A healthy Brooks Koepka excited to get back on track at Mayakoba

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico – Brooks Koepka wasn’t planning to play the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba. But Koepka, who hasn’t notched a top-10 finish on the PGA TOUR since July, explained in the simplest terms how he decided to make the trip to Mexico.

“I’m not going to get any better sitting at home,” he said.

The former PGA TOUR Player of the Year has struggled, by his own standards, over the last quarter. But the thing that has held him back – his health – has seemingly turned a corner.

As a self-proclaimed “range rat” he’s excited to be healthy enough to bang balls all day. Now, he said, he’s just trying to get consistent again with his output.

“I’ve just been grinding, man,” said Koepka. “You go through periods where you just feel like you’ve got no control of the clubhead or you don’t know exactly where your swing is and what you’re doing. It’s just frustrating.”

Koepka did win once last season, at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, and notched three top-6 finishes in majors. He ended up 30th in the FedExCup standings, however, after withdrawing from the TOUR Championship with a wrist injury that left his Ryder Cup status in question.

He went 2-2-0 in the United States’ dominant victory at Whistling Straits, but has struggled in his start to this new season. He finished T67 at the Shriners Children’s Open and followed that up with a T38 at THE CJ CUP @ SUMMIT.

“I've been playing so bad for so long, so I'm just trying to play my way out of this thing and figure it out,” said the eight-time TOUR winner. “You know, hopefully we come out the other side soon.”

Koepka has never finished under par at Mayakoba, missing the cut in his two previous starts (2013 and 2020). But he said the El Camaleón Mayakoba Golf Course is in prime condition and it’s nice to be returning to paradise this week as he looks to take a run at winning his first FedExCup.

“A lot more bigger names are coming to events that didn’t previously have the big names (and) I think that has a lot to do with the FedExCup,” said Koepka. “With the wraparound season, guys don’t want to fall behind.”

Koepka admitted that even if he misses the cut this week, but finds something in his swing, then that’ll be considered a win. Given where his results have been of late, sometimes ‘winning’ doesn’t just mean lifting a trophy.

“I’ve left tournaments with a missed cut and found something that one shot on the 17th hole. That’s all you’re looking for,” Koepka said. “That one feeling and you almost seem like you’re on your way and just going on the right track.”

Mayakoba would be the perfect place for Koepka to get back on course.