Koepka extends lead to 5 shots ahead in 2nd round of Masters

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Brooks Koepka reached a five-stroke lead Friday during the second round of the 2023 Masters, bringing him closer to his dream.

He took advantage of the early prime playing conditions at Augusta National, shooting a bogey-free round of 67 to move to 12-under for the tournament, five shots ahead of the rest of the field.

His round included 14 pars, three birdies and one eagle.

Only 20 men have won five or more majors. Winning the Masters would mean a lot to his legacy.

“The whole goal is to win the Grand Slam, right?” he said during a news conference after the second round. “I feel like all the greats have won here and they have all won British Opens, as well. Look, I guess it’s one more box for me to tick to truly feel like I’ve done what I should have accomplished in this game.”

It would be especially sweet after last year, when the Friday of Masters week was a bitterly disappointing day.

“I think last year, I don’t even know if I should be saying this, but pretty sure I tried to break the back window with my fist of the car,” he said. “I tried to put it through the back window, not once but twice. First time didn’t go, so figured try it again.”

The window survived, he said, quipping that “I guess Mercedes makes pretty good back windows.” The ride home was quiet, he said.

“Yeah, it was a lot of frustration last year,” he said.” Super annoying. But like I said I’ve come a long way since then. A lot of it, it’s pretty much all health-related.”

Koepka has won the U.S. Open and PGA Championship twice but is zeroing in on a first Masters win after finishing second here in 2019.

MORE FROM NEWS 12:

• Garcia tells Masters media to stop talking about LIV-PGA
• LIV looks to make its mark at this year’s Masters Tournament
• Tiger continues to keep crowds roaring at Augusta National

The four-time major champion and one of the most prominent players from the upstart LIV Golf Tour is looking to score a huge victory for the Saudi-backed league.

Among the other highlights of the news conference:

• He said he missed playing against some of the best players he no longer plays against in LIV Golf. He said if he hadn’t been hurt, the decision to go to LIV would have been harder.
• “To be here is special; it’s a special event,” he said.
• “If you win one here, it kinda ticks a lot of boxes, doesn’t it?” he said.
• “I like the way I’m playing,” he said.
• When asked what kind of mindset he needs going into the weekend, he said his current mindset “is working for me now,” so he’s not planning on changing it.

Copyright 2023 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.