Brooks Koepka has not quite found his form since returning to the PGA Tour, leading him to make a notable change to his equipment.
Following a rough showing on the greens at Torrey Pines, Koepka swapped out his long-time blade putter for a TaylorMade Spider Tour X mallet, marking the first time in over 10 years that he has changed putters.
It is a club that has seen plenty of use among tour pros, including Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, both of whom have had success with it.
The change did not go as planned, as Koepka missed the cut at the WM Phoenix Open and lost 1.68 strokes putting in his second start of the year. Still, there are reasons why this switch could still pay off in the long run.
Five of the six 2026 PGA Tour winners use Brooks Koepka’s new putter
In the early stages of this season, data is strongly in favour of the TaylorMade Spider Tour X putter.
The feature has been utilized by five of the six winners thus far, starting with Scheffler at the American Express and extending to Jacob Bridgeman at the Genesis Invitational.
Justin Rose is the sole exception, having secured his victory at Torrey Pines with a Scotty Cameron Phantom T-5.
Bridgeman’s performance at Riviera Country Club was decided by his putting. He gained over two strokes on the field, with a standout third round where he picked up 3.65 strokes just on the greens.
So even though Koepka’s first event with the new putter did not go as hoped, early indications suggest he has made a move in line with where the game is heading this season.
Brooks Koepka addresses putting change ahead of Cognizant Classic
Koepka is set for his third start of the PGA Tour season – the second with the new putter – at the Cognizant Classic.
And he believes his game is heading in the right direction.
Ahead of the event, 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.”
He explained his change to a mallet putter by stating: “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.”
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