Brooks Koepka reveals what Travis Kelce is really like after meeting him for the first time
Travis Kelce is perhaps the greatest tight end the NFL has ever seen.
The three-time Super Bowl winner with the Kansas City Chiefs is an 11-time probowler, holds the record for the most playoff catches ever, and holds the record for the most playoff touchdowns ever by a tight end.
Advertisement
Off the field, Kelce has a highly successful podcast, is engaged to Taylor Swift, and is one of the most popular athletes on the planet. And as if there wasn’t anything else to be jealous of, his golf game is pretty nice, too.
Kelce recently played in the pro-am ahead of the PGA Tour’s WM Phoenix Open alongside Brooks Koepka, and he was really impressive.
Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images
What Brooks Koepka said about Travis Kelce’s golf game
The WM Phoenix Open is famous for its Coliseum Hole, a par three surrounded by a stadium complex, and a raucous crowd either cheering a good shot or booing a bad one. Stepping onto the 16th tee box is about as much pressure as anyone could face on a golf course.
Advertisement
But for Kelce, pressure makes diamonds. He stuck his shot on the 16th within a few feet and soaked up the applause.
After playing in the pro-am with Kelce, Koepka revealed what the NFL superstar was really like on their first-ever meeting: “Yeah, it was good. We’ve got quite a few mutual friends. So there’s been, I guess, many conversations between those third parties.
“But yeah, he’s a great guy. First time I ever got to meet him. Yeah, he hits it long. I’m sure that’s not shocking to anybody. He’s got speed and size. So it was fun. It was a good group and I enjoyed it.”
It was a dream day for Kelce, who not only played one of the shots of his life on one of the world’s most famous holes, but also impressed a five-time major winner in the process!
Advertisement
Travis Kelce’s golfing handicap
Kelce has an impressive power golf game, which is improving rapidly.
He isn’t quite a scratch golfer like some of his NFL peers, such as Tony Romo, who once played in a PGA Tour event. But Kelce is a solid amateur with a handicap of around 11.
He has shown steady improvement, frequently shooting in the 80s and expressing a personal goal to consistently break into the 70s.
Kelce’s greatest asset on the course is his distance. He is a perennial threat in long-drive competitions, and in 2023, he won the American Century Celebrity Long Drive contest with a massive 362-yard swing. His swing generates immense speed, with recorded ball speeds reaching nearly 200 mph, a figure that rivals some of the longest hitters on the PGA Tour.
Advertisement
This power is unfortunately not paired with accuracy, but despite occasional struggles, he remains a clutch performer in high-stakes celebrity events. He famously teamed up with Patrick Mahomes to win The Match VIII in 2023, and now he can add this high-pressure shot at TPC Scottsdale to his resume!
Read the full article here
