"Start stroking guys" - When Brooks Koepka offered a solution to fix slow play at the majors

Brooks Koepka once addressed the slow-play issue at the major golf tournaments and offered a solution. After Round 1 play of the ongoing 2025 Open Championship at Royal Portrush Golf Club, a slow-play issue has resurfaced.

Brooks Koepka has had a rough start at the 2025 Open Championship on Thursday, July 17. Flushing It Golf X page claimed that players who teed off in the afternoon could only finish 11 holes in four hours.

This has caused the game to become overly slow, which Brooks Koepka once believed was unnecessary. During the pre-tournament press conference at the PGA Championship in 2023, the 35-year-old asserted the slow-play issue, claiming a golfer has only 40 seconds to make a shot. Koepka explained:

"I mean, there's there's a lot of guys out here to take their time. It's I think it is a problem. I mean, technically, in the rule book it says you've got 40 shots or 40 seconds to get your shot, or I think it's what it is, and if you're taking over, technically you're breaking the rules, right? So, I don't know."

Continuing on this statement, Brooks Koepka added how he would fix this situation. He said:

"Honestly, I'd start stroking guys if you're gonna take that long, you got to get stroked, doesn't matter if you're I mean there's certain circumstances where you know, the wind switches something like that. It's understandable, but you know taking taking a while is I just think unnecessary."

Brooks Koepka famously won his fifth major title at the 2023 PGA Championship, but has struggled to get off to a positive start at the ongoing British Open 2025. He was placed T116 after the opening round and will need a solid second-round performance to make the cut.

---

How did Brooks Koepka perform in the first round of the 2025 Open Championship?

Koepka at the 153rd Open Championship - Source: Getty

Brooks Koepka began the 2025 Open Championship by attempting the front nine holes first. He did fairly well as he began the event with a birdie on hole 1. This was followed by bogeys on holes 4 and 9, and a birdie on hole 5. He finished his front nine holes with a total score of even par.

Following this, Brooks Koepka struggled in the back nine holes. The five-time major winner dropped a lot of momentum after making a bogey on hole 10 and a double bogey on hole 11. Even though this was followed by two birdies on holes 12 and 14, things went downhill after that. Koepka made three straight bogeys on holes 15, 16, and 17, finishing the day with a score of 4-over par.

Notably, Koepka missed a cut at the first two majors of the season, the Masters and the PGA Championship. He managed to make a solid comeback with a T12 finish at the U.S. Open last month.

Edited by Sumeet Kavthale