Brooks Koepka has struggled since rejoining the PGA Tour, so he made a major change.
After a dreadful putting performance at Torrey Pines, Koepka changed his putter for the first time in over a decade. He switched his traditional blade putter for a TaylorMade Spider Tour X mallet putter.
It’s a move that conforms to what many players on the PGA Tour have in their bag. Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy have both used this club to great effect in recent years.
But its debut in Koepka’s bag didn’t exactly go to plan. He lost 1.68 strokes on the green at the WM Phoenix Open, as Koepka missed the cut in his second start of the year. But data around the PGA Tour suggests this switch was the right move.
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Five of the six 2026 PGA Tour winners use Brooks Koepka’s new putter
Early in the PGA Tour season, the data is pretty conclusive. The TaylorMade Spider Tour X putter is the way to go.
Five of the six winners so far this PGA Tour season have used it, from Scheffler at the American Express to Jacob Bridgeman at the Genesis Invitational.
The only exception is Justin Rose, who won the Farmers Insurance Open using a Scotty Cameron Phantom T-5 at Torrey Pines.
Bridgeman’s putting at Riviera Country Club is what won him the Genesis Invitational. He gained over two strokes putting compared to the field, and stormed into the lead by gaining 3.65 strokes on the green in his third round.
So while his first tournament with this new club didn’t go to plan, it appears to be the right move this year on the PGA Tour.
What Brooks Koepka said about his putting before the Cognizant Classic
Koepka is preparing to make his third PGA Tour start this season, and his second with his new putter, at the Cognizant Classic.
Prior to the event, he said his putting is actually in a good place. The five-time major winner said, “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.
“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.”
When asked why he changed to a mallet putter, he said, “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. I feel like my speed control has gotten better, and just with a few changes, just tidying those things up.”
So despite a tough week in Phoenix, things are looking up for Koepka and his putting.
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