Brooks Koepka, who was the world’s top-ranked golfer last February, is in the market for a new swing coach after parting ways with longtime swing coach Claude Harmon III a couple of months ago.
The duo started working together in 2013, when the Koepka was playing on the European Challenge Tour. The partnership paid immediate dividends, as
Koepka won three tournaments on the Challenge Tour in 2013, then again as a European Tour rookie in 2014.
He won his first PGA Tour event in Phoenix in 2015 before winning four majors — the U.S. Open in 2017 and 2018 and the PGA Championship in 2018 and 2019.
Koepka moved into the top spot in the rankings after winning the 2019 PGA Championship at Bethpage Black. He held onto the ranking for 38 weeks before being overtaken by Rory McIlroy in February of last year.
Koepka, however, was hampered by injuries during the past year, with hip and knee ailments limiting him to 13 starts, were he finished in the top 10 just twice.
“I love Claude, we had a great run and he’s still family to me,” Koepka told Golfweek, “but unfortunately, we’re not working together anymore.”
Koepka is ranked 12th in the world. But the points earned for the 2019 PGA Championship and winning WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational, as well as those he received for second-place showings at the Masters and U.S. Open in 2019, fall off this year and will need to be replaced if he’s to avoid sliding father down the rankings.
Koepka missed the cut at this past weekend’s The American Express in La Quinta, Calif., by three strokes after rounds of 72-71.
“I was informed on the Wednesday after the Masters that he wanted to go in a different direction,” Harmon told Golfweek when asked about his split with Koepka. “When we first met, I asked him what his goals were. He said he wanted to be No.1 in the world, win multiple majors and play for the U.S.A in Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup teams. I’m proud I was part of the team that helped him achieve those goals.”
Harmon is regarded as one of the best coaches in the sport. He helped Dustin Johnson win the 2020 Master title, and on Sunday had another student, Si Woo Kim, win the American Express.
–Field Level Media
