Brooks Koepka’s start to the 2019 calendar year has been a head-scratching one.
While he was able to pick up a wrap-around season victory at the CJ Cup last October, outside of a T2 at the Honda Classic earlier this month, the three-time major champion’s results have been less-than-stellar, and following the conclusion of The Players Championship, he revealed why.
Speaking to GolfChannel.com’s Ryan Lavner, Koepka revealed that he has lost 24 pounds since November, causing him to lose 10-12 yards off the tee and some of his normal feels.
“When you go from 212 pounds to 190, there’s not as much weight going forward through the ball,” Koepka said. “I don’t have as much feel. I just feel out of sorts.”
Brooks Koepka wants to eat. He has intentionally lost 24 pounds since November, but isn’t yet saying why. ESPN Body Issue, perhaps? https://t.co/m4PD3GlBqm
— Ryan Lavner (@RyanLavnerGC) March 17, 2019
For reference, Koepka finished last season ninth in strokes gained: off the tee, and through The Players Championship, he ranks 59th in the stat.
So, what’s the reasoning for one of golf’s most universally acclaimed fitness freaks to drop such significant weight? He’s not saying… yet.
“You’ll see,” Koepka said on Sunday. “After Wednesday I’ll be fine.”
The weight came off as a result of Koepka doing “more of everything,” from two-a-day workouts, running and eating much healthier more consistently.
“I just want to be able to eat again,” he said. “I’m going to put it back on. I just want to eat normal and not train as hard. Everything has been double the intensity, double the time.
“I’m definitely going to have a cheeseburger. I haven’t had one in a while.”
Ultimately, whatever the reason for the dramatic change was, Koepka doesn’t see it as a big deal — “(it’s) only four months of my career.” However, with the first major championship of the season beginning in three weeks, he chose an interesting four-month period to purposely throw his game out of whack.
