THE MODERATOR: Third round, 64. Your lowest round on tour this season highlighted by a 29 on the back nine. What did you like about your round?
BROOKS KOEPKA: I liked the way I ball-struck it today. I thought it drove it beautifully. Ball-struck it with the irons really, really well. Got a little greedy there on 18. Would have liked to have that one back.
But I feel like I've been hitting the ball great for a long time. It's just started chipping a little bit better as well. I haven't holed any putts in, I think, I don't know what. On the par-5 in the back I holed about a 40-footer, but everything else didn't really -- a couple of 6-footers. I just stuffed it all day. That was kind of the thing.
The front I didn't -- I got one putt outside 15 feet. I think it was on number eight and didn't hole anything. Just tried to wait my turn. It's been quite a frustrating year with the flat stick.
THE MODERATOR: Quieter front nine, but really picked it up on the back nine. When did it really start clicking?
BROOKS KOEPKA: I guess I holed -- I finally holed putt on 12, par-3. I think that was nice to finally get one outside. That was probably about 15 feet.
Yeah, and then from there, I mean, you've got a good stretch if you can ball-strike it. The par-5 put myself in a good spot and then the par-4 just drove it in play right down the center all day. That was, I thought, huge. And stuffed it on the next and then, like I said, made a 45-, 50-footer on the par-5.
Yeah, if I can continue to do what I did today as far as ball-striking, which I feel like I've done over the past three months. It's just a matter of getting that putter heated up.
THE MODERATOR: What's the confidence from this round, like you said, with ball-striking for tomorrow, even next week?
BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, it's kind of the same thing. I just keep plugging along. Pete has me in a good spot. I feel like I'm striking it as good as I ever have, driving it as good as I ever have. If I can continue to do that, then I'm going to be very pleased where I'm at for a while.
THE MODERATOR: Three rounds in, what are you liking from this course so far?
BROOKS KOEPKA: I just think the course kind of suits my eye a little bit. The way the bunkering kind of comes in, I think you can reach the bunkers. I can't quite carry a bunch of them, so it's a matter of just being comfortable hitting we call it my fairway finder. Just tee it up on the right side and aim at the left side and just let it cut back, and I think that's been the big thing.
Q. If you don't mind taking us through 13 and what that eagle did for your round and your confidence, I guess?
BROOKS KOEPKA: Oh, you mean 15?
Q. I mean 15.
BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, I actually hit a decent drive. It kind of knuckled on me, and it was in the trampled down part of the rough kind of right along the rope line. Good lie.
I want to say 250 to the hole. A little into the breeze. It was just a good 3-iron. Hit it up there, and it landed probably two, three paces on and dribbled maybe 10 on, 15 on. From there, was able to hole a nice putt.
Q. You talk about how well you're hitting it. Is there anything about these greens that caused you to take some time to start to read them better?
BROOKS KOEPKA: No, no, the greens are fine. Just kind of been in consistent pattern of just hitting lips. I don't know if there's a stat of how many times guys hit the lip, but I feel like I would be right up there this year.
They're good putts. They just don't go in. They just seem to always just miss or kind of find a way to miss the hole, and it's been frustrating, but I'm just kind of waiting my turn, waiting for something good to happen, because I feel like as long as they're good putts, I'm okay with it to a certain extent.
Q. Obviously you've been in this position, chances to win so many times. Do you allow yourself to think about what a win can do for you at this point in your season and what it will allow you to do in the future?
BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, I'm not too worried about it. I think I'm just trying to play one more good round of golf and strike it the way I can. Like I said, the main focus is putting. I'll go right back to that putting green and try to make sure that I guess whatever I might have found today hopefully can bleed over and kind of continue into next week and then just build that momentum, because I think the one thing that's really been lacking is just confidence. Like I said, if you don't see anything go in for a long period of time, it's tough to be real positive over any putt.
Q. Brooks, just the par-5s, it seems like if you're a winner here, you've got to take advantage of the par-5s like you did today. Your length and everything else, like you did in the back nine, would signal that you're onto that. Would you agree that you have to take advantage of the par-5s?
BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, I think you have to here. I think some of the par-3s are quite good, but yeah, the par-5s are critical. I think if you can put the ball in the fairway or at least on the correct side if you're going to miss it, you're going to have a chance to get home in pretty much all of them.
I've done a good job of that. Yesterday I got a little frustrated on the drive on, what is it, four, and then the bogey there was kind of -- I could talk about that for a while, but...
Yeah, today was honestly the best ball-striking day I've had out in a while. It's nice to see, because I feel like -- we were talking yesterday. I feel like I haven't shot 6-under, 7-under, 8-under in a long time. I know a lot of that is because of the putter, but hopefully this can kind of translate into tomorrow and then into next week, and then you just build that momentum and ride the wave.
I mean, you see guys do it all the time, week in, week out. Cam Young is doing it right now.
Q. I know you were a little greedy on the last hole, but what a good recovery. Did that make your round just complete? You would have not been so happy had that gone by and you missed the putt for par.
BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, to be fair, I did get a little greedy. It was kind of a weird number, and I just kind of -- my body stopped, and I let the club kind of pass -- catch up to the hands and drew it.
Would like to have that one back, sitting here right now, but I'll take 7-under from where I was at the turn.
Q. I know you're obviously trying to win no matter where you play and whatever the situation, but given your status coming back to the tour now, putting yourself in a position maybe to win here, does this tournament all of a sudden get elevated in your mind?
BROOKS KOEPKA: Maybe. I guess maybe to everybody else, but to me I just look at it as a process of the whole thing, right?
I don't know when I expected to get into elevated events, whatever it is, but I said it earlier in the week, good play takes care of itself. If I just play good, go out there, have a good result tomorrow and a good result of following week and the week after that, good golf takes care of a lot.
THE MODERATOR: People on social have been looking at -- with your bag with your name not on it. You're a free agent. Is there a story behind when this bag, where you got it?
BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, I got it at Grove. I think it was -- I came up here Monday. I called Ken Weyand from Grove on Monday morning and was, like, hey, I didn't really think about this, but I need a golf bag. Does he have any extra?
I don't know if it was Ken's or supposed to be MJ's or who it's really for, but yeah, I'm thankful to have a bag. They've helped me out along the way. Grove has been fantastic. It's a great play to play, practice, and the membership is fantastic. Just felt like I wanted to represent them or support somebody that supports me.
Q. Brooks, when you play a nine like that, was there a sense of excitement with you and Ricky during that period? Was it different from any other round?
BROOKS KOEPKA: That's the most excited I've been playing golf in a long, long time. I can tell you that much. It's I would say back until '23, the PGA. That's the most -- it's been a long time since I've had fun playing golf.
At least a year I've been very -- I was very frustrated last year. Just wasn't in a good place, but I think a lot of times when you -- it's like anybody, right? If they're happy off the golf course, they're going to play well on the golf course. I think that's a huge, huge piece of it, and I've found that.
Refound my happiness, my love for the game. All the pieces are connected. It's just now I've got to go out and go play.
Q. How much inspiration does that give you not just for tomorrow, but especially next week and the weeks ahead of that?
BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, I'm super excited. It will be something I've been looking forward to for a while. I feel like I've been knocking on the door. It's very close. It's one piece here, one piece there.
Short game wasn't quite there at Augusta. Putted okay, but the short game now is starting to come around. Having Pete here, I got him in here on Wednesday night to be able to grind a little bit and make sure everything is where it needs to be.
Q. Last time a 29 for you, do you recall? Last time you shot 29 for nine holes?
BROOKS KOEPKA: I don't know.
Q. We can look it up.
THE MODERATOR: Nine Bridges.
BROOKS KOEPKA: I was thinking maybe I haven't done it, I don't know (laughing). Yeah, that was '19 maybe? Yeah, '19. It's been a long time, seven years. Wow.
Q. Welcome back.
BROOKS KOEPKA: Thanks.
Q. How have the fans here at Myrtle Beach been helping your play?
BROOKS KOEPKA: Today I thought was really cool. Kind of right when I started to -- I don't know if it had any coincidence or anything, but right when I started to make my run, it was kind of running that hole pattern on the golf course where the leaders are kind of on six, seven, eight, nine, and we're kind of very close to them. It just felt like our whole group, the gallery, got twice the size.
I love that. They've been fantastic. They've been super supportive all week, and it's fun to kind of get those feels of playing good. The crowd is growing. The energy is kind of with me, Ricky, and then they're buzzing a little bit too. It makes it for a fun experience.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports