Rozner: Koepka cruises into PGA Championship in major form

The Big Cat is back and he will be the story this week, period.

Win, place or Top 10, Tiger Woods doesn't just move the needle. He is the needle, now and forever.

But that's good news for the rest of the field, especially those who have had to share media obligations and focus with Woods out of the picture.

It's especially good for Brooks Koepka, who never seems to get the respect he deserves and enjoys the lack of notice, using it as fuel for a well-disguised fire.

That will be a bit tougher this week as Koepka defends his title at the PGA Championship, but even with his recent track record in major championships, he began the week as only the third favorite at 12-1 behind Woods (8-1) and Dustin Johnson (10-1).

And while it would be foolish to tug on Superman's cape - or bet against the greatest of all time on a course where Woods won the U.S. Open in 2002 - Koepka at 12-1 was a bargain.

His last seven majors, starting with Erin Hills in 2017, are as follows: W, T-6, T-13, W, T-39, W, T-2.

Simply put, Koepka should be the favorite this week.

Who knows what happens at the Masters if he doesn't drop it in the drink on No. 12 Sunday afternoon, but he lands at Bethpage in great form and with supreme confidence.

He arrives after shooting 20-under in Dallas with bookend 65s, cruising to a fourth-place finish and 3 behind the eventual winner Sunday, never breaking a sweat and playing in the tournament the week before a major because he didn't think he'd get much done practicing last week.

"I usually play the week before a major. I think Augusta is the only one I don't do it," Koepka said before teeing it up in Dallas. "The rest of them, I like to play the week before. You don't need to play that great. I try to get some rhythm."

He hadn't played in a month, save the two-man tourney with his brother in New Orleans, and walked out onto a course he'd never seen in Texas without a practice round and shot 3-under on the back - his front - and got it to 6-under after 14 holes on Day 1.

Seriously.

After winning the U.S. Open and PGA Championship last year, giving him 3 wins in his 6 major starts, he took a month off following the Ryder Cup and won the CJ Cup in South Korea in October.

After playing only three times in the next four months, he finished second at the Honda on a U.S. Open-quality course, finishing a shot out of a playoff.

He played three of the next four weeks and showed no form, took two weeks off and finished a shot behind Woods at Augusta.

In Dallas, he was out for stroll and on Saturday hit 17 of 18 greens with his best prox of the week. The 33 putts in Round 3 kept him from winning the Nelson by a touchdown.

"I feel good. I like the way I'm hitting it, controlling ball flight and spin, hitting it where I want and missing it where I want," Koepka said Sunday night. "Putting it good. Some putts didn't fall, which I'm OK with. If I'm gonna miss them, I just want to hit a good strike."

He did that. His putting stroke looked the best it has since last year's PGA at Bellerive, which should really be frightening for the rest of the field.

There's no ballpark that can hold him and Bethpage will be playing very long and very wet, making the narrow fairways wider. If he misses, he can bomb and gouge all week as this won't be a U.S. Open rough.

Woods' last three majors are a T-6 at the Open - where he had the lead on Sunday - a second to Koepka in St. Louis and a win at the Masters, so he's got every right to think No. 16 is on tap this week, and all the bombers like Johnson, Jon Rahm, Gary Woodland, Tony Finau and the enigmatic Rory McIlroy will be thinking it's perfect for them as well.

But nobody comes in with the major championship form Koepka owns from the last two years and no one - this side of Woods - is as certain he can win as Koepka, who was born to play the PGA Championship, which rewards length and the ability to go low.

Before anyone even knew who he was, the Challenge Tour grad posted a T-5 and a T-4 the two previous PGAs before winning the U.S. Open in Wisconsin in 2017.

Even now, Koepka hardly gets the consideration he's earned, seemingly able to win any time he truly feels like winning, when he gets himself into contention on Sunday and plays with a purpose.

He understands what it means to have Woods back in form and he's eager to take on the best of all time on a legendary track with a major on the line.

They will play together Thursday and Friday as New York fans get a real treat, weather permitting.

Here's hoping they land in the final group on Sunday, as well.