Brooks Koepka, returning to the PGA Tour after playing on LIV Golf, changed to a TaylorMade Spider Tour X putter for the WM Phoenix Open. The switch followed a poor putting performance at his first event back, the Farmers Insurance Open. While the new putter showed some improvement on the second day in Phoenix, overall results remained challenging.
Brooks Koepka's return to the PGA Tour has drawn attention, particularly his equipment change ahead of the WM Phoenix Open. The American, who has won five majors—matching the tally of Rory McIlroy and Seve Ballesteros—struggled with putting at the Farmers Insurance Open, his first tournament back. Finishing 56th, he ranked last in Strokes Gained: Putting among the 74 players who made the cut. Koepka expressed frustration, stating, “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.”
Seeking improvement, Koepka opted for a mallet-style TaylorMade Spider Tour X, departing from his familiar Scotty Cameron blade putter. The move echoed Scottie Scheffler's successful switch two years prior, which boosted the world No. 1's putting. In his pre-tournament press conference at the Phoenix Open, Koepka explained, “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.”
The change did not yield immediate success. On the first day at TPC Scottsdale, Koepka shot a 75 and lost 3.625 strokes on the greens, ranking 123rd and last in the field. However, his second round of 69 brought modest gains: he added 0.273 strokes with the putter, placing 55th out of 123. Koepka has historically performed well on these greens, posting positive putting stats in all five prior visits.
Looking ahead, Koepka skipped the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and Genesis Invitational, both featuring poa annua greens he finds difficult. His next event is the Cognizant Classic in Palm Beaches, Florida, where Bermuda greens suit him better; he finished runner-up there previously. With three weeks to adjust, Koepka aims to build on the subtle progress in Phoenix to revive his putting and major-winning form from 2017 to 2023.
