Brooks Koepka arrived late at Southern Hills for his Tuesday practice round ahead of the PGA Championship after locking his keys and clubs in his running car.
The 32-year-old American, who hasn’t played since missing the cut at last month’s Masters, lamented his fate in a social media video posting, trying to push the blame to putting coach Jeff Pierce.
“I watched him unlock the car, start the car, then he grabbed the bag, put it in the trunk, shut the trunk, and I went in and grabbed a hat, walked right out, and then the car was locked,” said the four-time Major winner.
“I don’t know how the keys locked inside the car. It boggles me. I didn’t think a car was supposed to do that, but apparently it does. That’s why I’m an hour late.’
A spare key eventually solved the problem but it was one of those moments for Koepka, who recently ran out of gas in his own car at home.
“Only me, man,” Koepka said. “It’s like a theme of car troubles. Run out of gas and then this. I’m just glad it didn’t happen on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.”
That’s when Koepka will chase his first Major title since the 2019 PGA and first victory since last year’s Phoenix Open.
“It’s going to be tough,” Koepka said. “If you miss these fairways, you can’t control your ball and it seems the best place to miss is kind of short around these greens.
“If you’re chipping out of the rough it could be quite difficult. So, it’ll be a good test.”
Koepka hopes to keep his cool this week after frustration over poor putting seeped into the rest of his game at the Masters, leading to 75s and an early exit.
“That was really what let me down at Augusta and got me frustrated,” Koepka said. “Getting that squared away and should be fine.”
Car issues didn’t irk him and neither have wedding preparations after announcing his engagement last month to actress Jena Sims.
“I’ve actually had a great time. It has been quite fun,” Koepka said. “Jena is handling most of it. I just kind of say yes or no every once in a while, but she has done a good job.”
Koepka isn’t worried about 40-1 odds on his winning this week not being better.
“More people that bet, the lower my odds are going to be. Obviously not that many people are betting, which is fine,” Koepka said. “It doesn’t matter to me. I like the golf course. It’s a tough test. That’s usually where I play well. I’ll be ready.”
© Agence France-Presse
