The rise of Brooks Koepka has been nothing short of remarkable. Five years ago he was plying his trade on the Challenge Tour and experiencing tuk-tuk rides - "it's giving me a heart attack" - in India (see the video below). Today? The 28-year-old is a three-time major winner after showing nerves of steel to hold off the challenge of Tiger Woods to win the US PGA Championship at Bellerive Country Club.
The American is undoubtedly showing an appetite for the big occasion as he hasn't missed a cut at a major since 2013, winning three of the past six he has contended, and he keeps on breaking records. Koepka became the first man to win back-to-back US Open titles since 1989 at Shinnecock Hills earlier this year and he showed the ice cool demeanour of a man who is making a habit of producing the goods when it matters.
The world number two cannot have imagined that he would be looking back on such a stunning year as he missed the first half of the season after undergoing wrist surgery at the back end of the 2017 campaign and he isn't quite finished yet.
Koepka has qualified automatically in first place for the USA team for the 2018 Ryder Cup, which takes place at Le Golf National in Paris from 28-30 September, and he will form part of what looks like a very strong side as the Americans bid to win on European soil for the first time since 1993. The eight automatic qualifiers for the USA team were confirmed on Sunday night as Koepka is joined by Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Patrick Reed, Bubba Watson, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler and Webb Simpson, with captain Jim Furyk set to confirm his captain's picks in September.
It has been some rise for a player who was enjoying tuk-tuk rides in India just five years ago...
But five years ago @BKoepka was riding in tuk-tuks in India while competing on the Challenge Tour!
Koepka is likely to be a leading figure for the USA in Paris as he played a starring role in their first victory since 2008 by taking three points fromm four matches on his Ryder Cup debut at Hazeltine in 2016. He formed a strong partnership alongside Brandt Snedeker, with the pair winning their foursome and fourball matches two years ago, and Koepka is a player with an encouraging record in this format.
He has gone 4-2 (win-loss) in foursomes and fourballs during his career, taking two points from two matches with Dustin Johnson during the 2017 Presidents Cup, and he has a decent 8-4 winning record at the World Matchplay Championship.
It bodes well that Koepka has performed well in matchplay and team events. In the past, many great American golfers have exhibited the single-track mind of champions to further their own careers but they have lacked the humility to help their teammates to Ryder Cup glory.
Koepka thrived for the USA at Hazeltine two years ago and he has gone on to achieve remarkable things on a personal level since then. He could sign off a stunning 2018 on a personal note with Ryder Cup glory in Paris next month. Koepka exhibited the ice-cool attitude required to prosper at a Ryder Cup on foreign soil when holding off fans' favourite Tiger Woods at Bellerive on Sunday. He is exactly the sort of calm and composed player Americans want standing over a pressure putt to beat Europe in six weeks time, as long as there isn't a tuk-tuk ride involved...
