PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – There hasn’t been much for Brooks Koepka to complain about over the past few years, but the last thing he’d gripe about is the course setup.
That, of course, puts him in the minority of players at the U.S. Open.
“Everybody’s got to play the same golf course,” he said Tuesday. “So it really doesn’t make a difference. It doesn’t make a difference if you put it in the fairway and you hit every green. There’s really no problem, is there? So obviously they’re not doing what they’re supposed to do. They’re not playing good enough.”
Growing up, Koepka was known to run hot on the course, but his outbursts were always performance related. The way he now handles any on-course adversity or treacherous setup makes him a sports psychologist’s dream.
“I’ve just never been one to complain, make excuses,” he said. “Nobody wants to hear anybody’s excuse. I find it annoying even when I play with guys and they’re dropping clubs or throwing them or complaining, like telling me how bad the golf course is, how bad this is. I don’t want to hear it. I don’t care. It doesn’t matter to me.
“It’s just something we’ve all got to deal with. If you play good enough, you shouldn’t have a problem.”