Brooks Koepka feels right at home at FedEx St. Jude in Memphis
World No 1 Brooks Koepka is excited to return to the venue that kickstarted his rise on the PGA Tour five years ago.
Long before his four majors wins, a 24-year-old Koepka secured an important top-20 finish in the 2014 FedEx St. Jude Classic.
At the time, he had only one career top-10 finish on the PGA Tour to his name, but the performance in Memphis was followed by a tied-fourth in the US Open just a week later, allowing him to secure his PGA Tour card for the 2014-15 season.
“I love this place,” Koepka said ahead of the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational. “This place has always been good to me.
“I feel like I play it really well. I enjoy the golf course, I enjoy Memphis. It’s a fun place to come back year after year, so I’ve enjoyed it.
“The golf course is in probably the best shape I’ve seen it the last four years,” he added.
Unlike that appearance in 2014, Koepka is now one of the most high-profile golfers on the planet, and will be one of the most followed players when he tees off alongside Rory McIlroy and Jason Day on Thursday.
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73There is something about Memphis.@BKoepka has posted a T3 & T2 in 5 appearances at TPC Southwind.#LiveUnderPar pic.twitter.com/GxFFiGbFeK
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 24, 2019
And while he noticed during a practice round on Wednesday that the course felt a bit softer than in previous years, he had no complaints.
“I mean, this golf course is just as good, I think,” he said. “I’ve enjoyed it. I think you see a lot of guys have played (in Memphis) over the last five years.”
While some players aren’t too happy that the WGC event follows just one week after The Open, making for a pretty brutal week of travel, Koepka wasn’t concerned.
“I mean, obviously there’s always a few guys who take off every WGC, so you’re going to have that no matter what,” he added. “But I think it’s in a great spot. It’s in a great spot in the schedule, especially right after kind of major season to have something come up.”
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