Where does my competitive drive come from?

Where does my competitive drive come from?

Everything always seemed so difficult to grow. We didn’t have a lot of money when I was a kid, so I couldn’t always go play golf tournaments as much as I wanted and basically couldn’t afford a coach. They never gave me anything.

Maybe that’s why I didn’t immediately take an interest in golf as a kid. Who knows? Honestly, I was more interested in baseball when I was young. And I always liked playing basketball too, even though it wasn’t big enough. As a kid, I always felt like I was interested in anything but golf, and yet that’s what I finally focused on. I think I chose the correct sport.

Brooks Koepka as a child.

I give my brother Chase credit for a lot of that. We just learned how to go out and make golf fun when we were together, and I think that was the most important part of my interest in the game. I remember my parents leaving us maybe at 7:30 in the morning and it was getting dark before we headed home. We would still be on the green making some shots on the flop, even if it was against the rules. Just chip, putt and we have fun. So it was every summer. It was like a dream and I wish I could do it today. When I have kids one day, I want to have the ability to go out and play all day. It’s good to have fun and you have to remember that golf is still fun, even though we are here playing for a lot of different things and trying to win tournaments.

I remember a boy named Kenny Leech, whom I have known for about 10 years, and he was an incredible player. He kicked my ass for the longest time until we got to college. I’d say for 10 solid years, I was doing myself some serious harm. I don’t remember hitting him a lot and he handed it to me most of the time. I hate to lose. No matter what it is, whether it’s ping-pong, pool, darts, whatever, I can’t bear to lose and it drives me crazy. So as long as I can find a way to hit you, even when I lose, I’ll go back to when I beat you that time. It is ingrained in me.

In college, I remember that I had a certain amount of money left over from my scholarship to Florida State University to play in some tournaments. I always entered those with a strong sense of faith in me. I think that’s the one thing I’ve always had: the ability to always believe in myself, whether things are going well or not. And when things don’t go well, stay the course and everything will be fine. It feels like I’ve done a good job with it.

Brooks Koepka with Chase. Published

Looking back now, I think I won maybe five tournaments as a junior in Tallahassee. It wasn’t like he was winning steadily and he wasn’t the “hip” guy by any means. I was not the best. And when you’re not that, I guess you really want to win, you always want to be something that you can’t be. And I think that’s what pushed me and pushed me to the limit. Finishing second or third, or much worse, really pissed me off and ate me alive inside. That’s why I think I have it today.

I promise you, I work hard when I can, when I am not physically incapable. I’m out there all day, every day practicing and trying to figure it out, especially recently when I was struggling a bit. So many hours have passed. I basically come home, sit on the couch and pass out. There is nothing left, there is no energy that has not been spent.

In sports, athletes are often seen finding something that motivates them. You find that something and use it to motivate yourself to show them or beat them. I’ll choose little things, whether it’s playing with a boy for the week or the first two days. And you just want to show him what you’re made of, show him what you’ve got. I think it’s important to create those little matches that go through my head. I love when someone tells me I can’t do something. I enjoy proving them wrong.

Sometimes they misunderstand me as blunt, but I think some people can’t handle the truth. I think that’s the big difference. I will tell you if I am playing well, if I am playing poorly or how I feel about what is happening. Many people don’t like the truth. They don’t want to hear it and they can’t handle it. But I call it what I see it, so if I think you’re acting like a kid on the golf course, I have no problem saying it. Many times I will say nothing unless asked. I can serve it and I can also accept it, so if I do something wrong, I would be the first to acknowledge it.

I know the bigger the stage and the brighter the lights, the more ready I am to compete. And I think you have to have a different mindset for that. I have thrived on it. I have always had to work for everything. That’s why I enjoy proving that people are wrong. It sure has been a fun trip. The only people who support me are my family and me, and that’s it. Everyone else is here trying to beat me.

Where I am in my career right now, I feel like I could easily have six races to my name, and there are a lot of second places there too. I’d like to get to 25 career wins on the PGA Tour. That would be goal number one, and after that, it would probably be to reach 10 majors.

Why not shoot high, right? It’s the same competitive advantage that brought me to this point. Maybe I should thank Chase and Kenny for that.

Note: Brooks Koepka is a seven-time PGA Tour winner, including four major titles. You can see him and the PGA Tour on GOLFTV powered by PGA Tour.