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RBC CANADIAN OPEN

June 5, 2019

Brooks Koepka

Oakville, Ontario, Canada

JACK RYAN: Like to welcome Brooks Koepka to the media center at the RBC Canadian Open.

Brooks, first off, could I get your thoughts on the golf course here at Hamilton.

BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, it's a good golf course. It's definitely going to be a good test. The rough's up. You've got to hit the fairways, and these greens are quite slopey. So you've really got to control your spin. I think it's actually a perfect setup for next week.

JACK RYAN: Playing in front of a national audience in Canada, you've played a few times before. Can you talk a little about the Canadian fans.

BROOKS KOEPKA: They are awesome. It's always a good tournament here. I think the fans are always so supportive. You know, it's a great sporting town, and they are playing in front of a great sporting town. You know what you're going to get. They are going to be loud. They are going to show up and that's what you want. You want golf; you want these fans in golf, and to be out here at this tournament.

Q. I wonder if you could expand a little on the state of your game, how you feel right now? It's obviously an important week this week and obviously into next week as well. Just how are you feeling game-wise right now?
BROOKS KOEPKA: I don't know. I've not touched a club. Yesterday was the first time I touched a club since the PGA. It was nice to kind of recharge mentally and kind of try to soak it in a little bit. I mean, I'll be fine. It's not -- I've taken longer breaks before and come out and played well. I'm not too concerned with it.

You know, from the nine holes I did play today, seemed pretty good.

Q. The USGA course setup has been a hot button issue as of late. What do you hope to see from the course setup next week that would leave you happy the way they set it up?
BROOKS KOEPKA: Just like they have. I've done pretty good on it (laughter). So whatever they are doing, it's working for me. I don't care what they do. You know, we've all got to play the same golf course. It doesn't matter. Guys like to complain. I just don't complain. We all got to play it. We all got to deal with the same issues. If you hit every fairway and you hit every green, you're not going to run into my problems.

Q. After the time off, what do you want to accomplish this week to think, okay, that was successful going into Pebble?
BROOKS KOEPKA: You know, it doesn't really matter about the result. I could care less what happens. I just want to feel good going into next week. It's the same thing at Byron. I thought as long as I can leave feeling confident, striking the ball very well, starting it where I want to, finishing where I want to, and you know, just hit some good putts. It doesn't matter if they do go in or not. I just want to feel confident leaving.

I've left feeling confident in 30th, 40th place before at Memphis going into the U.S. Open, so the result doesn't really matter this week. It's just how I feel I've played; am I hitting enough good shots and really find a rhythm.

Q. Obviously fitness and time in the gym is a crucial part of your game. If you were to say, what is your biggest or most favorite exercise in the game that's most important for your golf game, what would that be?
BROOKS KOEPKA: I mean, I don't really care. It doesn't matter to me. I mean, I like upper body. Anything upper body is fun for me. You know, it's like my own little competition to see if I can beat my own personal record or, you know, if I'm in the gym, it's working out with my trainer, Barrett. If I'm in there and we're going, I just want to beat him, because he'll be working out with me. You know, kind of beat my personal records. Beat, you know, if it was reps, get one mores rep.

It's just a competition. I love competition. I love getting up for something. The intensity is definitely there when I'm in the gym, and I love that, and it's a place for me to kind of get away.

You know, kill some time before rounds or after rounds. You know, if you play bad, blow off some steam, it's perfect.

Q. You had a taste of separating yourself from the field at the PGA Championship. When you look back at what Tiger did in 2000 at Pebble, what goes through your mind when you think about that performance?
BROOKS KOEPKA: That was pretty good. Actually it was on TV I think last night. My caddie flipped it on the television. We were at the house and we were watching a little bit of it.

I mean, it's impressive. You watch the golf that he played, that was some four rounds. We only watched -- I think we watched three holes of the final round. I mean, it's impressive to build that big of a lead and then to stay there and keep pushing. Because I found, you know, we were up by I think six going into the back nine, and it's not as easy to extend that to ten or eight, whatever, as people might think.

You know, you kind of you dont' -- you get, I don't want to say complacent, but, you go, oh, I made a bogey, I have some wiggle room there. You still have to keep pressing and play the same way you've played, and what he did was impressive and you know, hopefully I can get a lead again and not dwindle it down to the last few holes.

Q. Just wondering if you started to think about your bid for three straight U.S. Opens yet, and if you know anything about Willy Anderson, who was the last person to win three straight U.S. Opens?
BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, that name has come up in the last year. I know what I'm, I guess, chasing or trying to accomplish. It's just another golf tournament. You can put some outside pressure on. It's a major championship. I'll be up for it, I know that. I enjoy a tough test of golf and that's what you're going to get at a U.S. Open. You know that going in. I enjoy it. It's fun. It's fun to me to get on those big stages and try to win, win a golf tournament. There's no pressure. I mean, I know that the odds are against me to win it, but I think every time you step into a major, you know you've got 144 guys or 150 guys, whatever it is. There's a lot of people that can win that golf tournament. You just need to go out and take care of business, and if you don't, hey, I gave it my all.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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