Powering On

Being Brooks Koepka was great fun for much of 2018 - even if you detected a major chip on those ample shoulders of his. So how will he top it in 2019? And will it bring the love he secretly craves?

- Kent Gray

When ESPN released its list of the 20 most dominant American athletes of 2018 recently, Brooks Koepka responded to his glaring omission with a tweet featuring the emoji of a perplexed gent sporting furrowed eyebrows and a monocle. Repeated three times. The winner of two majors, the PGA Tour and PGA of America Player-of-the-Year titles last season, not to mention the CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges in South Korea to start this new wrap-around 201819 PGA Tour season in style, is a man of few words. But he knows how to make a not so subtle points. Maybe the world No.1 really is underappreciated after all? We’ll let the 28-year-old explain on the eve of his return to this month’s $7 million Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. – KENT GRAY

W In a recent interview you described the wrist injury that kept you out of the Masters last April as a blessing in disguise, helping you to fall “back in love with the game”. When exactly did you fall out of love?

Obviously, injuring my wrist wasn’t a good thing but the time away from golf gave me a great opportunity to return to the PGA Tour fresh and excited to compete. It reminded me just how much I love competing and I came back really excited and hungry. I don’t think I had fallen out of love with golf but it definitely reminded just how much I loved it. When I finally got back out on tour, I felt even more focused, more driven, more excited to play golf tournaments.

You say the career grand slam is in your sights, and foresee an Open Championship win at St Andrews. Those are some specific/lofty goals?

You know, it is a lofty goal but I am halfway there so it is possible and something I would love to do. I’ve said it before but I really feel like my game is made for majors, having won three of the last six I have played in.