No quote about a golfer has stuck with me more than a comment Stevie Williams made nearly a decade ago. In a Golf Digest article from 2015, Tiger’s former caddie said “Once in a great while, a player comes along who hits a golf ball the way it was meant to be hit. Powerful, piercing, the perfect trajectory. Of the young players out there, one I’ve seen has that special ball flight: Brooks Koepka…I haven’t seen a ball flight like that since Tiger, and before that, Johnny Miller.” 

Williams, who walked alongside many of the finest golfers to ever touch a club, proved prescient with his Koepka commentary. In the nine PGA Championships since the tournament last took place at Valhalla Golf Club, Koepka has secured top-10 finishes six times, including three victories. Koepka’s power off the tee and elite long-iron skill make him a strong contender for the 2024 PGA Championship too, particularly on a golf course that is friendly to bombers, akin to Bethpage or Oak Hill—both courses where Koepka has walked off the property with a Wanamaker Trophy. 

With a win this week, Koepka would match Tiger Woods with four PGA Championship titles, trailing only Walter Hagen and Jack Nicklaus, who have five each. Another win would also bring Koepka his sixth major championship, a total only 14 other men have reached. A sixth major championship would also put Koepka beyond arm’s length from Rory McIlroy, the only other golfer younger than age 40 with at least four majors.

This week presents a ripe opportunity for Koepka to put further distance between himself and the other golfers of his generation in terms of golf’s ultimate career benchmark: major championship trophies. If Koepka is near the top of the leaderboard on Sunday, it should surprise no one.

 

Related Articles: 

 – Scottie Scheffler Is the PGA Favorite for a Reason

 – The Stakes for Rory McIlroy Are Clear

 – Three Valhalla Talking Points Ahead of the PGA Championship

 – Previewing the Other Storylines We’re Watching at the PGA Championship

This piece originally appeared in the Fried Egg Golf newsletter. Subscribe for free and receive golf news and insight every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. For more coverage of the PGA Championship, visit our PGA hub here.