Brooks Koepka got off to a rough start at Royal Troon on Thursday, bogeying two of his first three holes. Then, despite the swirling winds and rain, things took an unexpected turn as the Smash GC skipper carded four straight birdies to move from two over to two under faster than you can say “Playing Through.”
Of all the shots in Koepka’s sizzling four-hole stretch, it was his tee shot on the par-3 5th—a near-ace stinger—that produced the most drooling. Get a cold shower going and check it out.
Brooks goes *this* close to a hole-in-one on the 5th. pic.twitter.com/P9fSs4MAu5
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 18, 2024
Goodness gracious great balls of fire. Needless to say, BK is having it his way early at Royal Troon. Koepka cut his teeth on the Challenge and DP World Tours before breaking through stateside, so he knows how to wrangle a links golf course. He also knows if you want to go low this week, especially with the forecast looking the way it does, you literally have to go low.
The week is young, of course. There’s plenty of golf left to be played and the stakes will only go up, but we feel pretty confident calling this the filthiest shot you’ll see between now and Claret Jug o’ clock. So go watch it another 100 times. Ogle every curve of that trajectory. And don’t worry, it’ll be our little secret.