Brooks Koepka’s career in Europe came full circle on Tuesday night when he was rewarded for his remarkable rise through the ranks by receiving the Challenge Tour’s Graduate of the Year Award at The European Tour’s Players’ Awards. Read his remarkable story here.
To trawl through the annals of European Challenge Tour history since its inception in 1989, is to pore over a who’s who of European golf from the past two and a half decades, but a certain American has made as big a splash as any that has come through the second tier ranks in recent memory.
Brooks Koepka crossed the Atlantic three years ago looking for professional experience, and that is exactly what the Floridian found, traversing the globe learning his trade in the hope that he would one day ascend to the highest levels of the game.
As it happened, that day ended up being a lot sooner than anyone might have imagined.
His maiden victory on European golf’s premier developmental circuit took a mere eight events to come around, thanks to a three stroke victory at the 2012 Challenge de Catalunya, a feat that announced the talent, which his playing partners had long been aware of, to the wider world.
Cue another remarkable season as Koepka claimed a trio of quick fire titles in just nine events to earn immediate graduation to The Race to Dubai by June 2013, before the following campaign yielded a career-changing turn as he held off Ian Poulter en route to victory at one of The European Tour’s biggest events, the Turkish Airlines Open.
It was official - the Palm Beach native was one of the hottest properties on planet golf, but he was not finished yet.
Back in his native America, Koepka teed it up on the US PGA Tour in February 2015 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, and unsurprisingly to anyone back in Europe, he went on to take the title before crediting his time in Europe for how far he had come in such a short space of time.
“It’s unbelievable,” said the 24 year old, the recipient of the second Challenge Tour Graduate of the Year Award - rewarded to the player who finishes highest in The Race to Dubai in the season following graduation from Europe's top developmental tour.
“I didn’t think I would work my way up this quickly, but playing the Challenge and European Tours has led to this. Going that route, going over to Europe, it toughened me. It was a blessing in disguise, as at the time I was extremely disappointed (to not get his US PGA Tour card at the Qualifying School), but that just toughens you up and makes you want to get out here that much more.
“I have learned a lot, whether it be success or failure, I have learned a lot. I have won on the Challenge Tour, won in Europe and now here, and it’s been special, but I want to be the best player in the world. I’m not there yet, and I know it’s going to take time, but I want to get to that point.
“I think I’m one of the most mentally strong people that I have ever met, but learning how to travel, managing your time, going about things the right way, handling yourself off the golf course, it was big. I guess you could say it was a big culture shock going over, but as far as coming back, it’s been a very nice transition to come back.
“I look at a couple of scenarios – the first win as a pro, that builds your confidence, but there were a couple of turning points. The win in Turkey really made me believe that I can play with some of the best players in the world, after going toe to toe with Poulter, and now you look at this week, that leaderboard. That’s pretty impressive.”
What only remains to be seen now is just how far Koepka will go within the game. One thing is for certain though - it all started on the Challenge Tour.
