Brooks Koepka: First man to reach the milestone of five LIV Golf victories
For a man so used to winning, it’s interesting to learn that losing sticks longer in Brooks Koepka's mind than victory.
“I remember the defeats more than the wins,” he admits. “The wins are a blur, they happen so fast, but the losses...you learn from them but they’ll also keep you awake at night.”
There have been numerous occasions during his career when Koepka, the captain of LIV Golf team Smash GC, has slept perfectly soundly. This is a golfer who deals in firsts.
Koepka was the first player to take the individual prize in five LIV Golf tournaments, a mark he reached with his victory at The Greenbrier in 2024.
He was also the first man to win a major while an active LIV Golf player, which he achieved with victory in the 2023 PGA Championship.
And he was the first player ever to successfully defend both the U.S. Open and the PGA Championships.
Koepka has achieved pretty much everything in the world of golf, including five Major titles – but his rivals should not be in any doubt that his competitive fire burns as strongly as ever.
Keep it in the family: Why Koepka became interested in playing golf
Keep it in the family: Why Koepka became interested in playing golf
Brooks Koepka admits that golf initially appealed to him as a way of spending time with his family. “I just wanted to hang with my dad and my brother,” he says of his beginnings in the sport at the age of 10.
After several years honing his game near the family home in West Palm Beach, Florida, Koepka stayed in the state to play college golf for Florida State University.
He was a three-time winner and played as an amateur in the 2012 U.S. Open, where he missed the cut. But he turned pro that summer and started out on Europe’s Challenge Tour.
By then he had grown to a height of 6 ft, and in 2013 he won three times to earn a card for the European Tour the following year.
Koepka stepped up again in 2014 with a win at the Turkish Airlines Open and a consistency that earned him the Rookie of the Year Award. He also finished fourth at the U.S. Open, which earned him a PGA Tour card for 2015.
Koepka shows his class with victory in multiple majors
Koepka shows his class with victory in multiple majors
Brooks Koepka had competed well when he played several PGA Tour events on an invitational basis in 2014. Within weeks of joining the Tour full-time he had his first win, at the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
By the end of 2015 he had recorded his first two top-10 finishes at the majors, with a tie for 10th at The Open and joint fifth place at the PGA Championship. In the following year he went one better with fourth in the PGA – before the major wins began to roll in, in 2017.
Koepka, one shot back after the third round of the U.S. Open at Erin Hills, Wisconsin, blazed his way to victory by four strokes with a final round of 67. That tied for the joint lowest U.S. Open score in history, 16 under par.
His defense of that title a year later began at the demanding Shinnecock Hills course in New York. Koepka carded an opening round of 75, but a 66 the following day got him back in contention and he sealed the deal on the Sunday with a score of 68 and a one-stroke win.
Koepka was now a multiple major winner, and he followed up instantly by winning the next one, the 2018 PGA Championship. He finished at 16 under, two strokes clear of one of the men he credits as the greatest influence on his golfing career – Tiger Woods.
World No.1 and more major glory
World No.1 and more major glory
Brooks Koepka’s double Major win in 2018 carried him to the top of the world rankings for the first time, a position he would hold for a total of 47 weeks over the next couple of years.
His record in golf’s most prestigious tournaments in 2019 was extraordinary, as he finished in the top five in all four.
Koepka led after the first round at the Masters, but he eventually came up one stroke short to Tiger Woods' fairytale comeback victory.
At the PGA Championship, Koepka led by seven shots going into the final round, but won his fourth major by just two over Dustin Johnson.
Koepka moved steadily into contention at the U.S. Open, but had to settle for second place, three shots behind Gary Woodland. He then tied for fourth at The Open Championship, well behind Irish winner Shane Lowry.
His admirable consistency was on display again in 2021, despite having knee surgery in March of that year. He recorded top-10 finishes in three majors, including a tie for second place at the PGA.
He rounded off that year in style with two victories in the USA’s emphatic Ryder Cup victory over Europe at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin.
Koepka signs with LIV Golf and carries on winning
Koepka signs with LIV Golf and carries on winning
With his status as one of the world’s leading modern golfers firmly established, Brooks Koepka signed to LIV Golf in 2022.
And it was not long before he hit the winning trail again, with victory in the LIV Golf Invitational Jeddah in the October of that year.
Koepka, the captain of the Smash GC team, led from the front in 2023 with victories in the tournaments at Orlando and Jeddah.
Away from LIV Golf, Koepka took his tally of major victories to five as he won the PGA Championship for the third time. Koepka roared back from an opening round of 72 at Oak Hill, New York, and clinched a two-shot victory with a final round of 67.
This made him the first man to win three major titles at different courses in the same state. “I love New York, it’s treated me pretty well,” he said. “Three of the five have been in New York, so I’ll come back any time!”
Back on the LIV Golf circuit in 2024, Koepka took his total of individual titles to five with wins at Singapore and The Greenbrier – beating Jon Rahm in a playoff to win the latter event.
Brooks Koepka’s life away from the course
Brooks Koepka’s life away from the course
Brooks Koepka and Jena Sims first met in 2015, and began dating two years later. Sims is a model and actress who has featured in a host of movies and TV shows.
The couple got engaged in 2021 and Sims became his wife a year later. Their first child, Crew, was born in July 2023 and Koepka welcomed his son to the world with an emotional social media post saying simply: “I love my Crew.”
The Koepka family lives in Jupiter, Florida. The couple featured extensively in the popular TV series "Full Swing."
Koepka’s brother Chase, who is four years younger, is also a pro golfer who played on the LIV Golf circuit in 2022 and 2023.
While Koepka often presents a serious face of total concentration to the world during tournaments, he definitely has a lighter side too. He sported a mullet for the Ryder Cup in Italy in 2023.
Ambition to win the Masters and The Open
Ambition to win the Masters and The Open
Brooks Koepka would clearly love to complete the career Grand Slam by adding victories at the Masters and The Open Championship.
He has stated that St. Andrews is his favorite course – and the Home of Golf will host The Open again 2027.
The Masters, where Koepka has tied for second twice, will always be a personal target.
He said: “When March comes around I go to work, I shut everything off. It feels like the rest of my life doesn’t even exist. It is just go play golf, try and win Augusta.”
Clearly, Koepka’s appetite for firsts, in LIV Golf and beyond, is as keen as ever.
Latest Videos
Latest News
3/13 events
Pos.
22
Event | Finish | Points | Score | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
RiyadhFEB 06-08, 2025 | T33 | 0 | -5 R1:+2 R2:-5 R3:-2 | |||
AdelaideFEB 14-16, 2025 | T7 | 10.8 | -6 R1:-3 R2:-1 R3:-2 | |||
Hong KongMAR 07-09, 2025 | T35 | 0 | -5 R1:+2 R2:-5 R3:-2 | |||
SingaporeMAR 14-16, 2025 | - | - | - | |||
MiamiAPR 04-06, 2025 | - | - | - | |||
Mexico CityAPR 25-27, 2025 | - | - | - | |||
KoreaMAY 02-04, 2025 | - | - | - | |||
DCJUN 06-08, 2025 | - | - | - | |||
DallasJUN 27-29, 2025 | - | - | - | |||
AndalucíaJUL 11-13, 2025 | - | - | - | |||
United KingdomJUL 25-27, 2025 | - | - | - | |||
ChicagoAUG 08-10, 2025 | - | - | - | |||
IndianapolisAUG 15-17, 2025 | - | - | - |