Brooks Koepka believes a bold putter switch was the catalyst behind his return to form at the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches, after closing with his lowest round since rejoining the PGA Tour.

The five-time major champion fired a superb 6-under-par 65 on Sunday at PGA National to finish 10-under par and inside the top 10 on the leaderboard. 

Koepka’s round of 65 marked his lowest score since making his comeback to the PGA Tour at the end of January, and it contributed to his best result since returning in the process. 

The American’s final-round 65, which comprised of seven birdies including five in the space of six holes from the 9th, was also the joint lowest score of any player in the final round of the Cognizant Classic. 

Koepka’s return to the PGA Tour has been closely watched following his decision to walk away from LIV Golf at the end of 2025. 

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Despite having a year remaining on his contract, he opted to leave early in order to spend more time at home with wife Jena and their young son, Crew, rather than continue with a global schedule on the breakaway league.

Koepka was back to form at PGA National

Koepka was back to form at PGA National

Koepka’s second PGA Tour stint did not begin smoothly.

A tied-56th finish at the Farmers Insurance Open was followed by a missed cut at the WM Phoenix Open last month. 

But back in his home state of Florida this week, Koepka found something that had been missing — confidence on the greens.

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The former World No.1 made two significant equipment changes at PGA National.

Most notably, he shelved his trusted Scotty Cameron blade in favour of a TaylorMade Spider Tour X mallet for all tournament rounds — a dramatic shift in look and feel for a player long associated with a traditional blade design.

Koepka also moved away from the Srixon Z-Star Diamond ball he had used since 2022, switching instead to the 2025 version of the Titleist Pro V1x.

Koepka has officially switched to a mallet

Koepka has officially switched to a mallet

A radical change from blade to mallet putter, in particular, has paid immediate dividends, just as it has done for the likes of Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy in recent times. 

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Koepka ranked 15th in Strokes Gained: Putting for the week (2.813) at PGA National, a stark contrast to his previous two starts where he had been losing strokes to the field on the greens.

The improvement in putting, he explained, has freed up the rest of his game.

“Honestly, it was just the putter,” Koepka told reporters when reflecting on his top-10 finish at the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches. 

“The putter, it felt like — because I wasn’t making any putts, I felt like I had to hit it to tap-in, so it was putting pressure on the iron play, maybe being more aggressive off the tee. So it was kind of backfiring that way.

“It just felt like I couldn’t hit it to the — I’ve always said, conservatively aggressive. I try to hit it 15 feet right and sometimes you just settle for par on a tough hole and you roll one in. 9 is a perfect example.

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“But to be able to make a few of those putts, you can kind of build a rhythm and build momentum. It was a huge thing. I think Thursday night was a bit of a breakthrough.”

Koepka’s closing 65 underlined that breakthrough. 

With putts finally dropping, Koepka was able to return to his familiar game plan — controlled aggression, smart targets and trusting his long game without feeling he had to force birdie opportunities.

Koepka closed with a 65 on Sunday at PGA National

Koepka closed with a 65 on Sunday at PGA National

Beyond equipment, Koepka also addressed how it feels to be back competing week in, week out on the PGA Tour after four years away.

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He admitted that only his first week back at Torrey Pines felt unfamiliar.

Koepka told reporters: “No, I think a lot of that was first week. Once you get inside the ropes, it feels natural. I think it’s easier once you get inside those ropes. 

“Once the first week, doing all the media stuff and getting all that out of the way, it was a huge thing for me, and now it’s just a matter of going to play and build a rhythm.”

With a top-10 finish now secured, Koepka will look to carry that momentum into his next start at The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass from 12–15 March, and of course then The Masters from 9-12 April. 

If his putting performance at PGA National is a sign of things to come, Koepka may well be poised for a sustained resurgence on the PGA Tour and in the majors — and it appears a mallet putter could be central to that revival.

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