Brooks Koepka likes to think of himself as the consummate athlete, so playing through pain in order to compete this week at Augusta National is something he’s willing to do even if he looks funny doing it.
Attempting to earn his first green jacket just a few weeks removed from right knee surgery that repaired a dislocated kneecap and ligament damage, Koepka is making his way around the difficult terrain of Augusta National in a way we’re not accustomed to seeing.
“I can't bend down. My knee doesn't (bend). I mean, that's the most stress you're going to have on your patella. I don't have that much motion in my knee,” he said.
“When I’m prone I can get it to about 90 degrees and that's about it. But getting down, I'm not. It's going to look funny, I know that. But what are you going to do?”
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| Koepka has been practicing at Augusta National Golf Club every day since Sunday, going through what he says is normal preparation, but it’s what he’s been doing before and after he gets to the course that has taken some time.
”It took about three hours this morning just to get going, and I didn't finish last night until about 12:30 a.m. or so,” Koepka said on Tuesday.
“It won't affect (my preparation). Once I get going, it's alright. Just need to watch my steps at home, kind of watching how many minutes I'm on my feet, not spending too much time on the feet and just getting it worked on and getting it flushed out, making sure I control the swelling because if swelling pops up, it's quite difficult.”
Koepka mentioned earlier in the week that he’s looking for favorable “walking lines” around the notoriously hilly course to avoid putting undue stress on his surgically-repaired knee.
Despite the injury, by all accounts, Koepka’s actual golf has been very good, all things considered.
”Game feels fine. Game is good. Playing good,” he said. “I like how I'm swinging it. Everything should be fine.”
Finally, asked if after working the past three days are there concerns about the next five, Koepka responded as you'd expect.
“I've got to do it," he said. "There’s no other option, is there?”
(Photo Credit: Ben Walton - Golf Digest)
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