Koepka credits success to Challenge Tour experience
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Brooks Koepka believes his success on the European Challenge Tour, where he won four times before graduating in 2013, has been a huge factor in his meteoric rise to fame after the American claimed the prestigious Turkish Airlines Open last weekend.
The 24 year old became the latest young star to cross the Atlantic and begin his professional career on the Challenge Tour in 2012, following in the footsteps of his close friend and compatriot Peter Uihlein.
That decision paid dividends as he earned his maiden title in the paid ranks after eight starts, winning the Challenge de Catalunya, before storming to prominence in 2013 by winning three times en route to automatic promotion to the top tier.
His crowning glory came at the Scottish Hydro Challenge hosted by Macdonald Hotels and Resorts, where a three shot triumph in difficult conditions sealed his reputation as one of the world’s most promising young players.
Koepka’s stunning Rookie season on The European Tour included a top five finish at the US Open Championship and a top 15 at the US PGA Championship and culminated in a remarkable victory at the penultimate event of The 2014 Race to Dubai in Turkey.
Afterwards, the Floridian credited much of his early success to the confidence he gained from that quartet of victories on Europe’s top developmental tour, which is fast growing a reputation as the best place for promising young players from across the world to begin their professional careers.
“To look where I was a year and a half ago on The Challenge Tour and now to be a winner on The European Tour is incredible,” said Koepka, who is currently sixth in The Race to Dubai and 35th in the Official World Golf Ranking. “Especially winning four times there and then winning out here, it's very special. So I'm excited. I'm excited to get to next week and hopefully carry my form over.
“I think it was a big confidence boost (to win four on the Challenge Tour). I've always said, it doesn't matter where you win. Winning is winning. It's hard to do, especially in golf. I don't think anybody would tell you it's easy. It's taken a lot of guys a long time.
“And to look back there, what I did at Aviemore and then to go down to Sunningdale and qualify (for The Open Championship, a day after his win in Scotland) is still kind of all a blur to me. I barely remember it, but I did not get much sleep.
“But as far as today or these past few months have gone you've got to go back to that. You've got to go back to that mind set of what you were doing when you were winning, how you were handling yourself. You learn from it. It's nice to put yourself in contention. But to win is really special; to be able to build off those experiences.”
Koepka is now in the driving seat to become the second European Challenge Tour Graduate of the Year Award.<br />Justin Walters of South Africa became the inaugural winner of the award last year, which is presented to the highest ranked player in The Race to Dubai to have graduated via the Challenge Tour’s top 15 the previous season.
Koepka’s closest challenger for the 2014 award is Englishman Tyrrell Hatton, who lies in 46th position in The Race to Dubai heading into the final event of the season, the DP World Championship, Dubai.
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