Claude Harmon noticed what Brooks Koepka was doing with his tee shots during final practice round at Pinehurst

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Claude Harmon has shared what he noticed Brooks Koepka doing with his tee shots during his practice round at Pinehurst No.2.

The five-time major winner is looking for his third U.S. Open title this week after previously claiming America’s most prestigious competition in 2017 and 2018.

After his hard-fought victory at Shinnecock Hills six years ago, the 34-year-old certainly knows the mental strength required to succeed in the golf’s toughest test.

This week promises to be no different, with the North Carolina course set to thoroughly test the world’s best, particularly on the sloped putting surfaces.

Harmon analyses Brooks Koepka’s tee shots at Pinehurst No.2

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Controlling approach shots this week could be vital, potentially giving longer hitters an advantage.

Coming into the greens with a wedge or shorter iron will allow for the ball to be stopped sooner on Pinehurst’s slippery putting surfaces.

However, ensuring the ball is in the fairway is a must, and Harmon has claimed Koepka could look to hit his driving iron off the tee regularly.

“There is a lot of conversation on the tee box about what are we doing here,” Harmon told the Son of a Butch Podcast. “How far up do we want to push this? Can we just hit the fairway here and hit an iron off the tee?”

Harmon went on to suggest Koepka could have a significant advantage this week, providing he hits the fairway.

He added: “In Brooks’ case, he and his caddie, Rickie Elliott, have this Nike driving iron; it’s a three iron; he can probably hit that 240 to 250 in the air.

“So Brooks is going to hit his driving iron off the tee, his three wood off the tee, he is going to hit driver, and I think the long hitters have an advantage here, but only if they hit the fairway.”

What Brooks Koepka must do to content at Pinehurst this week

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There’s no doubting Koepka’s major pedigree. His run from 2017 was arguably the most Tiger-like form the golfing world has witnessed in the major championships since the great man’s glory days in the mid-2000s.

The challenge for Koepka this week is to keep pace with some of the PGA Tour’s in-form stars. Scottie Scheffler’s levels are hard to contend with at the moment. The 2024 Masters champion is consistently grinding out victories and almost demoralising the rest of the field in the process.

Koepka has tasted victory this season after his record-breaking LIV Golf win in Singapore. But another U.S. Open title will feel very different.

Looking to remain steady over rounds one and two is a must before assessing the leaderboard on Saturday. It feels like a war of attrition will play out on Thursday and Friday before moving day.