Pro golfer Brooks Koepka is currently competing at the 2026 PGA Championship, and he’s doing so with a clearer mind after “family issues” took a toll on him in 2025.
“We had a lot of family issues go on last year,” he told reporters after his first round on Thursday, May 14. “That took a toll on me… and it definitely took a toll on [my wife] Jena [Sims].”
Koepka, 36, and Sims, 37, revealed in October that Sims had suffered a miscarriage while 16 weeks pregnant.
“That was kind of tough to deal with,” he said. “Yeah, I mean, at home it’s in a much better place. It’s easier to come out to work when everything at home lines up. Everything’s a lot better.”
He continued, “Last year was just difficult personally with what was going on off the golf course, nothing to do on it. It was just off.”
On the course, Koepka struggled last year, where he competed with LIV Golf, before returning to PGA play in 2026. He finished the first day at the PGA Championship in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania at a respectable 1-under par.
“Just being in a better place. It’s exciting,” he said. “It’s a little bit of a fresh start as well. I think that’s a big piece of it. Yeah, when all that kind of lines up, it makes it enjoyable to be out here.”
This wasn’t the first time that Koepka referenced his wife’s miscarriage to reporters.
“A lot’s gone on over the past five or six months with my family,” he said during a January press conference, adding that what they had gone through “played a big role” in his decision to return to the PGA Tour.
“I have no regrets,” he said. “But at the same time, I’m excited for this new chapter. Grateful to be out here.”
Koepka and Sims are also parents to son Crew, born in 2023. They shared in October that they were expecting another baby before experiencing “a grief no parent is ever prepared for.”
“We are devastated, but remain hopeful to give Crew a sibling one day,” they wrote in a joint post via Instagram, alongside a carousel that began with a sonogram photo.
“Too often, these struggles happen in silence,” the post continued. “There is still so much work and research needed to better understand and support women’s reproductive health. If you’re experiencing or have experienced pregnancy loss or infertility, please know you are not alone. 💔.”
They added, “Lastly, I want to recognize the doctors and nurses who must deliver this kind of heartbreaking news every day. It has to be the hardest part of their job, and I’m holding space in my heart for you too.”
