Brooks Koepka is Dealing with a Knee Injury at The Open

According to his coach, Pete Cowen, Brooks Koepka is dealing with a “little twinge” in his knee at The Open. A twinge—yes, I had to look it up—is a sudden, sharp, localized pain. So, yeah, that’s not great before the last men’s major championship of the year.

Coming into the week at Royal Portrush, Koepka hasn’t played his best golf in the game’s biggest events. He missed the cut at both the Masters and PGA Championship, but did turn it around a little bit at Oakmont, finishing in a tie for 12th at the U.S. Open.

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Koepka had a stretch of five years where he played some good golf at The Open. He tied for 10th in 2015, for sixth in 2017, for fourth in 2019—the last time Portrush hosted The Open—and for sixth in 2021. But over the last three editions, he’s missed a cut (2022), tied for 64th (2023), and for 43rd (2024).

The five-time major champion has dealt with knee injuries in the past, but hopefully this one isn’t as serious. Koepka is set to tee off at 4:47 a.m. ET on Thursday alongside Sam Burns and Aldrich Potgieter for the first round.