THE MODERATOR: Brooks, welcome to the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic. It's your first start here. Just I guess opinion of the golf course, first look at it?
BROOKS KOEPKA: It's a great golf course. The greens are in phenomenal shape. It's nice to see Bermuda. Kind of comfortable with it, so that's always good.
But it's a challenging golf course. I think especially with this wind. I think the wind is supposed to be up quite a bit tomorrow. So it will make, especially the direction it's coming up, I think those holes six, seven, eight, and even nine will be quite difficult.
Yeah, the par-5s are interesting, too. You got quite a few doglegs that kind of remind you of Bay Hill. You have one on the back. I think it's 12 maybe that's a reverse of Bay Hill. Yeah, so it will be a good test.
Q. Is this your first trip to Myrtle Beach, or have you played here in the past or been here?
BROOKS KOEPKA: I was here when I was a kid. I came with my parents. I think most kids my age probably that lived on the East Coast or Florida came up here as a family trip. Yeah, it's been a while. The place hasn't changed, which is good to see. I like it.
Q. Played in the pro-am today with Lando Norris, Formula 1 World Champion. What was that experience like for you and for him?
BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, it was cool. It was cool to see. Honestly, he says he's a 14 handicap, but he played unbelievable today. It was pretty impressive to watch.
Yeah, they love golf. Obviously they were down there in Miami last week, which was cool to see. I was watching, paying attention. Obviously didn't know I was going to get to play with him today. So that was a cool, neat experience. Yeah, I look forward to playing with him.
Q. The last few weeks -- not in a row, but the last few weeks at the signature events you've been the first alternate sitting on the tee. That's two times in a row that that's happened for you. Has that ever happened in your career when you were playing in Europe or anywhere else where you had to spend a whole day at the golf course?
BROOKS KOEPKA: Yes. When the match-play was back at -- was it Tucson? Match-play was at Tucson. I think I was 65th in the world, and there was no WD, so I had to wait around all day. It was a long time ago. Maybe 2014.
So, listen, the way I look at it is I'm itching to get in, but I'm accepting of where I'm at, and I understand that there's prices to pay for coming back, and I'm willing to accept those and whatever I have to do.
I knew this year was going to be challenging to even get in them. I kind of thought maybe by around U.S. Open, but to know that I'm kind of knocking on the door already is a good thing. Just the answer to everything is play better, and you're in.
Q. You must look at this week as an opportunity, too, given the situation?
BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, no, it's a great opportunity. I think the stretch that I've got, I've got three in a row here. Hopefully I can improve on my position, my standing and see where it's at. Like I said, good golf takes care of everything else, and hopefully will be in them soon enough.
Q. You mentioned three in a row. Next week is Aronimink. You played pretty well there in the BMW Championship. I think it was --
BROOKS KOEPKA: '18, '19, something like that.
Q. What do you remember about the golf course?
BROOKS KOEPKA: Great golf course. Better hit it straight. You know, the rough is going to be up. PGA, they're going to set the golf course up well. Hopefully it's been good weather. I haven't looked.
But, yeah, hopefully they've got good enough weather they can do what they want with the golf course. I think they do a great job with the way they set it up.
Q. Brooks, clearly LIV and the PGA TOUR are operated differently. I guess, is there a different mentality when you come back to the tour as opposed to playing the three and a half years at LIV in your own mind as far as either work ethic or anything to that effect?
BROOKS KOEPKA: No, I've always wanted to be the best. The drive has always been there. Nothing has changed. It was just a different place to play.
Like I said, coming back, I've said it before or earlier on in the year, I want to get back to being the best player that I can be and try to give myself the opportunities to see those dreams come true. Whether they come true or not, who knows? But I'm going to give it my all for at least the next ten years.
Q. Did you anticipate better finishes and playing better in your return here? Are you I wouldn't call it satisfied, but okay with the results thus far on&your play thus far?
BROOKS KOEPKA: I feel like I've played better than my results, I guess, the last little bit. I knew the first couple of weeks were going to be an adjustment. Then there's an adjustment to the way the golf courses are set up, too. So having to understand that and kind of go through and figure some things out, it's just different.
Then coming back, you're kind of -- first two weeks were a little bit more nervousness than anything. Then it's just a matter of getting comfortable with the golf courses, seeing how firm things are, the yardages they're playing. It's a little different. There is a little bit of adjustment there.
Q. Then with the PGA next week, how much are you working on things toward that, and how much are you trying to win this golf tournament specifically?
BROOKS KOEPKA: I'm trying to win the golf tournament. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here. I think it's a great week to really -- not that you can change so much in a week's time, but really assess where you're at, because I think it's a big three months of golf coming up, and you don't want to have to be making changes or do anything crazy to the golf swing, you know, short game, any part of your game really with such an important stretch. You just want to feel like you're in a good spot, and you just go out and go play.
Q. You talked about the big stretch coming up. How important was it for you to get back into an individual stroke play event running with the lead into the PGA, the Open, and that?
BROOKS KOEPKA: As far as, I mean, I usually play in individual.
Q. You haven't played in an individual stroke play event since the Masters. Was that something that was important to you?
BROOKS KOEPKA: You're talking about with Zurich? Yeah, I think that was important. If I'm right, time has kind of flown by the last couple of weeks, but it would be, what, Zurich was two weeks after Augusta and then I guess you would have had a week off and then come to this, so it would have been two weeks off not playing. I thought it was important to come out and play.
When you sit around on Wednesday and Thursday and you're practicing, you're watching everybody else go play, it's not that much fun either. I'm just itching to play. I don't care where I'm playing as long. As I've got a chance to tee it up out here, I'm extremely excited and grateful for the opportunity.
Q. Did you talk to anybody on tour about this event before committing to play or have any sense for it before you arrived here?
BROOKS KOEPKA: No. I had heard -- I mean, maybe even before I committed to it, I told a couple of guys I was playing, and they said it was a great golf course that have played.
I mean, it makes you feel good that you're going to a great golf course before a major championship. I think that adds value and can really just give you a sense of where you are at instead of playing a different place.
Q. It might be kind of an off-the-wall question, but for you guys what makes for a great golf course? What are you looking for in a tournament course?
BROOKS KOEPKA: I think you've got to have some rough, because I don't think -- I think it's maybe lost a little bit kind of in today's game. It's more bomb and gauge, but I think if you have rough, thick rough. This place has it. Maybe not so much in the fairways, but around the greens. You have to be challenged around the greens.
Then the way I think the bunkering setup here is actually really good off the tee. It gives you something to aim at. You can reach it. A few of them you can't carry or at least I can't as I'm getting older, but you have to be precise off the tee.
Then going into the greens, you really need to think about where you want to miss it, because there's -- I can think of four or five greens where the front part of the green is sloped into you, and then it goes away from you. As it goes further, it's not a tier, but it's kind of sitting on a V. You really have to be conscious of where that next shot might be coming from, because if it's -- let's say it's in the back, you don't mind going long, because you really have to think about it versus maybe even missing short and kind of having to go over a little bit of a ridge. You just got to be conscious of where you're at.
A good ball striking golf course I think is always good. But, yeah, it's got enough trouble around here. There's quite a bit of water, quite a bit of bunkers, but nothing crazy.
Q. You finished your relationship with Srixon/Cleveland recently. What's it like being a free agent and being able to experiment?
BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, it's different. I had a great time with Srixon. They were fantastic. Four years, it flew by. Yeah, it was great.
But, yeah, just going to get back to where I was I felt like. I'm trying to think, '17 and pretty much '21 I was a free agent.
Over the last few years there's been no equipment trucks. There's been no anything, so I don't really know what's out there. I haven't given it too much thought as of right now just because it's so fresh. Just trying to focus on just going to play good golf.
But, yeah, with equipment trucks, everything, it's kind of eye-opening when you come back, because I don't think people realize that, at least I didn't -- how much stuff is out there and the opportunity you might have.
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