Brooks Koepka gives off a vibe that he is cool and collected with something constantly roiling beneath the surface while he's competing. Koepka confirmed that competitive spirit following his excellent 67 Friday at Augusta National.
Koepka finished his second round at the Masters as the leader in the clubhouse, sitting at 12-under par and looking unstoppable as the tournament enters the weekend. It's a far cry from his experience at Augusta last year, when he missed the cut after shooting back-to-back 75s.
Koepka's struggles at Augusta were no secret, with Netflix's "Full Swing" following him on the course. That documentary painted the picture of an ailing player whose frustrations were getting the best of him -- apparently to the point of trying to break car windows.
"Last year ... I don't even know if I should be saying this, but I'm pretty sure I tried to break the back window of the car with my fist," Kopeka said at a news conference after Friday's round. "Not once, but twice. First time didn't go, so I tried again.
"Just a lot of frustration last year, super annoying, but I've come a long way since then. It's pretty much all health-related."
LIVE: Updates, highlights from Round 2 at the Masters
The leader through midday Friday also discussed his decision to join LIV Golf, and how his knee injury informed that choice. According to Brendan Porath, he said while he doesn't regret the decision, it would have been a tougher one if he'd been healthy.
“Once you feel good, everything changes,” Koepka said after Round 1, in which he shot a 65 on the Par 72 course, per Yahoo. “ … I don't think I've rediscovered anything. I just think I'm healthy.”
Koepka has suffered a lot of woes at the Masters. He missed the cut in both 2021 and 2022, and it and the Open Championship are the two majors he hasn't won. His best finish at Augusta is a tie for second in 2019.
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Clearly, Koepka is looking to exorcise some demons this year. He has a few rounds left, but so far he's well on pace to capture his first career green jacket.
