Brooks Koepka says his grip strength isn’t at 100% due to a nerve injury in his left hand, but it’s “good enough” for him to play the U.S. Open this week at a course where he prevailed in 2018.
Koepka withdrew before the final round of the RBC Canadian Open on Sunday, citing a hand injury. Faced with the decision to either proceed to the third major of the year or sit out, he told Golfweek in a text message Monday night that “I’m gonna go.”
Koepka met with reporters Tuesday afternoon at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club and elaborated on the injury that’s left him not with any pain, but with numbness in the pinky and ring fingers.
“It’s just the ulnar nerve, just flared up a little bit. I don’t know what I did,” Koepka said. “I know I came back Friday. Didn’t go to the gym on Friday. We came back, and it was probably about 8:00. We were watching a show, and I just kept playing with my wrist, and it just felt like it was very weak and kind of a tingly feeling as if you kind of hit your funny bone. That’s kind of how it felt in my ring finger and pinkie finger.”
Koepka, after starting the Canadian Open with rounds of 64 and 68, was spotted receiving treatment on the 11th tee box Saturday. He shot a third-round 72 before deciding to withdraw.
Koepka, 36, was able to rule out a neck injury after having scans done. He said the hand felt the same Monday as it did Sunday before seeing “quite a bit of improvement” on Tuesday, adding that he wouldn’t have played a practice round if it hadn’t felt better.
“I don’t think the grip strength is a hundred percent, but it’s good enough,” Koepka said. “There’s no pain. There’s absolutely no pain, which is kind of the weirdest part of this whole thing. I’d almost prefer there was a little bit of pain. It would make sense why this hurts and that doesn’t. It just feels like you hit your funny bone all the time.”
He isn’t limited in the kinds of shots he can play.
“The movement’s fine. I can do everything,” Koepka said. “It’s literally just my ring finger and pinky finger were just kind of — and the transition coming down, they would come off. It felt like they were coming off the golf club, but they were just very weak.
“Then as soon as impact would come with the turf interaction, it felt like it was fully off. So excited to be able to hold a golf club again.”
A five-time major champion, Koepka won the second of his two consecutive U.S. Open championships at Shinnecock Hills in 2018. Asked to compare his current form to 2018, arguably the peak of his career, Koepka said he believes he’s just as good.
“I think ball-striking is even better than what it’s been,” he said. “Putting, I had a great week putting last week. I’m excited for the challenge.
“This course can be quite difficult. You’re going to have to be creative around this place and really, really work on your angles coming in. I’m excited about it, and the game feels good.”
Koepka won with a score of 1-over-par 281 in 2018, holding off Tommy Fleetwood by one stroke after the Englishman gave chase with a Sunday 63.
Koepka has been back on the PGA Tour since January after more than three years away with LIV Golf. He has placed in the top 20 in six events this year, including the Masters Tournament.
Koepka is paired with Cameron Young and Chris Gotterup with a 7:30 a.m. ET tee time on Thursday.
–Field Level Media
