Get used to hearing the name Brooks Koepka
Golf has a new superstar, and his journey into the game’s elite ranks has been an unprecedented one.
Brooks Koepka won the Turkish Airlines Open on Sunday in Turkey, closing with 7-under 65 to nip Ian Poulter by a shot for his first European Tour title. The win catapults Koepka, who entered the week ranked 61st in the world, into the top 35 and practically assures him a spot in all four major championships and World Golf Championships events for 2015.
What makes Koepka so unique? The 24-year-old Florida State product didn’t try to earn his way to the PGA Tour fresh out of school, instead taking the path blazed by friend Peter Uihlein, opting to head to Europe and try to earn European Tour status. Koepka earned playing privileges on the Challenge Tour, the European equivalent of the Web.com Tour, and quickly found success. He won in his rookie season, then three more times in 2013 to earn a European Tour card.
However, 2014 has been Koepka’s break-out season. He opened the 2013-14 PGA Tour season with a T-3 finish at the Frys.com Open, leading to 16 total starts, including the final three majors of the year. You could be forgiven for not knowing Koepka finished T-4 at the U.S. Open in June. Martin Kaymer’s dominance at Pinehurst No. 2 overshadowed anyone underneath him on the leaderboard. Koepka finished a solid T-15 at the PGA Championship.
Koepka is closing the season on an even more impressive tear. In his last seven worldwide starts, he’s finished outside the top 11 just once. He racked up two top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour at the Frys.com Open and in Las Vegas, earning almost $425,000 in the early portion of the wraparound season.
Traveling some 53,000 miles to play pro golf worldwide this year, Koepka’s passport is practically worn out, but each stamp is proof his game can travel pretty much anywhere. With his win on Sunday, Koepka made it clear he intends to leave his own stamp on the sport.
Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.
