Brooks Koepka stunned Akshay Bhatia and his caddie Joe Greiner with the revelation that he does not use yardage books during rounds. The 36-year-old is seeking to win his fourth PGA Championship title this weekend.
Koepka's Unconventional Approach
Koepka, who returned to the PGA Tour from LIV Golf earlier this year, is a five-time major winner. A victory at Aronimink would see him equal Tiger Woods' four PGA Championship triumphs, with the overall event record of five shared by Walter Hagen and Jack Nicklaus.
The former world No.1 scored one-under-par during his opening round on Thursday, putting him in joint-15th place, two strokes behind the leaders. However, Koepka's behaviour and more instinctive approach towards the sport previously shocked American golfer Bhatia and his caddie Joe Greiner.
In footage recently posted by the PGA Tour from the Players Championship, a surprised Bhatia asked Koepka: “You don’t carry a yardage book?” After Koepka replied, ‘No,” Bhatia shared the revelation with his caddie, asking: “Do you know another player that doesn’t carry a yardage book?”
While Greiner named JT Poston as an example, the caddie was amazed to see Koepka's unusual behaviour in action. “Oh, he doesn’t even have the book,” Bhatia’s caddie said. “I love it.”
“That’s how I think I would play best. Doesn’t even have one. That is remarkable.”
Why Koepka Avoids Yardage Books
While Bhatia and Greiner marvelled at Koepka's unusual approach, the multi-time PGA Championship winner insists it helps his game. “It’s not too difficult. I’ve played enough golf, I can eye it and pretty much know what it’s going to be by looking at it,” Koepka told the PGA.
“You just kind of know what it is. I just found myself looking at the yardage book too much. I’d look at it and see the bunker and looks like it’s tucked, then I look up and I see what’s in front of me and it’s not tucked. It’s why you play practice rounds.”
He added: “I’ve pretty much done that my whole career as a professional. You play the place plenty of years, plenty of times, practice rounds.
“You know where the pin is, where you should miss it, where you shouldn’t miss it. So looking at a yardage book isn’t going to really do you any good because you already know where it’s at.”
Koepka's Instinctive Style
Koepka reiterated his stance during a recent appearance on the Pardon My Take podcast. He adopted the style around a decade ago and has normally selected the correct club before talking to his caddie Ricky Elliott, though his bagman has the final say.
“I think of it, like anybody else, you just ball a piece of paper up and throw it in the trash can and look like Kobe,” Koepka said of his reactive style. “All of a sudden, you start thinking about it and it’s just brick city.”
When asked about his dynamic with Elliott, Koepka quipped: “It’s up to Rick. If he doesn’t give the right number, I’m in a lot of trouble because I’m not backing him up!”
