Brooks Koepka, the five-time major champion, will tee off at 1:20 p.m. at Augusta National Golf Club, but he is barely part of the conversation among potential winners. The reason lies in his current form, as he has averaged a 22nd-place finish across his last 10 events and has no top-five finishes in that stretch. Yet Tony Finau, who has shared plenty of rounds with him, believes he could be wearing the iconic Green Jacket on Sunday.

“Nobody is going to talk about Brooks Koepka,” Finau said on Trey Wingo Golf and Trey Wingo. “But I played with Brooks a handful of times in the past couple of months in practice rounds and tournaments. I feel like he’s now on the back end of all the hoopla when it comes to LIV and the tour and coming back to the tour and all that stuff.

“I think we’re going to see him play some great golf. I would not be surprised at all if on Sunday if Brooks is wearing a Green Jacket. He passes the eye test for me. He’s hitting the golf ball as well as I’ve seen him strike it. I wouldn’t even blink twice if Brooks was in contention on Sunday.”

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The stats give Finau’s words some real weight. And if anything, it serves as an indirect warning to Rory McIlroy & Co. to up their game if they want to stand a chance. Additionally, it is all the more significant for the defending champion McIlroy, who is also the favorite to win this year’s edition.

Koepka ranks second on the PGA Tour this season in Strokes Gained: Approach the Green at 0.913, and his Strokes Gained: Total average over his last five events sits at 0.721. His ball-striking is genuinely elite right now, even if his putting has been a concern, ranking 142nd on Tour in Strokes Gained: Putting this season.

Finau’s endorsement carries extra credibility, given how well the two know each other.

Their bond traces back to the 2018 Ryder Cup, where they were paired together in foursomes and defeated Justin Rose and Jon Rahm, one of the stronger pairings in that competition. That partnership wasn’t accidental. Ryder Cup captains pair players based on chemistry and compatibility, and the two clearly had both.

Their relationship only deepened from there. Reflecting on the 2024 Ryder Cup, where Koepka had his worst personal performance, going 1-2-1, while Finau was one of the American bright spots at 2-1-0, Finau revealed a gesture from Koepka that cemented their friendship.

“Brooks will always be a homie for that,” Finau said. “Not only for that, but like our wives are good friends, like he’s just a homie for that.”

Finau isn’t just making a passing comment. He has seen the 35-year-old up close, both on the range and in competition, and it’s not like Koepka hasn’t put up good numbers at the Masters.

Koepka’s best result at Augusta was in 2023, when he finished tied for second at 8-under. In his last ten appearances at Augusta National, he has made the cut seven times.

Meanwhile, at Augusta, the golfer is having a great time with family. At the Par 3 Contest, Brooks Koepka’s son, Crew, sat on his father’s shoulders at the fifth hole, and when Koepka made a hole-in-one on the sixth, he celebrated by lifting his son into the air.

“An ace at Augusta. A lifetime memory with my Crew. That’s a forever kind of day,” Koepka wrote on Instagram.

In the midst of all this, Koepka’s coach has issued a warning for him to win the Masters.

Peter Cowen tells Brooks Koepka ‘no excuses’ ahead of the Masters

Before the Masters, legendary golf coach Peter Cowen told Brooks Koepka that he had “no excuses” after coming back from LIV Golf. Cowen, who has coached Rory McIlroy, Darren Clarke, and Sergio Garcia, didn’t like that Koepka cut short his LIV contract. But he says Koepka is now in a better place mentally as he heads to Augusta.

It cost Koepka a lot to come back to the PGA Tour. He agreed to give $5 million to charity, and it was also reported that he could lose between $50 million and $85 million in possible earnings under the Returning Member Program. This program also makes it very hard for him to play in tournaments and make money this season.

Despite that, Cowen sees no room for excuses.

“You’ve done what you wanted, so let’s just go and play good golf,” he told The Times.

He also echoed what Tony Finau said. The coach acknowledged Koepka is hitting the ball well and trending in the right direction, adding that while the Masters may be a bit soon, the freshness of his return could work in his favor.

“I’ve given them reality checks,” he said, reminding Koepka of his talent and what makes him happy beyond family.

With the right attitude, Cowen believes Koepka is capable of competing at the top of every major he enters, starting this week.

Koepka enters a field headlined by defending champion Rory McIlroy, who claimed his first Green Jacket last year. Finau and Cowen believe he has everything needed to challenge. Whether Augusta agrees is another matter entirely.