Following on from Episode 1: Frenemies, episode number 2 of the highly anticipated Full Swing focusses on Brooks Koepka and cleverly compares him to Scottie Scheffler, who goes on a Koepka-like run in winning four times in six starts including a Major to reach the World No.1 spot.
It's a true chalk and cheese comparison, from the guy who was, to the guy that is.
You can forgive golf fans for forgetting about Brooks Koepka. After all, he is winless on the PGA Tour since the 2021 Phoenix Open and is about as far away from the player he once was as he could be.
Injuries have scuppered him hugely. Both knees and his hip, he confirms in episode 2, that shows the fragility of a man struggling deeply with confidence following an almighty spell at the top of the game.
Brooks Koepka seen working out in the gym during Episode 2 of Full Swing
Koepka is, after all, the player who defines this era - as Golf.com journalist Dylan Dethier quite rightly puts it, albeit forgetting to mention another four-time Major winner, Rory McIlroy.
McIlroy aside, he's right. Koepka has won more Majors than Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson and every other man under the age of 52 who isn't called Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson or Rory McIlroy.
Episode 2 follows him coming up just shy of successfully defending his Phoenix Open title and heading off home disappointed all the while Scottie Scheffler picks up his maiden PGA Tour win. By the time Augusta rolls round, Scheffler is a three-time PGA Tour winner, World No.1 and is just days away from slipping on the Green Jacket.
Win or Go Home documents Koepka's near-miss at the 2022 WM Phoenix Open
Koepka, followed by the cameras, misses the cut at Augusta National for the second-consecutive year and tells the producers that he didn't watch the final round and then briefly can't even remember who won.
Netflix follows him in what is one of the lowest moments of his career, as he seems lost with his game and self belief. The 39 minute episode reminds you of just how great he once was and also probably explains why he joined LIV Golf. He clearly needed a change of scenery and just something different to get his confidence and mojo back.
A huge fee obviously came with joining LIV and we get a look at the lavish lifestyle he and Jena Sims live. Jena reveals she "slid into Brooks' DMs" and the pair were now set to get married. They own a custom built mansion, featuring two huge, symmetrical glass structures, in Jupiter with an infinity pool overlooking the water upon which their boat sits at the end of a wooden pier.
It's exactly the sort of house you'd imagine a famous sports star who has won over $37m on the PGA Tour would live in, but seeing it is still quite something.
Yet despite all of his wealth, his happy marriage, very cute black labrador and four Major trophies, he is pissed off. He got a taste for winning and that's all he wants. He'd give up all of the money he won just to taste that feeling again for 10 minutes he says - what a quote.
"Golf's so crazy because when you have it, you feel like you're never gonna lose it. And when you don't have it, you feel like you're never gonna get it"
Another great quote, and there are many in this episode, from Koepka describes the true struggles he's having. "Golf's so crazy because when you have it, you feel like you're never gonna lose it. And when you don't have it, you feel like you're never gonna get it," he says overlayed with him missing putt after putt on the practice green at Medalist, just after he claimed he was probably the worst in the world from 8ft after once being the best.
We also get to see a clip of him putting balls on his carpet up to a bottle of red wine, being monitored by a coach and some very high-tech putting software. Putting on your carpet to a wine bottle is something a lot of golfers have probably done once or twice, and hilariously it seems that Brooks Koepka does it, too.
Brooks Koepka's missed cut at The Masters is seen in Episode 2 of Full Swing
Some more great words come from him chatting to his Mum while sitting in his lounge come snug come trophy room, where he has a big empty spot ready and waiting for The Masters trophy. Again, talking about the mental game, he describes Scottie Scheffler's current frame of mind:
"That kid, I guarantee if you ask him what he's thinking about, he goes: "Nothing."
"The best player in the world doesn't have any damn thoughts in his head, so why would you, right? You're trying to be the best player in the world, so if Scottie ain't doing it, why the hell am I doing it?"
Koepka clearly was thinking about a lot, and not a lot of it will have been positive amid what was clearly a crisis of confidence.
Koepka to LIV?
A rare smile comes at the end of the episode when asked about LIV Golf. Has he given it any thought? A smile and a wink follow, before some excellent footage of what's set to come in the remaining Full Swing episodes.
Koepka famously said some guys "would sell out" and join LIV and then did it himself, with he and brother Chase now signed up the Saudi-backed series that has turned the game upside down.
Another LIV-less episode, but there's surely some gripping episodes to follow as golf's crazy 2022 season continues to unfold.
Full Swing Season 1 Episode 2: Win Or Go Home
- Length: 40 minutes
- Synopsis: With his career in a frustrating slump, Brooks Koepka hopes to reclaim his place as one of the top golfers at The Masters.
- Main cast: Brooks Koepka, Jena Sims, Scottie Scheffler, Meredith Scudder, Amanda Renner, Dan Rapaport, Dylan Dethier, Sean Foley
- Tournaments featured: WM Phoenix Open, The Masters
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