Five-time major champion Brooks Koepka has made a significant equipment change by switching to a TaylorMade Spider Tour X L-neck putter for the WM Phoenix Open. The move comes after struggling with his putting during his return to the PGA Tour from LIV Golf. Koepka had used a Scotty Cameron Teryllium blade for over a decade before deciding on the mallet-style putter.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Brooks Koepka's putting woes prompted a rare gear adjustment just before the WM Phoenix Open, his second PGA Tour event since returning from LIV Golf.
At the previous week's Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, Koepka ranked last in Strokes Gained: Putting among those who made the cut, losing more than seven strokes on the greens over three rounds according to ShotLink data. To address his inconsistencies, Koepka visited the Scotty Cameron Gallery in Encinitas over the weekend for a session with Paul Vizanko, Scotty Cameron’s director of Player Fitting and Development. They continued working on his stroke Monday at TPC Scottsdale, focusing on fundamentals.
“Trying to get the ball in the hole,” Koepka said Wednesday. “Yeah, like, 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. I’ve been putting pretty poorly for the good side of two years. I don’t know what’s going on, but I’ve got to figure it out.”
Koepka arrived at TPC Scottsdale with four putters: his primary Scotty Cameron T22 Teryllium Newport 2, an identical backup, and two TaylorMade Spider Tour X mallets—one with a short slant hosel and the other with an L-neck. He had relied on the T22 since 2020, following a T10 Newport 2 from his Florida State college days. Although he experimented with a Scotty Cameron Phantom X T5.5 at the 2024 Masters, the blade putter had remained his staple.
The switch to the Spider Tour X, announced to Golfweek's Eamon Lynch on Wednesday, marks Koepka's first departure from a blade to a more forgiving mallet and his first putter without a milled face. The L-neck version mirrors the model used by Scottie Scheffler, who has won 14 PGA Tour titles and 16 worldwide events with it, including the American Express two weeks prior. Last season, the Spider family secured 13 PGA Tour victories by seven players.
Despite the optimism, Koepka's start was rocky. Through 12 holes on Thursday, he stood at 4 over par, losing two strokes on the greens and ranking 119th in the 123-player field.
This change underscores Koepka's determination to regain form on the greens amid his PGA Tour comeback.