Brooks Koepka responds sharply to his repeated 2019 PGA Championship quote – “I said it once”

Brooks Koepka posted a 2-under 68 in the first round of the 125th US Open at Oakmont Country Club. The five-time major champion sat just two back of leader J.J. Spaun. However, the LIV star, who hasn't been inside the top five of the US Open leaderboard after day 1 since 2021, even landed some sassy punches in his post-round press conference.

A reporter on Thursday tried to refresh Koepka’s memory of his famous quote from the 2019 PGA Championship at Bethpage Black. The ace golfer, while speaking in a pre-tournament presser, said, “Sometimes the majors are the easiest ones to win.” He claimed that he just had a “few” players to beat to win a major after most of the field “shoot themselves out of it.” The media brought up the comment on Thursday, expecting a solid reaction from Koepka.

However, the 35-year-old tried to distance himself from the comment. When pushed further, he clapped back at the reporter and said he “said it once and now everybody repeats it.”

Here is the exchange between Brooks Koepka and a reporter at the US Open Day 1 post-round presser at Oakmont, as quoted by ASAP Sports:

“Q. Everyone always points back to the comment at Bethpage: Five, ten players, whatever, can win this week. Do you still think of yourself that way, or has it changed at all?

Koepka: I mean, I don't talk about it, you guys talk about it.

Q. It was your quote, though.

Koepka: It was. I said it once, and now everybody repeats it.”

For the unversed, here is what Brooks Koepka had said in a pre-tournament presser at the 2019 PGA Championship at Bethpage Black, as quoted by Golf Digest:

“I think sometimes the majors are the easiest ones to win. Half the people shoot themselves out of it, and mentally I know I can beat most of them, and then from there it's those guys left, who's going to play good and who can win? There's 156 (players) in the field, so you figure at least 80 of them I'm just going to beat.

From there, you figure about half of them won't play well, so you're down to maybe 35. And then from 35, some of them just—pressure is going to get to them. It only leaves you with a few more, and you've just got to beat those guys.”

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Brooks Koepka had an unpleasant exchange with coach

Brooks Koepka didn’t hold back through the round 1 press conference on Thursday. Soon after the exchange on the 2019 comments, the ace golfer also made a strong statement for a query on missing each of the last two cuts in majors. The LIV Golf star, who missed back-to-back cuts at majors for the first time in his career, admitted being ‘hard to be around’ during that time.

Koepka said the bad run of form ‘drove him nuts’ until a week before the current US Open. He claimed being ‘unhappy’ and ‘irritated’ by it. Furthermore, Koepka went on to apologize to his wife Jena Sims, his son Crew, his coaches and ‘everybody’ while reiterating that he himself “wouldn't have wanted to be around” him during the time.

Interestingly, Brooks Koepka's short-game coach Pete Cowen scolded him during a 45-minute bunker session on Monday. The unpleasant exchange even inspired Justin Thomas to check on his LIV rival later on. While Koepka declined to specify details of the heated exchange with his coach, he claimed being in need of it. The former PGA Tour star went on to laud Cowen for inspiring him.

For the unversed, Brooks Koepka carded an early-round eagle at the par-5 fourth on Thursday to go two under. He leapt into the mix at the 125th US Open with this and stayed on top. The ace golfer made five straight pars and finished off with an even par to post a 68. The ace golfer, sitting two strokes off the lead, is being dubbed a favorite by fans.