Bob Koepka said watching his son Brooks sink a birdie on 18th hole at the June 2014 U.S. Open at Pinehurst Resort was the best Father’s Day present he could have ever received.

 

That shot wrapped up a tie for a fourth place finish, earning the pro golfer his PGA Tour card for the 2014-15 season, as well as his first Masters invitation.

 

Brooks Koepka has been burning up the golf course and inspiring some major chat in North Central West Virginia; especially in Bridgeport. The golfer – who was three-time All-American at Florida State University and since going pro in 2012, has twice won the European Challenge Tour and had impressive finishes at other renowned tournaments – is the son of Bridgeport native and 1977 BHS graduate Bob “Bobby” Koepka.

 

At his alma mater, Koepka was an athletic star on the baseball field and basketball court. He was also a wrestler. He wasn’t introduced to golf until after he graduated college and lived temporarily in Legionnaire, Pa., where his uncle owned a small course. After relocating to sunny Florida to marry and raise a family, he played at a local country club. Just a little guy at the time, the only golf Brooks played was putt-putt.

 

“I’d play in club championships and he would come watch,” Koepka said. “I’d take him down to hit some balls and he became interested in it.”

 

When he was about 7 years old, Brooks – who was already excelling in baseball – attended his first golf camp and soon thereafter, entered his first tournament. He was hooked, his dad said.

 

“When he was 12, he decided he just wanted to focus on golf,” Koepka said. “I always liked baseball so I was a little upset when he didn’t want to play anymore.”

 

Although it was no longer necessary to pass down baseball instruction, Koepka found it fitting to share with his son some athletic encouragement he had received in his Bridgeport stomping grounds. There was one particular coach who offered some valuable lessons.  

 

“That was my Little League coach, Jim Kinney,” Koepka said about the coach known to many as “Kiwi.”

 

“He made me believe in myself,” said Koepka, vividly recalling a Little League opener between Rish Equipment and Reep’s Pharmacy.

 

“He put me in to pitch as a 9-year-old and I was nervous as all get out,” Koepka said. “I went down to the field for opening ceremonies and waited around and watched the first game. We were going to play the third game. There was always a triple header with six teams. After the first game, I told the coach I didn’t feel well and he drove me home to Circle Drive and told my parents to give me some iced tea and let me lay down – and that I’d be fine.”

 

Then Kinney told the 9-year-old baseball player:

 

“I wouldn’t be pitching you if I didn’t believe in you, so you need to believe in yourself.”

 

Koepka returned to the field and threw a two-hitter against Reeps.

 

That lesson on mental toughness has stuck with Koepka all these years and he has tried to instill it in his own kids – Brooks and his younger brother Chase.

 

“I’ve tried to teach them to be mentally tough when competing –in whatever they are doing,” Koepka said, “whether that’s playing golf or playing cards with Grandma and Grandpa. You’ve got to be able to look in the mirror at the end of the day and know you did your very best. A lot of kids have talent, but it’s what’s between the ears that separates the good ones from the great ones.”

 

Although Koepka has been generous with praise when it has been earned, he has also been careful to offer needed “reality checks” from time to time.

 

“I’d congratulate him on a win, but I’d also ask him to take a look at his whole game and tell me where ne needed to improve,” Koepka said. “Then I’d give him my opinion and maybe tell him I didn’t think he hit his wedges or had a good drive. You have to make your weakness your strength. If the weak part of your game is a strength compared to everyone else, it’s tough for anyone to beat you.”

 

Brooks Koepka is pretty tough to beat these days and his dad said he couldn’t be happier to see his son living out his dreams. He and his wife Sherry follow him around the country. The next stop is the Aug. 4-10 PGA Championship in Louisville, Ky.

 

Coming along on the trip - and following in his older brother's footsteps - is his brother Chase, a junior at the University of South Florida in Tampa, where he has been named third team All-American.

 

“He has two more years of college, then he plans to turn pro, the same as Brooks,” Koepka said.

 

There have been several similarities in their golf games. Both boys played seven years of high school golf.

 

“They attended a private school where they could play as sixth graders and both made the team,” Koepka said. “Chase advanced as a seventh grader at high school regionals and Brooks as an eighth grader – meaning they qualified for regionals as individuals because the teams weren’t that good.”

 

From an early age, Brooks had his eye on playing in the PGA tour. Koepka appreciates his high school friends, Bridgeport families – and others across the country – keeping a watchful eye on his career.

 

“Koepka is a strange enough name that it’s recognizable,” he said. “I feel like people in Bridgeport have kind of adopted Brooks and are rooting for him against guys like Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.”

 

By the way, Koepka said he is no longer disappointed that Brooks decided to give up on baseball. 

 

Read a related story about Koepka HERE.