SAN DIEGO — Brooks Koepka was nervous. He had not played a competitive round of golf in 14 weeks, and yet, as he stepped up to the first tee at Torrey Pines’ South Course on Thursday, it wasn’t his game that he was worried about.
In the lead-up to his much-anticipated return to the PGA Tour after his near-four-year tenure at LIV Golf ended last month, Koepka has effectively been welcomed back with open arms — by both the tour and its players.
Yet, he said he was still uneasy about what kind of reception he would get from golf’s largest constituency.
“I just cared about my perception, what people thought or what the fans thought,” Koepka said after carding a 1-over 73 on Thursday. “I care about what everybody’s thinking out here … Just wanted a warm reception, just like everybody else, you walk into a room nobody wants to feel exiled, they just want to be loved. I mean, that’s human nature I think.”
Koepka’s worries were quelled by fans at nearly every tee box and green, many yelling, “Welcome back!” and “Great to have you back!” The five-time major winner attracted the largest gallery of the day, gave fist bumps and high fives while he walked from hole to hole and took an extended amount of time after his round to sign autographs for fans.
“From the first tee on, it was great. It actually made me settle down a little bit,” Koepka said. “It made me feel good just to be out here.”
Koepka has shown a slightly different, more subdued, side of himself this week, and Thursday he said the hiatus from pro golf and watching his son grow up and start to play the sport has given him a new kind of perspective, which he’s embracing.
“I think I’ve fallen back in love with the game,” Koepka said. “It wasn’t that you fall out of it, but I think you can fall deeper in love with it. Fourteen weeks is a lot of time to think, a lot of time to reflect. If you do that for a while sitting on the couch, you can go pretty deep on what you feel. I’m just excited.”
Despite not making a birdie until the 18th hole, Koepka relished the opportunity even to be in this position. He said that, just over a month ago, he was unsure whether his decision to leave LIV would mean he’d be back on the PGA Tour as quickly as he has.
“When I contacted [the tour], I knew there’s a possibility I could be out for a while,” he said. “If there’s a penalty to be paid to get out here and get back, I was going to do whatever the tour needed me to do. It was very simple. Whatever they wanted, I was willing to do.”
Koepka grinded on the much-tougher South Course on Thursday, and though he was somewhat displeased with his driving — he hit only 6-of-14 fairways — he was content with his effort and aware that he’ll need some time to get into form.
“Just being out here and seeing how quickly this has all kind of come together. It’s kind of blown my mind,” Koepka said. “I’m just grateful to be out here.”
