Brooks Koepka, one of the more interesting players in golf, rejoined the PGA Tour earlier this year, and here’s a surprise: he’s liking it.
In the past, Koepka’s demeanor on the course sometimes gave the impression that he didn’t like what he was doing, but it was probably that he was fighting through knee pain. He was quoted in a story saying he woke up every day unable to bend his knee. Not a good situation for any athlete and certainly not for a golfer.
Because he was unsure of his future play, Koepka joined LIV Golf in 2022 to get guaranteed money, something he could not get on the PGA Tour except in off-course deals from businesses or golf manufacturers.
Even though Koepka was likely doing well in off course revenue on the PGA Tour, the amount of his LIV contract was reportedly nine figures, or $100,000,000 plus. Whatever the real amount, as a five-time major winner, he certainly could demand a tidy sum.
The LIV money gave him security for his family in the present and the future. Now, with his knee in better condition, he’s changed his mind about playing around the world. He wants to stay closer to home.
One thing he feels that he needs to fix to get back to his previous form is better putting. For that reason, he made one equipment modification that he hopes will lower his scores. He switched from a blade putter to a Spider putter.
“The face rotation on the Spider is a little less than it was with the blade,” he explained at The Players Championship. “I think it's easier to line up as well.”
Putting issues, he noted, have plagued him for at least two seasons.
“The consistency of speed hasn't been there,” he said. “I felt like every time I hit a good putt, it just kind of hit the lip or would miss it by a foot and, you know, you don't want to ever question what's going on. But when you feel like you did something right and you look up and it's not even close, you know that there's a problem.”
His breaking point, he said, was in Phoenix. Not making putts added pressure to the rest of his game.
“I felt like I had to make birdie from my approach play,” he admitted. “You try to be maybe a little bit more aggressive or take on a pin that you normally wouldn't have.”
That opens up chances for more errors.
“Somehow you end up in a horrible spot, and you're looking at bogey with a wedge and you're just sitting back in the middle of the fairway going, on the next hole, like what was I doing; how did I just turn a birdie hole or a birdie opportunity into a bogey,” he explained.
As far as returning to the PGA Tour, he said it was more emotional than he expected it would be.
“It was honestly a great feeling,” he said about the reception he had from the fans. And he had many players say welcome back. “Sometimes I can be very good at burying my emotions, and I just look at it as this is a job; just be robotic and go about your process. I'm pretty sure everybody sees that when I'm on the golf course.”
But this time, he said he was taking in the atmosphere and appreciating the kindness of fans and colleagues.
“I think that was something I haven't done in maybe my professional career, and it was just enjoyable.”