KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. – Brooks Koepka’s preparation for the PGA Championship included playing the AT&T Byron Nelson last week in Texas — just to see if he could walk 18 holes without pain in his surgically repaired right knee.
He missed the cut, but the walking wasn’t a problem. Playing to the standard of a four-time major champion while doing 2 1/2 hours of rehab a day might be tougher. “Every day's been a long day,” Koepka said Tuesday.
Koepka is two months removed from surgery to repair a dislocated kneecap and ligament damage. He's in better shape than he was at the Masters, where he hobbled his way to a missed cut while struggling to bend his knee enough to read putts or retrieve the ball from the cup.