Brooks Koepka is optimistic that one part of his game is going to be a lot more impressive at the Cognizant Classic this week than the last time we saw the five-time major champion in action.
There is no question that Brooks Koepka is the star attraction in the field at the Cognizant Classic this week, with many of the PGA Tour‘s biggest names taking a rest after the first two signature events of the season.
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It has been a tough start to life back on the PGA Tour for Koepka. He missed the cut at the WM Phoenix Open after finishing tied for 56th at the Farmers Insurance Open.
And one part of the 35-year-old’s game has been particularly poor so far this season.
Brooks Koepka optimistic his putting will improve at the Cognizant Classic
Koepka is ranked 171st for strokes gained on the greens this year. He has lost more than two shots per round on the putting surfaces so far.
He has begun to use a mallet putter. And speaking ahead of the opening round at PGA National, Koepka stated that he expected to see a big improvement having had more time to prepare.
“Yeah, made a few changes. Everything is starting to get better, which it should. Got a game plan set going forward, which is nice, and making just little tweaks here and there,” he said.
“I probably hit 300 putts with it before I actually played. But having two weeks of being able to get work done and make some adjustments, it should be a lot better.”
Koepka explains how difficult it is to go from a blade to a mallet putter
Koepka is far from the only player to switch to a mallet putter in recent times. Even the best players in the world appear to appreciate the greater forgiveness and consistency.
It seemed to be a game-changer in Scottie Scheffler‘s career when he abandoned a blade. Scheffler has elevated his game and become one of the very best putters on the PGA Tour.
Koepka will be hoping for similar results in the weeks to come. And he explained how difficult the transition can be.
“I didn’t know where exactly I was hitting it, and obviously when you change putters, speed becomes another thing, and I felt like the speed was slightly off. Now I understand exactly where to hit it and where it’s going,” he said.
“I feel like my speed control has gotten better, and just with a few changes, just tidying those things up.”
It would be fantastic for the PGA Tour if Koepka was able to put himself in contention at some stage over the coming days.
But clearly, he would be quite content to simply see signs of significant progress on the long journey back to the top.
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