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Brooks Koepka has gotten off to a great start at the PGA Championship, and every cut has resulted in a top-20 finish this season.
The five-time major winner returned to the PGA Tour this season after spending four years with LIV Golf and was one of 33 players to shoot 70 in the first round Thursday at Aronimink Golf Club outside Philadelphia.
Last year was a struggle for Koepka on the course as he missed the cut in three of the four majors and finished 31st in the LIV individual standings.
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Brooks Koepka reacts after his putt on the 14th green during the first round of the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, on May 14, 2026. (James Lang/Imagn Images)
But it was also a struggle off the course, especially with his wife, Jena Sims, suffering a miscarriage at 16 weeks pregnant.
After his first round Thursday, Koepka admitted that “a lot of family issues” last year “took a toll” on him and affected his game.
“It was kind of hard to handle,” Koepka said, via the New York Post .
But home is “a much better place”, which coincides with his impressive early scores.
“It’s easier to come out to work when everything at home is aligned. Everything is much better. Last year was just hard personally with what was going on off the golf course, nothing to do about it. It was just out there,” Koepka continued.
Brooks Koepka plays his tee shot on the tenth hole during the first round of the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, on May 14, 2026. (Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)
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“So, yeah, just being in a better place. It’s exciting. It’s kind of a fresh start, too. I think that’s a big part of it. Yeah, when everything like that lines up, it makes it fun to be out here.”
“It’s been a long time since I’ve had fun playing golf. I was very frustrated last year. I just wasn’t in a good place, but I think a lot of times when you — it’s like everybody else, right? If they’re happy off the golf course, they’re going to play well on the golf course. I think that’s a big, huge piece of it,” Koepka said.
“Rediscovered my happiness, my love for the game. All the pieces are connected. I just have to go out and play.”
Koepka is currently aiming for his fourth PGA Championship win after also winning in 2018, 2019 and 2023. He would join Walter Hagen, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as the only four-time winners of the event.
Brooks Koepka walks the 18th green during the first round of the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, on May 14, 2026. (Ben Jared/PGA Tour)
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Koepka struggled in his early return to the PGA Tour, finishing T55 at the Farmers Insurance Open and missing the cut at the Waste Management Open. But since then, despite two other missed cuts, his finishes have ranged from T9 to T18.
