2021 Masters: Brooks Koepka going to play through knee pain, but there will be awkward moments
AUGUSTA, Ga. – Brooks Koepka had just managed his way through another day of practice and preparation at the Masters when he was asked if he was feeling “good?”
“Good is relative,” he shrugged.
Koepka is less than a month removed from surgery on his right knee, an injury that included a dislocated kneecap and ligament damage, and while he was moving slower than normal and with a slight limp at times he said he remains on track to play the year’s first major.
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Walking downhill is a challenge for Koepka and he also said that when his golf ball is below his feet it puts him in an awkward position, so much so he plans to play a 3-wood off the tee at the par-5 13th hole to avoid leaving himself with a tough sidehill lie for his second shot.
Koepka also struggled Tuesday to read putts. On the eighth green, for example, he bent his left knee while his right leg remained fully extended and to his side to get low enough to see the break.
“I can’t bend down. My knee doesn’t [bend]. I mean, that’s the most stress you’re going to have on your patella. I don’t have that much motion in my knee,” he said. “When I’m prone I can get it to about 90 degrees and that’s about it. But getting down, I’m not. It’s going to look funny, I know that. But what are you going to do?”
Although he said the injury hasn’t changed his preparation, the rehabilitation has added to his workday. He estimated he needed about three hours of therapy Tuesday morning in order to practice and play a limited practice round and he received treatment well past midnight on Wednesday.