Jena Sims has shed light on how some of golf’s top players met their significant others. And it’s apparent that many may be surprised at how often it’s the women who make the initial approach.
The 35-year-old – who is married to LIV Golf superstar Brooks Koepka and shares one child with the former world No. 1 – has faced criticism for openly admitting that she initiated contact with Koepka through Instagram. Their online interaction began in 2015 and led to marriage seven years later, with the couple welcoming a son in July last year.
Their love story was featured in an episode of the Netflix series Full Swing. Despite receiving flak for pursuing Koepka on social media, Sims maintains her husband is not the only golfer to have found love online.
“I’ve had a lot of crap for telling the world that I slid into his DMs because it’s like I went after him,” she confessed on The Scoop with Claire Rogers (via the Mirror). “People are quick to judge but Brooks, he’s special.
“He’s got no game, like, he would never approach me in a bar! He’ll look me in my eye and say, ‘I cannot believe we’re married now and you literally slid into my DMs.”
She added: “You know what, I’ve spoken to a few other girls – I won’t name names – but some of the women who are married to top five, top 10 players in the world also slid into their husbands’ DMs. I’m just the only one who talks about it publicly.”
Sims also revealed the fairytale-like moment they first locked eyes during the 2015 Masters, which led to a swift introduction to his family. She reminisced about their initial connection, saying, “I slid into his DMs in 2015.
“We were chatting for a couple of months because the season was in full swing. I’m from [Georgia] so I had a friend who had Masters tickets. I just told Brooks, ‘I’m going to be here, this would be a great opportunity for us to meet.’ So I guess I made the first two moves!”
Describing the memorable encounter, she explained: “I think it was the Thursday round and I was there. I found him and he spotted me. This was during the tournament play, between holes seven and eight, and he reached over the ropes and hugged me.”
The crowd was astonished as Sims recounted: “Even the crowd around me was like, ‘Oh my God, who is she? I can’t believe he just stopped the tournament play to meet you.’ That night – this is crazy – I met his entire family! We weren’t even dating, that was our first interaction.”
