The Open 2021: Brooks Koepka still not fan of Royal St George's despite closing 65

Not even a flourish to finish could change Brooks Koepka’s mind about Royal St George’s, admitting the Kent course still hadn’t grown on him.
Brooks Koepka lines up a putt in the final round at Royal St George's. Picture: Christopher Lee/Getty Images.Brooks Koepka lines up a putt in the final round at Royal St George's. Picture: Christopher Lee/Getty Images.
Brooks Koepka lines up a putt in the final round at Royal St George's. Picture: Christopher Lee/Getty Images.

“Same thing, it’s not my favourite in the rotation,” said the four-time major winner, having expressed the same opinion in the build up to the 149th Open.

Koepka was speaking after signing off with a five-under-par 65 as he bounced back manfully from a damaging 72 in the penultimate circuit.

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“I leave here a little bit frustrated,” he said. “I mean, I’m not happy. I would love yesterday back. I drove it well but the iron play wasn’t there – and I didn’t make any putts. But you need four solid rounds to compete in the majors.”

Koepka’s next crack at the Claret Jug will be at St Andrews and he said of that assignment: “I just really can’t wait for next year.

“St Andrews is my favourite place in the entire world and that will be one I’m really looking forward to.”

More immediately, he’s looking forward to watching the Olympics - but not the golf events in Japan.

“I play enough golf,” he said. “The way I put it, if you’re an accountant, you don’t go home and watch accountants do work. I understand that most people see golf as a hobby. But this is my job.”

Rory McIlroy who missed the 2015 event at St Andrews due to an injury sustained in a football kickabout, finished eight shots behind Koepka after a closing 71 that contained four birdies but also a double-bogey and three bogeys.“I need to look at the positives, and the positives are I made enough birdies this week to contend in the golf tournament,” said the 2014 winner. “I made too many mistakes.

“I think that's going to happen a little bit when you're trying to do some things a little bit differently.

“There are times when those mistakes and those bogeys don't come from a bad swing, just a bad decision or you’re trying to do something you shouldn't do. I could probably pick two or three things today that I made more bad decisions and mental errors.”

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