SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – At the lowest points in an 18-month struggle with left knee and hip problems, Brooks Koepka wondered if he’d ever be back at all, let alone recapture the golf magic that carried him to four major championships.
“It’s been a wild ride for the last year and a half, and very frustrating,” Koepka said. “I’ve had moments where I didn’t know if I was going to be the same, if I could even come back.”
He looked as good as ever on the back nine Sunday at TPC Scottsdale, rallying for a victory that would have seemed improbable not that long ago.
“I went through it mentally,” the 30-year-old Floridian said. “I think that’s probably the toughest thing, where you don’t know if you’re ever going to be the same competitor that you were. You go through some real dark places, and it’s not a fun place to be.”
It was sunny and fun for Koepka in the desert Sunday, especially on the 17th hole. That’s where he chipped in from 32 yards for his second eagle of the day to break a tie for the lead. A routine par on the 18th gave him a one-stroke victory in the Waste Management Phoenix Open.