Koepka Shows Up Minutes Before Tee Time, Dominates WGC Final Round

Though he was late, the world's top-ranked golf cruised to a three-stroke victory at the tourney

Brooks Koepka wins World Golf Championships
Brooks Koepka reads the 17th green at the World Golf Championships (Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty)
PGA TOUR

Instead of “Better late than never,” perhaps Brooks Koepka‘s motto should simply be “Better when late.”

Trailing Rory McIlroy by one stroke entering Sunday’s final round of the World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational, Koepka was not at the course an hour before he was set to tee off.

Fifteen minutes went by and Koepka, the world’s No. 1-ranked golfer, still wasn’t at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee.

While some viewers and commentators were starting to get worried, Koepka, who was on his way to the course at the time, was cool as a cucumber by the time he showed up to play and ended up notching three birdies during a four-hole stretch on the front nine and on the way to a three-stroke victory at the tournament.

Speaking after his first WGC win, Koepka said showing up late on Sunday was just par for the course

“I always take less time on Sunday. I’m already loose when I get to the golf course — I don’t even need to hit balls,” Koepka said. “I’ve already stretched, I’ve already done everything. I don’t know why everyone else is in a panic, I’m not. I mean everybody else is stressing. I’m sure you didn’t see one ounce of stress on my face. I’m usually out there maybe 55 minutes before a normal tee time, but on Sundays it’s always like 45.”

In winning the World Golf Championships, Koepka became just the sixth player to win a major and the WGC in the same year.

One of the other golfers on that list, Tiger Woods, has accomplished that feat nine times.

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