Brooks Koepka makes his The American Express debut after undergoing further treatment on his left knee earlier this month. World # 12 is part of a strong field in California as he seeks his first PGA Tour win in 18 months
By Ali Stafford
Last update: 01/20/21 11:12 am
Brooks Koepka makes his American Express debut in California
Brooks Koepka insists his injury problems are behind him as he tries to recover from a disappointing 2020 at The American Express in California.
Koepka struggled for form and fitness during a troubled 2020 campaign after undergoing knee surgery last fall. He finished second at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational, one of only four top 10 placements from 17 starts worldwide.
The 30-year-old has been without a win since July 2019 and had persistent pain in his left knee and hip last season, where he was not in the PGA Tour’s FedExCup playoffs.
Brooks Koepka finished seventh at the Masters in November after missing the US Open due to injury
Koepka had several stem cell therapy injections to improve his knee, with the most recent treatment with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) earlier this month. The four-time main champion was satisfied with the results before his first appearance of the year.
“I’m healthy now, so I don’t worry about that,” said Koepka. “Went and had another round of PRP on my knee about two weeks ago just to be sure.
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January 21, 2021, 8:00 p.m.
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“They did an ultrasound on it, they said there are hardly any cracks so there has been a lot of progress, a long road, a lot of hard work, but just excited where it’s probably the best I’ve felt since 2018.
“They take your blood, they spin it, and they inject it back into the patellar tendon and there is hardly any – there is scar tissue, which is good – and there are really hardly any tears now, so it’s a good thing.”
Koepka missed the cut on his last appearance last month at the Mayakoba Golf Classic and is back outside the top 10 in the world after starting at the top of the world rankings last year, although confident that results will improve in 2021 will.
Brooks Koepka is one of four players from the top 15 in the world in California
“My whole season last year has been an injury for the past year and a half,” added Koepka. “I couldn’t shake it, tried to play, adjust my schedule, tried to play it through and injuries attract other injuries and that’s the way that sums up the season.
“I feel like I’ve just got it over with, I don’t really value the last year. My confidence is still high. I’ve seen so much better results now, so much better in my workouts.” I am healthy.”
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January 21, 2021, 10:30 p.m.
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Koepka plays alongside Cameron Champ and Paul Casey in the first two rounds – played on two courses – while Patrick Cantlay, Patrick Reed and Matthew Wolff are among the other names in action for the opening event of the “West Coast Swing”.
World number 2 Jon Rahm retired from the event on Monday as a precaution due to injury but is hoping to return to the Farmers Insurance Open next week while DJ Trahan was eliminated from the tournament after testing positive for coronavirus.
Watch the American Express live on Sky Sports all week. Live coverage begins with featured groups on Thursday at 5 p.m. via the red button, before full coverage starts at 8 p.m. on Sky Sports Golf.
