AVONDALE, LOUISIANA - APRIL 25: Brooks Koepka of the United States lines up a putt on the 15th green during the first round of the Zurich Classic at TPC Louisiana on April 25, 2019 in Avondale, Louisiana. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
The 2019 PGA Championship at Bethpage Black Course in Long Island, N.Y. is only a week away but one of the competitors has already given residents of New York City reason to celebrate.
As part of a sponsorship deal between Michelob and PGA Tour competitor Brooks Koepka, people in New York City will get to enjoy free Michelob Ultra during the tournament which runs from Monday, May 13 through Sunday, May 19.
On Monday, May 6, Koepka hit “The ULTRA shot,” landing a golf ball struck from Governor’s Island onto a floating barge in the Hudson River. Because of Koepka’s execution, the promotional offer Michelob had on the table is now in effect.
When the first round of the championship tees off on Thursday, May 16, people in New York City will be able to redeem a $5 rebate on six-packs of Michelob Ultra on top of getting to enjoy a free bottle of Ultra from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at select bars.
The 29-year-old Koepka is his eighth professional season. A native of West Palm Beach, Fla, he currently ranks eighth in the FedEx Cup standings with earnings of $3,545,927 so far in 2019. His most recent victory came in Oct. 2018 at the CJ Cup at Nine Bridges, where he shot an 8-under 64 to win the event by four strokes.
Koepka has two other top 10 finishes in the current season. He finished tied for second at The Honda Classic and the Masters, shooting a 66 and 70 in the final rounds of those events respectively. Brooks is familiar with the PGA Championship event, having won it in 2018. Brooks’ other major victories include the 2017 and 2018 U.S. Open. Koepka was named the Player of the Year for the 2017-18 campaign. His career earnings have totaled over $24 million with five career PGA tour victories on his résumé.
This isn’t the first time that Koepka has been part of a promotional endeavor with Michelob, which has been one of his sponsors since 2017. That year, Michelob announced a promotion in which an ace by Koepka would have awarded registered participants with 95 complimentary cases of Ultra.
Koepka was recently in the PGA conversation for his controversial loss of almost 20 pounds, which some critics blamed for poor performances, highlighted by a perceived loss of power that was shown by a 10-12 foot shortening of his drives off the tee. Koepka laughed off the criticism, some of which was aimed at his appearance in the last ESPN The Magazine Body Issue, and has backed up his talk with the improved play since, which included a bogey-free 66 in the first round of the 2019 Masters. Koepka will have another chance to demonstrate the loss of length on his drives and weight off his frame are no impediment to his game at Bethpage Black next week.
There was certainly no power outage for Koepka taking “The Ultra Shot.” Regardless of how Koepka fares in the first round of the PGA Championship on Thursday, May 16, New York City residents will have something to thank him for. If he defends his event title this year to win his sixth tour event, it will be an Ultra victory.