Brooks Koepka told by legendary golf coach: "Stop whinging"

Legendary swing coach Peter Cowen says he told Brooks Koepka to fix his putting issue instead of moaning about it ahead of the US PGA Championship.

Ben Smith

12 May 2024

Legendary golf coach Peter Cowen says he told Brooks Koepka to 'stop whinging' after the American complained of his putting woes.

The big-hitting American heads to Valhalla over 16-19 May as one of the favourites to win the PGA Championship.

Much of the build-up to the second men's major of the year has focused on whether world number one Scottie Scheffler will line up against Koepka.

But Sports Illustrated have confirmed the two-time major winner will tee it up as the favourite after his wife Meredith gave birth to their first child.

Related:

Koepka will arrive in Louisville, Kentucky in good form having won his fourth LIV title in Singapore a week ago.

Despite that win, the 34-year-old has been extremely frustrated with his overall form in 2024.

He was a non-factor at the 2024 Masters and has been struggling with his putting.

"I can't find the hole at all, to be honest with you," Koepka previously said.

"I feel like I'm hitting good putts, they just keep burning lips."

It was an issue that he brought up with his coach.

Cowen told Telegraph Sport that he gave Koepka one of his 'old-fashioned boll------s' when he was 'moaning to me about his putting'.

He added: "I told him to stop whinging and to just get to work on the issue. Again, that’s the sort of thing that triggers him.

"I gave him a b------ing before he won his first major [the US Open] seven years ago.

"He’s put in the hours and turned it around on the greens since then and with Valhalla being a big boys’ course, I can see him, at the very least, contending.

"If he wins, he’ll join [Sir Nick] Faldo and [Phil] Mickelson on six majors and at his age that would be exciting. They’d probably still go on underrating him, though."

Koepka will arrive at the PGA Championship as the fifth favourite according to Las Vegas bookmakers.

It is something that Cowen believes is 'daft'.

He told the publication: "I get Scottie [Scheffler] being rated a better chance than Brooks, because he’s won four of his last five tournaments, including the Masters, and has finished second in other.

"But you can’t tell me there are three others with bigger hopes than Brooks.

"He has won three of the last six [US] PGAs, has finished runner-up in another, won it last year and also prevailed on his latest LIV appearance a few weeks ago.

"So he’s in form and has five majors to his name. What more evidence do they need?"

Checked out our podcast yet?

Listen to The Par FORE Podcast presented by GolfMagic: