Falling Kepka: "Is 81 Strokes the Worst This Time?"

Arnold Palmer Invitational Round 3 9 Over Par 81 "Worst Since Pro Debut"

[Asia Economy Golf Specialist Reporter Kim Hyun-jun] '9 over par 81 strokes.'

For Brooks Koepka (USA, photo), ranked 3rd in the world, this is his worst score since turning professional. It happened during the third round of the PGA Tour Arnold Palmer Invitational (total prize money $9.3 million) held on the 8th (Korean time) at Bay Hill Golf Club in Orlando, Florida (par 72, 7,454 yards). He started with consecutive bogeys on holes 1 and 2, followed by a bogey on the 7th hole (par 3), and then suffered a double bogey on the 9th hole (par 4) after struggling through rough and bunkers.

In the back nine, he again gave up two pairs of consecutive bogeys on holes 10-11 and 13-14. The only birdie was a '2 on 2 putts' on the 16th hole (par 5). However, Koepka lost another stroke with a bogey on the 17th hole (par 3), finishing tied for 64th place (10 over par 226 strokes) with a bitter taste. Despite hitting a maximum drive of 327 yards, his overall performance was disastrous, with only three fairway hits off the tee and five greens in regulation. He also struggled on the greens, averaging 2.00 putts per hole.

Ultimately, this became his worst score since shooting over 80 on the second day of the 2013 Open Championship. This is especially surprising given that Koepka won three titles last year, including successfully defending his PGA Championship title for the first time in 12 years in May. Known as a 'major hunter' for his exceptional performance in majors, including back-to-back US Open wins in 2017 and 2018, Koepka has been focusing on rehabilitation since knee surgery last October but still seems to be struggling to regain his competitive shot feel.

He warmed up on the European Tour in January, finishing tied for 34th at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, tied for 17th at the Saudi International in early last month, tied for 43rd at the PGA Tour Genesis Invitational, and suffered the humiliation of missing the cut at the Honda Classic which ended on the 2nd. Experts express concern that the aftereffects of his knee injury might be severe. Koepka stated, "My body is not at 100%, but the recent poor performance is not due to the knee injury."