Brooks Koepka reveals the tough conversation he had with his coach before the US Open

Brooks Koepka talks so Media after his first round in the US Open Championship 2025.

all right we’re here with Brooks Kepka two under 68 Can you talk us through your round and especially the uh verie birdie finish pretty nice Yeah uh I thought I played pretty consistent Drove it really well Um iron play was pretty good and uh when I did miss it I I felt like I missed it in the correct spots Um couple good bunker shots Um yeah I missed one little short one there on uh what was it 14 maybe Uh but other than that I thought I played pretty solid Um I’m very happy the way I finished and hopefully leads into tomorrow Can you just talk to the challenge of the golf course and did the course change at all from your practice rounds to today and it’s the US Open You know it’s going to firm up Um it’s still not as firm as uh a typical US Open probably is but it’s I mean I understand there was rain on Sunday night so I get it and um but it it’s still it’s going to have some heat to it this weekend and uh it’ll be a good test Open up to questions on your right Hey Brooks congrats on a on a very impressive round You know exactly what it takes to win this tournament It’s still very early days I know but how do you like where you are how you where you are right now How are you feeling about your position yeah I feel good Uh it’s nice to put a good round together Uh it’s been a while and been working hard Just got into some bad habits and uh bad swing positions and we we worked we worked pretty hard last week Pete Cow and and Jeff Pierce were were on me pretty good and then Pete got into me again on Monday um in the bunker for about 45 minutes and I just sat there and he scolded me pretty well But um yeah it’s it’s just a matter of executing what the feels first perception of where I’ve been I think it’s it’s been so far off it’s on opposite sides but now it’s starting to click Um unfortunately you know we’re about halfway through the season so that’s that’s not ideal but uh we’re learning Over to the left Luke Hey Brooks Yeah Pete was saying that you’ve just been you’ve been working really hard tuning up a few things in your move I’m just wondering what what specifically he’s talking about there and that you just referred to there too Like what specifically are you working just getting the club in a better better spot um yeah like I said my perception of where the golf club was and where it was was I mean 8 in off 9 in off Um and even we spent all last week from when I got there at RTJ on Tuesday I think I didn’t play the golf course Tuesday or Wednesday We just sat in the range and hit balls Um some long hours last week but uh it’s starting to feel good It’s starting to click and it really actually I’m starting to see the the ball flight of old where it’s a little nice little fade and not um I don’t have the two-way miss going Very consistent now Back right Mark Brooks did you feel like you were close and at at Augusta and Coil Hollow was it was it just mechanical did you feel good physically and everything uh PG I didn’t feel good Augusta I felt good going in I don’t really know what happened Um I mean I I do the putter Uh I think I got a little felt like I was right there Missed a I think I three putted on 12 from about 12 ft and then missed missed a you know a two and a half three-footer there Um and kind of derailed the whole round I mean I had a pot on I think 16 to go one under at the almost the halfway mark and then u just a weird little incident on 18 but um it happens It’s golf Just got to deal with it move on and and trying to play the best I can for uh for these next two Few more questions Brantley uh Brooks I think in the past you said you play like your best golf when you’re almost kind of brain dead out there with no thoughts really going on up here other than just hitting the ball Has that gotten easier or harder as you’ve gotten older um and then have you done anything different mentally in terms of training yourself for weeks like this i don’t train myself for weeks like this I just feel it’s what you do all your prep all your work Um but yeah what was the first part of the question just about is it tougher or easier as you get older to to be almost like brain dead out there uh I don’t know It’s I just do what I do I don’t I think it’s different I It’s hard to explain to somebody else how I feel or what I’m my thought process is out there but it’s um I mean it’s done me all right so far Yeah Josh on the right Brooks were you surprised to see four under leading no I mean I definitely think it was getable Um I think if I don’t miss the three-footer I mean I I mean I’m at three and um you know maybe put the ball in the fairway off 10 probably have a good chance to shoot four So and I thought I played pretty pretty solid So yeah I mean I definitely could see four Um look it’s a hell of a round Four under in a US Open’s always pretty good When you see scores like that like specifically at a US Open where it’s harder to get birdies does that change a mindset or how do you at least maybe try to have that not change your mindset when that thought gets in i’m more focused on what I’m doing More focused on how to just keep plugging away and and get through some holes get through tough holes and try to take advantage of the easy ones Yeah Brandon on the left from the the days when you would show up at a week like this feeling like the favorite to you know a week like this now um can you compare and contrast that like do you show up feeling differently like how much differently maybe do do you feel that you did say i don’t feel any different I still feel the same I’m still the same person Um just mechanics were off at simple simplest but um you know did that for about a year So getting on the right track and it’s starting to I don’t know I guess if you look side by side of what it was maybe in 13 it probably looks it looks a hell of a lot similar cuz you know there everyone always points back to the the comment at what was it Beth Page you know 510 players whatever can can win this week like do you still do you still think of yourself like that way like or has that changed at all i mean I don’t talk about it You guys talk about it So it’s fair You said it was your quote though It was I said it once and now everybody repeats it So there two more questions Bob and Adam Brooks I don’t think you’d ever miss two straight cuts in majors in your career Just wondering if you could put in perspective maybe how frustrated you were Uh you’ve obviously touched on on uh you know the reasons why you were but I just the frustration of that Obviously you these are these are your big tournaments and and you’ve been up there so many times just where where you were after uh you know just a month ago Yeah Uh I would say from the first weekend in April till about last week you didn’t want to be around me It drove me nuts It ate at me Um I’ve been happy It’s it’s been very irritating It’s a lot I mean I had to ap I apologize to Rick Pete Jeff Blake my wife my son everybody It wasn’t uh I wouldn’t have want to be around me Yeah of course I mean I wasn’t consistent enough Um when I felt like I cuted one it was drawing Um I felt like I blocked one and it would go straight It I just had no sense of reality of where things were My perception was like I said it was so far off But I I haven’t seen it on video today but I would probably look that my swing looks quite similar to how it did in 13 or in years past It’s definitely It’s definitely trending in that direction Last question Adam Brooks can you give me a clean snippet of what that uh scolding from Pete sounded like uh J I’ll put it this way JT thought he had to come check on me in the bunker We were in there for about 45 minutes He was on the other side of the green And he uh I saw him Monday night We were at a Rolex function and uh he he was like I was worried your head was down Uh but yeah Pete uh I’ll keep that between us I think it’s um I wasn’t happy with it but it was something I think you need to hear or I needed to hear at the right time And um it’s not the first time he’s done it He’s not afraid to Um Last one What when was the last one aaron Hills Oh that long ago Yeah So um I don’t like having people around me I just want somebody to tell me the truth Tell me what’s going on what they see And um if I start swaying from what I from being Brooks Kepka then I want someone to call me out on it And he uh he did a hell of a job on it Thanks Brooks We appreciate the time Thanks