Defending champion Brooks Koepka needed just 25 putts en route to his second 63 in the PGA Championship as he set a furious pace at Bethpage Black, writes WADE PRETORIUS.
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The 29-year-old is at the peak of his powers. Of that, there can be no doubt. And he saved some of his finest stuff for an event where he clearly knows what it takes to challenge.
His last six rounds in the championship have been in the 60s, and on Thursday he wrote his name into the history books as the only person to have shot 63 twice in the 101 editions of the tournament.
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Firmly in the mix to double as a back-to-back Major champion at both the PGA and the US Open, he admitted his opening dart around the New York course was a special one.
‘That was one of the best rounds I’ve played probably as a professional,’ said Koepka.
‘This golf course is brutal. It tests every asset of your game. You’ve got to drive the ball straight. It’s long, so you’ve got to hit it far and really position yourself with some of these shots in. You can’t take a shot off, and that’s what I love.’
‘[My game has] never been this confident. I think I’m still learning, understanding my game, and I’ve figured it out, and I think over the next few years, I’m excited for what’s to come,’ he said.
‘I understand a lot more about my misses, where to hit it, and major championships I just suck it up, and you don’t always have to aim at the flag like you do in regular events. Sometimes it’s just about how few bogeys and doubles you make this week.’
At seven-under par, the afternoon field will need something of a miracle to chase him down. Heading into Friday, you can guarantee he won’t be playing to hold on to his advantage.
‘It’s always nice being out ahead. But you take a hole off, it could change very quickly out here. So you’ve just got to keep the pedal down.
‘I’ve just got to go out there and focus on me. I’m not really concerned about what’s going on [with others].’
