Brooks Koepka’s return to the PGA Tour from LIV has created a bunch of headlines.
You’d expect that for a player who has the same number of majors – five – as Rory McIlroy and Seve Ballesteros.
So, given the extra scrutiny, there was particular interest when the American switched from a blade to a TaylorMade Spider Tour X putter for his second tournament back, the WM Phoenix Open.
There was added intrigue given that it proved a masterstroke for World No.1 Scottie Scheffler when he made the same equipment change two years ago.
Scheffler’s putting has been transformed, so would it work for Koepka?
Why the change?
Koepka’s first tournament back on the PGA Tour came at the Farmers Insurance Open in California.
While he could only manage 56th, it wasn’t exactly a surprise given that he’d missed the cut there on his previous three starts in the tournament.
But Koepka cut a frustrated figure due mainly to his woeful performance on the greens.
Of the 74 players who made the cut, Koepka finished last for Strokes Gained: Putting.
The 35-year-old said that week: “Game feels good. Like I think putting is probably last in the field, but never really putted well here. I’ve never felt comfortable on poa. You just miss a few and you’ve got zero confidence.”
Koepka clearly felt something had to change given that the putter had been holding him back for a couple of seasons.
But it was still a surprise when photos emerged of him in Phoenix wielding the mallet-style TaylorMade Spider putter in practice.
We’d become so used to him lining up on the greens with a Scotty Cameron blade putter that it looked slightly odd seeing him testing a mallet.
Talking about why he’d switched, Koepka said in his pre-tournament press conference: “Trying to get the ball in the hole. Just really never felt comfortable over the ball. You’ve got to have everything squared up to the target.
“Just working on things like that. Real simple stuff, setup. Shoulders were open. My feet are always a little bit open, but just trying to minimize the lines crossing so much. And yeah, just tried to keep everything more consistent, the face, the path, everything.”
Did the switch pay off?
The first we saw of Koepka and his new Spider putter in the TV coverage was a putt that did a 360 horseshoe around the hole and stayed up.
Perhaps it was an omen.
Koepka had previously putted the TPC Scottsdale greens really well, recording positive SGP figures in all five visits and in four of those ranking 18th or better.
But on day one in Phoenix he had a nightmare, losing 3.625 strokes on the greens and ranking 123rd and last in the field.
No instant impact then.
A 75 on day one left him way back and he couldn’t repair the damage on day two despite firing a 2-under 69.
As for the new flatstick, there were hints of good news.
Despite not exactly lighting up the greens, Koepka gained 0.273 strokes with the putter and ranked 55th out of 123.
Small acorns perhaps.
What’s next?
Koepka didn’t qualify for this week’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am – a Signature Series event – and he’s not in the field for the following week’s Genesis Invitational either.
Perhaps that’s no bad thing given that both feature the poa annua greens that he struggles with.
So, according to his schedule, his next stop is the Cognizant Classic in Palm Beaches, Florida.
Focusing on the positives, Koepka now has three weeks to try and bed in the new putter, providing he thinks the signs of improvement in round two in Phoenix can be built upon.
As a Floridian, he’ll certainly enjoy the return to Bermuda greens and he’s been a runner-up in that tournament previously.
But if Koepka is to return to the form that brought him five major titles between 2017 and 2023, the bottom line is simple: his putting needs a huge turnaround.
Does he now have the right equipment to facilitate it?
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The post How Brooks Koepka really performed after Taylormade Spider gamble appeared first on Golf365.
Article Link: Why did Brooks Koepka change putter? PGA Tour return sparks switch