The 2025 U.S. Open teed off on Thursday, with the world’s best golfers trying to figure out Oakmont Country Club. The golf course just outside of Pittsburgh, PA, is considered one of the most difficult in the world. While many of the top-ranked golfers like Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, and Bryson DeChambeau had a hard time, Brooks Koepka thrived.
Koepka signed for a 2-under 68 to sit two shots off the lead, surprisingly held by J.J. Spaun. Afterward, Koepka detailed his round, but also what it has taken for him to find proper form once again.
“I thought I played pretty consistent, drove it really well,” he said of his opening 18. “Iron play was pretty good. When I did miss it, I felt like I missed it in the correct spots. A couple of good bunker shots.”
It was not very long ago that Brooks Koepka was considered the best golfer on the planet.
He broke through in majors, winning the 2017 U.S. Open at Erin Hills. The following year, he defended his U.S. Open crown, while also winning the first of three PGA Championship titles. Koepka was making his case that he was the best golfer of his generation.
However, his game has fallen on hard times over the last year or so. For the first time in his career, he missed the cut in consecutive majors, having done so at this year’s Masters and PGA Championship. He has not lived up to his reputation on the LIV Golf tour, either. Therefore, not much was expected of the five-time major winner entering Oakmont.
Apparently, there is a direct reason for his ascension.
“I’ll put it this way: JT thought he had to come check on me in the bunker.”
Brooks Koepka opened up about a heated conversation he had with his coach Pete Cowen, and how it helped him. pic.twitter.com/PgdZC4XNKn
— GOLF.com (@GOLF_com) June 13, 2025
“I would say from the first weekend in April until about last week, you didn’t want to be around me,” Koepka said. “It drove me nuts. It ate at me. I haven’t been happy. It’s been very irritating. It’s a lot — I mean, I had to apologize — I’ve apologized to Rick, Pete, Jeff, Blake, my wife, my son, everybody.”
The 35-year-old pro then referenced a vocal berating he received from the hands of his coach.
“I’ll put it this way: JT [Justin Thomas] thought he had to come check on me in the bunker. We were in there for about 45 minutes, and he was on the other side of the green. I saw him Monday night. We were at a Rolex function. He was like, I was worried; your head was down… I’ll keep that between us. I wasn’t happy with it, but it was something I think you need to hear or I needed to hear at the right time.”
“I don’t like having ‘yes’ people around me. I just want somebody to tell me the truth, tell me what’s going on, what they see. If I start swaying from being Brooks Koepka, then I want someone to call me out on it, and he did a helluva job on it.”
It appears as though it worked. Koepka is in search of his third U.S. Open title and first major in more than two years.
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