2023 Masters: Brooks Koepka was so mad a year ago he tried to break the back window of his car when he missed the cut. Now he holds the clubhouse lead

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Brooks Koepka is the leader in the clubhouse through 36 holes at the weather-delayed 87^th Masters at Augusta National.

A year ago, Koepka shot a pair of 75s and was sent packing, missing the cut for the second straight year. It was a low point for Koepka, the winner of four majors in the span of eight of golf’s biggest championships who also squandered a chance to win the Masters in 2019. How low? Koepka, speaking after signing for a second-round 5-under 67 on Friday and 36-hole total of 12-under 132, detailed how he attempted to smash the back window of his Mercedes courtesy car with his fist.

“I don’t even know if I should be saying this, but pretty sure I tried to break the back window with my fist of the car, I tried to put it through the back window, not once but twice. First time didn’t go, so figured try it again.”

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Try as he could, the window refused to break.

“Apparently not strong enough,” Koepka said. “But yeah, I guess Mercedes makes a pretty good back window.”

Koepka described the ride home to Florida as “pretty silent. I think just a lot of frustration.”

He bared his soul on the Netflix show “Full Swing,” saying he couldn’t beat Scottie Scheffler and wasn’t sure he could recapture his world No. 1 form. But now Koepka has recovered from the knee trouble that plagued him and seemed ready to shorten his career. He is brimming with confidence once again. So far, there’s been no reason to attempt to punch a car window; instead, he’s punching his weight again against the best golfers in the world.

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