Brooks Koepka is viewed as one of the favorites heading into The Open Championship this week, but the five-time major winner may have to overcome one of his biggest pet peeves in the first and second rounds of the tournament.
Koepka has been paired with Patrick Cantlay and Hideki Matsuyama for the first two rounds at Royal Liverpool. If you remember, Koepka played behind Cantlay during the final round of the Masters back in April. Koepka complained that Cantlay and his playing partner Viktor Hovland were “brutally slow.” Cantley responded by placing the blame on someone else.
Koepka has been outspoken about slow play from other players in the past, but Cantlay was the latest to get under his skin. That led to everyone making the same comment about the two being paired together at The Open.
Brooks Koepka paired with Cantlay and Matsuyama at the Open. Better start working on those meditative breathing exercises now.
— Dan Rapaport (@Daniel_Rapaport) July 18, 2023
Wow Koepka is teed up with Cantlay and Matsuyama…that’s going to be long round! #theopen
— onthegreenwithchloe (@ChloeAllyn) July 18, 2023
Brooks Koepka paired with Cantlay and Matsuyama at the Open. He might kill someone on Thursday or just WD lol
— Klick (@KlickThaKid) July 18, 2023
If Cantlay and Hideki don’t figure out how to play faster between now and Thursday, the whole world is going to feel Brooks Koepka’s wrath.
— Calvin White (@calvinwhite55) July 18, 2023
At least Koepka knows what to expect. He has plenty of time to prepare for the potentially slow pace of play, which is a luxury he did not have heading into the final round of the Masters. Still, the storyline will be one worth keeping an eye on.
