T-OFF July - Sept 2019 | Page 43

Brooks Koepka is currently enjoying his longest spell as the world number one golfer. Since first being crowned the world number one, Koepka has relinquished the position to Justin Rose and Dustin Johnson on more than five occasions. But he has now maintained a strong grip for the last eight weeks. Does he have what it takes to emulate Tiger Woods, Nick Faldo and Greg Norman? Tiger Woods holds the record of holding the top spot for the longest having spent 281 consecutive weeks and a combined 683 weeks at the top! Koepka’s journey to the top has been to say the least meticulous. Just five years ago, he was playing on the less prestigious European Challenge Tour. In fact unknown to many, Koepka featured at the Barclays Kenya Open 2013 in Karen finishing joint fifth. Koepka’s is a story of meticulous planning and focus. After turning pro in 2012, he chose to qualify for the prestigious PGA Tour via the long torturous European Tour Challenge. The European Challenge Tour is not for the faint hearted as it takes you to numerous courses across Europe, Asia and Africa in search for the coveted PGA status. But this did not deter Koepka. Self-belief saw him register three Challenge Tour victories in 2013 that earned him promotion to the European Tour in 2014. He followed this up with a single win in Turkey on the European Tour which saw him crowned the Rookie of the year. He announced his arrival on the PGA stage with a bang winning the 2015 Phoenix Open.