ORLANDO, Fla. – It wasn’t difficult to assess Brooks Koepka’s mood following an even-par 72 on Day 1 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
“Even par. Nothing to get excited about. Nothing to rave about," he said. "It's not far off, but it's still, it's annoying."
The former world No. 1 believes he’s on the right track following an injury-filled off-season, but that didn’t help his outlook after another pedestrian round.
"Just can’t play golf. Can’t score," he said. "When you can’t score it’s tough to really be aggressive, can’t really do anything."
Koepka’s best finish this season on the PGA Tour is a tie for 43rd at the Genesis Invitational – although he did finish inside the top 20 earlier this year on the European Tour – and he missed the cut last week at the Honda Classic.
The expectations are always high for Koepka but he’s been through similar slow starts in his career and still feels like he’s closer than his scores might suggest. In fact, he suggested how close he was when the former Florida State golfer was asked about the Seminoles football team’s outlook for next season.
“They got a longer way to go than I do,” he said with a smile. “They have got a few years. Hopefully mine doesn't take that long.”