Brooks Koepka reveals 'punishment' workout to reclaim PGA Championship crown
Brooks Koepka for LIV Golf
Three-time winner Brooks Koepka has detailed how a series of "punishment workouts" got his game back into shape for the defence of his US PGA Championship title.
A year after finishing runner-up in the Masters, Koepka could only finish a lowly 45th at Augusta National last month after failing to shoot level par or better in any of the four rounds.
The five-time major winner apologised to his team for the poor display and those responsible for his physical fitness decided to exact their own form of "revenge" on the former world number one.
"Everybody had put in a lot of hard work," Koepka said in his pre-championship press conference at Valhalla, where he finished 15th in 2014.
"[They had] dedicated a lot of time and effort and then for me to go out and play like that is not what I expect of myself, I don't think what they expect of me.
"So yeah, just we had a good talk and just kind of put our nose down and kept grinding. Had some difficult punishment workouts. It was long hours on the range. Just worked with everybody and really tried to go back to the fundamentals, and I think that was the important thing.
"I'm not looking for the punishment workout. I just get told. It sucks. It's not a lot of fun. A lot more running. Very up-tempo, no rest.
"Ara Suppiah, he kind of oversees my programme. I walked in and Ara told me that 'you finished 45th, you're going to get penalised'.
"I think I had like four or five days in a row of just… I turned white, I wanted to throw up in a few of them. But yeah, got through it."
Koepka's victory at Oak Hill last year made him the first LIV Golf player to win a major after joining the Saudi-funded breakaway and means he has won more majors (five) than regular PGA Tour events (four).
Asked to explain the difference in his mindset between majors and regular events, Koepka added: "I don't know. I mean, I've heard from just kind of the people around me, it's just different.
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"Like my demeanour and focus is just different. I can't explain it. But everybody on the team can kind of see it and they kind of know I can walk right past them and I don't even know that they are there sometimes.
"It's just a grinding week. You've got to be fully locked in. I feel like you can't take one shot off. I love that. It's always, you're one shot away from making a double bogey and that's what I love."
