Brooks Koepka. Unusual name, and not exactly a household one outside of the world of golf.
But Koepka hit the headlines once more in an ever burgeoning career when he held off none other than Tiger Woods to clinch the US PGA Championship title on Sunday at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis.
This was his third major title, after he won two consecutive US Opens over the last two years.
So, exactly who is Brooks Koepka?
1 He was born on May 3, 1990 in West Palm Beach, Florida, is 28 years old and is ranked second in the world.
2 He literally played golf by accident: the golfdigest.com website reports that at age 10, Koepka sustained a broken nose after his babysitter was involved in a car accident. He couldn’t play any contact sport that summer, so had to resort to golf…
3 Has a pro golfer brother, Chase Koepka.
4 Brooks Koepka has enjoyed 14 top-25 finishes in 18 cuts that he’s made out of 20 majors, with three victories.
5 His parents, Bob Koepka and Denise Jakows, are divorced, with Jakows also a breast cancer survivor.
6 He did the “hard yards” by campaigning on the European Challenge Tour and in Japan, and nearly called it quits before winning a tournament in Scotland to earn a European Tour card.
Brooks Koepka poses with the Wanamaker Trophy on the 18th green. Photo: Charlie Riedel/AP
7 Became the first player since Curtis Strange in 1989 and 1990 to win two consecutive US Open titles in June this year.
8 His girlfriend is a former Miss Georgia Teen USA winner and actress Jena Sims.
Brooks Koepka leans on the Wanamaker Trophy as he talks with his girlfriend Jena Sims. Photo: Charlie Riedel/AP
9 He is close friends with World No 1 Dustin Johnson.
10 His great-uncle Dick Groat is a former Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop, and he says he would’ve been a baseball player in another life. “If I could do it over again, I’d play baseball – 100 percent, no doubt,” Koepka told Golf Digest in 2015.
Brooks Koepka won his third major title at the US PGA Championship on Sunday. Video: Lubabalo Poswa/African News Agency/ANA
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