Advertisement

Brooks Koepka plays his way back into The Honda Classic

Misery makes company, so no one would have blamed Brooks Koepka for missing The Honda Classic cut as his Thursday-Friday playing partners, Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson, looked lost on PGA National's Champion course.

However, as McIlroy and Johnson were struggled after three-and-a-half hours of weather delays in Round 2, Koepka thrived. The Phoenix Open winner shot 6-under 64 -- the clubhouse leader for best round of the week -- to overcome an opening 78 and find his way into the weekend field.

The 24-year-old made eight birdies on the day, including one on the par-5 18th (his ninth of the day) after needing a drop when his second shot took a huge hop off the cart path.

Koepka could have easily packed it in, drove to his nearby home and called it a week. Instead of thinking selfishly, he chose to be motivated by the people in his gallery who supported him.

“I have so many family and friends out,” he said, “that you almost don't want to let them down.”

The Florida State product who turned pro in 2012 reflected on how far he's come in such a short timeframe, knowing a younger version of himself would not have battled for a payday quite like he did on Friday.

"I couldn't have done that – I would have come back and shot around even par, a couple over today," he said. "But just to be able to grind it out is key and to never think you're out of it, I think that's really important. Like I said, great players, no matter what they shoot the day before on Thursday, they are going to come out and they are going to play well on Friday.”


Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.