Brooks Koepka conceded he is running out of time to get his game in shape before he attempts to defend his PGA Championship title later this month at Valhalla.
Koepka stormed to an emphatic two-stroke victory at Oak Hill last year, claiming his fifth Major title just a month after finishing runner-up to Jon Rahm at the Masters. It marked a superb return to the summit of men’s professional golf for the American who had spent large parts of 2022 dealing with a serious knee injury.
However, the 33-year-old has struggled to reach such levels at the start of the 2024 season, recording just his second LIV top-ten finish of the year in Adelaide having finished T45 at the previous event in Miami.
At last month’s Masters, Koepka stuttered to a disappointing T45 finish and the LIV star was hardly brimming with confidence when asked about the prospects of defending his PGA Championship at Valhalla, which commences on May 16.
“Clearly not very good,” Koepka responded when asked about the state of his game ahead of LIV Singapore. “With Augusta the way that it went, I kind of felt like I wasted all the time from December until then. Just keep grinding away, keep doing the work, and hopefully, something will turn around.”
Such early-season struggles have forced a change of putter from the American who opted for a Scotty Cameron Phantom X 5.5 mallet ahead of LIV Miami instead of the Button Back Newport blade that he’s often been seen with.
“It’s been in the bag two weeks before Augusta,” he explained. “I haven’t even putted with that other putter – the button back that I’ve used for probably 12, 14 years – since then.”
Brooks Koepka with the PGA Championship trophy
(Image credit: Getty Images)
However, the results have yet to bear fruit for Koepka, who still ranks in a lowly tie for 38th when it comes to putting average on the Saudi-backed circuit so far this season.
“I can’t find the hole at all, to be honest with you. Something we’ve just been putting some work into, so trying to find some answers,” he added.
“I feel like I’m hitting good putts, they just keep burning lips. Eventually, it starts to wear on you after a while. All you can do is hit a good putt and see where it goes from there. Hopefully, they start falling soon.”
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