Koepka Hints That He Was The Best Player In 2019

The World No.1 lost out to Rory McIlroy for the PGA Tour's Player of the Year award

Koepka Hints That He Was The Best Player In 2019
(Image credit: Getty Images)

The World No.1 lost out to Rory McIlroy for the PGA Tour's Player of the Year award

Koepka Hints That He Was The Best Player In 2019

World Number One Brooks Koepka returns this week at the Shriners Open in Las Vegas as he makes his first start of the 2019/20 PGA Tour season.

It meant that media got to question the four-time Major winner for the first time in six weeks after the Tour Championship, and a couple things have happened in that time.

He revealed that he has a stem cell operation on his left knee the day after East Lake after struggling with it since March.

He says he has spent the last week-and-a-half practising after four weeks rehab.

"I'm going to practice," he said for the coming season.

"You know, I've got five, six years left of probably my prime I guess you could say.

"I want to see how far I can take it. I'm a little extra motivated.

"Feeling 100% is nice, but extremely motivated to see how far I can push it."

Another thing that has happened in his time away was Rory McIlroy being named as the PGA Tour's Player of the Year.

Rory won the same amount of tournaments as Koepka but recorded more top-10s and led four key statistics for the season (SG: Off the tee, SG: tee-to-green, SG: total and Scoring average).

Koepka, though, did win his fourth Major at the USPGA Championship.

Asked on his thoughts of not winning the accolade, he hinted that he was the best player of 2019, not McIlroy, by comparing himself to basketball star LeBron James.

"I don't play for awards. I just play to win, win trophies, win tournaments," he said.

"Yeah, it would've been great, but I think everybody in this room knows -- I mean, LeBron has only won 4 MVPs and I'm pretty sure he's been the best player for more than just four years."

See more

For all the latest golf news, check the Golf Monthly website and follow our social media channels @golfmonthlymagazine on Facebook and @golfmonthly on Twitter and Instagram

Elliott Heath
News Editor

Elliott Heath is our News Editor and has been with Golf Monthly since early 2016 after graduating with a degree in Sports Journalism. He manages the Golf Monthly news team as well as our large Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. He covered the 2022 Masters from Augusta National as well as five Open Championships on-site including the 150th at St Andrews. His first Open was in 2017 at Royal Birkdale, when he walked inside the ropes with Jordan Spieth during the Texan's memorable Claret Jug triumph. He has played 35 of our Top 100 golf courses, with his favourites being both Sunningdales, Woodhall Spa, Western Gailes, Old Head and Turnberry. He has been obsessed with the sport since the age of 8 and currently plays off of a six handicap. His golfing highlights are making albatross on the 9th hole on the Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa, shooting an under-par round, playing in the Aramco Team Series on the Ladies European Tour and making his one and only hole-in-one at the age of 15 - a long time ago now!


Elliott is currently playing:


Driver: Titleist TSR4

3 wood: Titleist TSi2

Hybrids: Titleist 816 H1

Irons: Mizuno MP5 5-PW

Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore 50, 54, 58

Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG #5

Ball: Srixon Z Star XV