Top Ad
I DIG Radio
www.idigradio.com
Listen live to the best music from around the world!
I DIG Style
www.idigstyle.com
Learn about the latest fashion styles and more...

A closer look: Hard to appreciate Koepka's greatness in real time

Written by 
Published in Golf
Monday, 20 May 2019 12:40

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. – With the familiar glint of his own reflection once again staring back at him from the rim of the Wanamaker Trophy, Brooks Koepka was assigned the unenviable task of assessing what he had just accomplished. Another major down, another title retained.

Koepka was the clear alpha male last week at Bethpage, as those players who teed off in the afternoon wave Thursday spent the entirety of their PGA Championship experience staring up at his name atop the Black Course leaderboards.

It’s a fourth major title, and his third in the last five contested. At this point he’s moving so fast, the ink is barely able to dry before the history books require a revision.

“It’s been incredibly quick, I know that,” Koepka said. “I don’t think I even thought I was going to do it that fast. I don’t think anybody did, and to be standing here today with four majors, it’s mind-blowing.”

The accolades from Koepka’s dominant performance are still pouring in. He became the fastest ever to go from zero to four majors, and after celebrating his 27th birthday with just a single PGA Tour victory to his credit, he captured his fourth major just weeks after turning 29.

It’s been a whirlwind transformation from an also-ran to an all-time great. But the dizzying speed with which he’s pulled it off might make it difficult to appreciate the magnitude of the achievement in real time.

“It’s kind of an outlier situation,” said Rickie Fowler. “You’re not supposed to get four that quick, or that easy. Not to say that it has been easy, but he’s made it look easy.”

Too often in a culture replete with hot takes, fans and media alike can become prisoners of the moment. Recency bias is a constant temptress, making the conquests we just witnessed seem much more important in a historical context than they might eventually appear.

But with Koepka’s torrid stretch over the last two years, it’s somehow worked in the opposite direction. Afforded little time to process what he’s done before he’s added another achievement to the list, we might end up short-changing what will inevitably become one of the greatest heaters the game has ever seen.

“People don’t realize how hard it is to get from zero to four really quickly,” said Jason Day. “He’s playing some amazing golf, and the last time I saw someone do that was Rory.”

Koepka’s major haul has now tied that of Rory McIlroy, with only Woods and Phil Mickelson ahead of them among active players. But McIlroy’s wins were stretched across a four-year span, still compact enough to have many wondering if he might be on a trajectory to rival Woods and Jack Nicklaus when he left Valhalla in 2014.

Mickelson’s fourth major came six years after his first. Ernie Els’ four titles encompassed an 18-year window, while Ray Floyd, whose dominant, wire-to-wire win at the 1976 Masters and steely determination drew comparisons to Koepka over the weekend, won his fourth major 17 years after his maiden triumph. Those arcs offered plenty of time to savor each chapter and appreciate the ascent into rarified air, from major champ to multiple winner to Hall-of-Famer.

In this regard, even the two greatest players ever can’t keep pace with Koepka. Woods won his fourth major a little more than three years after his first, while Nicklaus reached No. 4 in just shy of three years.

Although delineating the boundaries of a golfer’s prime is a fool’s errand, Koepka has undoubtedly capitalized on his with unprecedented efficiency.

“Pretty much if you watch everybody’s career, they get about 18 months where they truly peak,” said Padraig Harrington. “Whether they’re 100th in the world and they become 50th, or 50th becomes 20th, or 20 becomes 10, or 10 becomes 1, everybody gets that 18 months where they become a little bit more comfortable with who they are and their game. And things happen.”

It’s a viewpoint that has ample merit from a man who made the most of his time in the sun. Harrington captured three majors in a 14-month span, while Woods’ peak engineered the Tiger Slam and seven majors in an 11-tournament stretch. Jordan Spieth came within a few shots of winning the single-season Grand Slam in 2015, and he very well might spend the next two decades being compared against his former self.

For Koepka, it’s 24 months and counting. The nonchalance with which he threw out the target of 10 majors titles at the beginning of the week, a mark reached by only three players in history, was jarring. But it reflects the notion that no one, least of all Koepka, believes he’s done collecting hardware.

Still, there is no exit sign aglow when a player begins his descent from the summit. Arnold Palmer was done winning his seven majors by age 34, while Tom Watson won his eighth and final at age 33 despite a memorable runner-up decades later. Harrington has only contended once in a major since defending his Open title at Royal Birkdale in 2008.

Even McIlroy’s recent drought, while unexpected, has served in some ways to make his previous victories seem all the more impressive. Majors just aren’t that easy to win, even when you’ve done it before with some regularity.

Such could be the case for Koepka, who in a matter of months has reached a plateau others have needed a decade or more to find. This is more than just a hot streak; this is one of the best to ever play the game condensing an entire career’s worth of celebrations into a Congressional term in office while showing no signs of slowing down.

But in a sport that often marries greatness with sustained excellence, Koepka’s achievements might only get their just due once he flashes a little mortality. Until then, the record keepers will have a fresh pen at the ready.

“It’s hard to peak all your life,” Harrington said. “Otherwise, it wouldn’t be a peak.”

Read 397 times

Soccer

Liverpool, Utd campaign to combat tragedy abuse

Liverpool, Utd campaign to combat tragedy abuse

EmailPrintLiverpool and Manchester United have jointly launched an education programme through their...

Breaking down the Premier League title race, and why Arsenal could edge Man City

Breaking down the Premier League title race, and why Arsenal could edge Man City

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsHollywood might struggle to match what looks like being an edge-of-...

Sources: Giroud finalizing DP deal with LAFC

Sources: Giroud finalizing DP deal with LAFC

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsMLS side LAFC is finalizing a deal with AC Milan and France interna...

2026 FIFA


2028 LOS ANGELES OLYMPIC

UEFA

Basketball

MPJ defends brother amid betting investigation

MPJ defends brother amid betting investigation

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsDenver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. said Wednesday night that...

Rockets, with play-in in sight, win 10th straight

Rockets, with play-in in sight, win 10th straight

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsOKLAHOMA CITY -- Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta, front offic...

Baseball

Athletics' Andújar has surgery, could miss month

Athletics' Andújar has surgery, could miss month

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsOAKLAND, Calif. -- Athletics outfielder Miguel Andujar had surgery...

Boone to Soto: Don't defer to Yankees veterans

Boone to Soto: Don't defer to Yankees veterans

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsOn the eve of the New York Yankees' season opener at Minute Maid Pa...

Sports Leagues

  • FIFA

    Fédération Internationale de Football Association
  • NBA

    National Basketball Association
  • ATP

    Association of Tennis Professionals
  • MLB

    Major League Baseball
  • ITTF

    International Table Tennis Federation
  • NFL

    Nactional Football Leagues
  • FISB

    Federation Internationale de Speedball

About Us

I Dig® is a leading global brand that makes it more enjoyable to surf the internet, conduct transactions and access, share, and create information.  Today I Dig® attracts millions of users every month.r

 

Phone: (800) 737. 6040
Fax: (800) 825 5558
Website: www.idig.com
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Affiliated