Brooks Koepka shares other players' reactions since PGA Tour return

Brooks Koepka says the feedback he has received since he returned to the PGA Tour has been good.

Koepka, 35, quit LIV Golf last December and returned to the North American circuit in January via a new returning member programme.

On his first start on the PGA Tour in more than three years at the Farmers Insurance Open, Koepka made the cut on the number but finished way down the leaderboard.

A week later, he missed the cut at the WM Phoenix Open. He wasn’t eligible to to compete in recent signature events at Pebble Beach and Riviera.

He admitted before teeing it up at Torrey Pines that he was extremely nervous about how he was going to be treated by other golfers and even spectators.

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But so far, so good, according to the five-time major champion.

“Honestly, there’s probably more guys I’ve just had to introduce myself to,” Koepka told reporters before this week’s Congizant Classic when asked how he has been received.

“There’s a lot of people I don’t know. I think I remember reading a stat years ago where every four years there’s a 50 percent turnover, something like that. I could be wrong.

“That could be completely made up, too, so I don’t know. I remember reading that.

“But it seems about right, for as long as I’ve been out here. A lot of faces I don’t know.

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“It’s good to see guys you haven’t played with in a while, too. But it’s been fun. It’s been enjoyable. The feedback has been pretty good.”

Several young players have established themselves on the PGA Tour over the past three years while Koepka competed on LIV Golf.

Michael Thorbjornsen, Aldrich Potgieter, Luke Clanton, Karl Vilips, Nick Dunlap and Akshay Bhatia spring to mind.

But one person stands out to Koepka.

“Chris [Gotterup], pretty good, considering he’s won twice,” said Koepka.

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Gotterup won the PGA Tour’s curtain-raiser in Hawaii then added another PGA Tour title to his resume at TPC Scottsdale in a play-off.

“I haven’t played with him. I’ve obviously watched him hit balls and seen his results, and I think that’s pretty good.

“But I would say that’s a name that probably sticks out right now. Another Nike guy. Everybody has been talking about him for a while, so it’s good to see.”

As for Koepka’s own game, he believes he is progressing nicely ahead of The Masters.

“I feel really good,” he said.

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“I think the first week was just a matter of getting out and going to play. Phoenix just kind of exposed some stuff I need to work on.

“I was back at it on – I think we got back Saturday night, took Sunday off, and been grinding since Monday.

“But it feels really good. I’m excited. I know that it’s progressing very, very nicely, and just want to put myself in contention here a few times before Augusta and see where everything lies.”

Koepka is playing the first two rounds of the Cognizant Classic alongside Will Zalatoris and Daniel Berger.

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Brooks Koepka shares other players’ reactions since PGA Tour return

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