Jena Sims wasn’t expecting to learn her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit fate during a recent car ride with her husband, golf star Brooks Koepka.
When traveling to Orlando last month to support Koepka at LIV Golf’s most recent event, the 34-year-old Sims a message popped up on her phone just as the couple pulled into a friend’s driveway for a pre-tournament dinner — days before the next SwimSearch announcement was slated to drop.
“For some reason just checked my email right then and there, and it just was like, ‘Congratulations, you’ve made the top 12,’” Sims recently told The Post after advancing to the next round of the publication’s annual model search.
“I stopped everything I was doing, I was like, ‘Oh my God, I made top 12.’ And he [Koepka] was like, ‘I love you so much, you deserve this, congratulations, now what’s the gate code,’” she continued with a laugh.
Sims will tell you it’s been “a crazy two weeks.”
Days after learning she had made the latest round of cuts in this year’s SwimSearch, with the winner set to appear in the 2024 issue of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, Koepka captured his second individual LIV Golf title.
He followed up that performance with a tantalizing outing at the 2023 Masters, finishing tied for second with Phil Mickelson at 8-under — after being atop the leaderboard after the first three rounds of the major.
Much like Koepka, Sims is enjoying the present moment as her journey with Sports Illustrated Swimsuit unfolds.
“It’s been a dream that I’ve always wanted to go after,” Sims said.
With core components such as body positivity and empowerment at the center of the iconic publication, Sims was inspired to enter the SwimSearch as the outlet’s values aligned with hers.
“Since they have been more focused on inclusiveness and body positivity, I think that just so closely mirrors the mission of the Pageant of Hope,” Sims said of her organization, which aims to raise awareness and support young adults and children who endure challenges to be celebrated for who they are.
“Everything that they’re doing, I knew I would be a really good fit for that. So I applied last year and it wasn’t my time, but this year, let’s hope and keep the ball rolling.”
The 12 remaining finalists will learn on May 12 if they’ve advanced to the top six.
From there, a winner will be announced in September as the first rookie of the 2024 issue.
In the meantime, Sims’ friends — including Sports Illustrated Swimsuit alums Kristen Louelle and Summer Wilson — have encouraged her to “trust the process” and savor the ride.
“I have a fun core group of girls who have been able to give me advice and just help me throughout this process because there are unknowns when applying for S.I. Swimsuit,” she said.
Given the gaps between the November 2022 submission deadline and the top-24 reveal in March, Sims’ pals told her to “be patient” as updates trickled in.
“They gave me really good advice to just breathe, trust the process,” she said.
Regardless of what happens next, there’s no mistaking that this is an exciting time for Sims.
She’s curating another swimwear collaboration with OneOne Swim, which she initially teamed with last year.
“I’ve got neons and sparkles and neutrals, but I think there’s something for everybody,” she said of the upcoming styles.
Though Sims looked to social media for input during the design process, Koepka is still her biggest supporter and is “very encouraging.”
The couple, who will celebrate their first wedding anniversary in June, has been able to spend more time together following Koepka’s decision to join LIV Golf last summer.
“We go to tournaments a little bit later in the week than we had previously on the PGA Tour,” Sims said, noting the 54-hole events on the Saudi-backed circuit begin on Fridays as opposed to Thursdays with PGA.
“We’re traveling for shorter amounts of time and he’s playing less golf, so we get more time together and get to work on things we’re doing together as a family and as a couple.”
Golf fans got a glimpse into Sims and Koepka’s private life following an appearance on the Netflix docuseries “Full Swing.”
Although the episode was “kind of hard to watch, just knowing how much” was filmed versus what was shown, Sims is focusing on the positive, specifically, viewers seeing a more “vulnerable side” of Koepka, 32.
“It showed such a vulnerable side of him, which the world probably had no idea he was like that,” Sims said of the four-time major champion, who has battled injuries in the past.
“He didn’t hide anything or hold back at all on that show, just to see — this was exactly a year ago — where he was a year ago and where he is now, it’s unbelievable.”
With her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit dreams within reach, Sims continues embracing new experiences and lessons learned along the way.
“I think just to be proud of myself and understand that there are people out there who see me for who I am,” she said.
“I think with the release of ‘Full Swing,’ and there’s just been a few things that have happened where we’ve gotten some serious backlash, so I think this has just really made me focus on the positive and really be proud of myself and know that I’m doing the right thing, I’m doing good things, and I’m standing up for the right things.”