Brooks Koepka has revealed his coach’s dressing down before the US Open was so severe Justin Thomas thought of checking on him.
Koepka came into the third men’s major of the year in poor form by his lofty standards.
The 35-year-old American, who has won five major championships, missed the cut at both The Masters and PGA Championship.
But the LIV Golf recruit appeared to get a bit of his swagger back on Thursday courtesy of a 2-under 68 at Oakmont.
His round included a sublime eagle at the fifth and he also drove the green at the 17th.
Koepka told reporters in the aftermath of his first round that his swing coach Peter Cowen tore into him on Monday afternoon.
For 45 minutes, Cowen made it perfectly clear what he thought of Koepka’s game as he stood in a bunker in the practice area.
“I just sat there, and he scolded me pretty well,” Koepka said.
Asked to comment further, Koepka added: “I’ll put it this way: JT thought he had to come check on me in the bunker.
“We were in there for about 45 minutes, and he was on the other side of the green. I saw him [JT] Monday night. We were at a Rolex function.
“He was like, ‘I was worried, your head was down.’
“Yeah, Pete, I’ll keep that between us. I wasn’t happy with it, but it was something I think you need to hear or I needed to hear at the right time.
“It’s not the first time he’s done it.
Koepka said the last hairdryer treatment he received from Cowen was when the 2017 US Open was held at Erin Hills in Washington.
Back then, Koepka secured his first major triumph with a four-stroke victory over Brian Harman and Hideki Matsuyama.
Koepka successfully defended the US Open a year later at Shinnecock Hills. He also won the PGA Championship in 2018, 2019 and 2023.
He added: “I don’t like having ‘yes’ people around me. I just want somebody to tell me the truth, tell me what’s going on, what they see.
“If I start swaying from being Brooks Koepka, then I want someone to call me out on it, and he did a helluva job on it.”
Watch:
“I’ll put it this way: JT thought he had to come check on me in the bunker.”
Brooks Koepka opened up about a heated conversation he had with his coach Pete Cowen, and how it helped him. pic.twitter.com/PgdZC4XNKn
— GOLF.com (@GOLF_com) June 13, 2025
Koepka wasn’t the only LIV recruit who started day one of the US Open well.
Jon Rahm returned a card for a 1-under 69 to sit comfortably inside the top-10.
JJ Spaun carded a bogey-free 4-under 66 to lead by one stroke after 18 holes.
GolfMagic is providing live text updates of the 2025 US Open.