the right side of the fairway, 132 yards to the hole
Shot 2: 124 yards to the right side of the green, 26 feet, 6 inches to the hole
Shot 3: Putt 28 feet, 3 inches, 21 inches to the hole
Shot 4: In the hole

No. 18, 570-yard par-5 (birdie):
Shot 1: 298 yards to the left side of the fairway, 263 yards to the hole
Shot 2: 285 yards to the right rough, 69 feet, 5 inches to the hole
Shot 3: 61 feet, 9 inches to the left side of the green, 7 feet, 10 inches to the hole
Shot 4: In the hole

Back nine: even-par 36

Total: 1-over 73

What about Koepka’s other stats?

Below is a look at those:

Strokes gained off the tee: 0.172, 36th
Strokes gained approach to green: 0.578, 29th
Strokes gained around the green: 0.199 33rd
Strokes gained putting: -1.469 60th
Strokes gained total: -0.520 tied for 37th
Driving accuracy: 42.86 percent (6/14), tied for 91st
Driving distance: 292.40 yards, tied for 122nd
Longest drive: 315.00 yards, tied for 90th 
Greens in regulation: 72.22 percent (13/18), tied for 48th
Scrambling: 80.00 percent (4/5), tied for 26th
Putts per greens in regulation: 2.00, tied for 136th
Feet of putts made: 46 feet, 11 inches, 66th

When does Koepka play on Friday?

Koepka and playing partners Aberg and Homa start play at 1:38 p.m. ET on Friday on Torrey Pines’ North Course. 

What does Friday’s TV coverage look like?

TV coverage starts at noon on ESPN, before it moves to Golf Channel at 3 p.m. 

Did Koepka have a thought on Patrick Reed?

He did. On Wednesday, Reed also said he was leaving LIV, and the PGA Tour said he would be eligible to play in Tour events starting Aug. 25.

Koepka said his putting coach, Jeff Pierce, told him the news while Koepka was playing a practice round on Wednesday. 

“He just kind of stopped in the fairway and asked me if I saw it,” Koepka said. “I’m like no, I’m out here on the golf course, my phone’s in the bag, so I didn’t see anything. 

“Yeah, it’s wild. Whatever Patrick wants to do and to be the best golfer he can be, best for his family, I’m in full support of that. I think everybody’s different, got to make decisions for what’s best for their family. If he’s doing that, then I’m 100 percent behind him, whatever he needs to do.”