Brooks Koepka has returned to the PGA Tour and has just managed to make the cut in his first event back.
After leaving LIV Golf, Koepka is back on the PGA Tour, starting his return at Torrey Pines. He just made the cut, thanks to an eagle on the 17th followed by a birdie on the last hole that got him to three-under.
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It’s a good start for Koepka, who could use some consistent playing time as he looks to get back into form.
He’s actually played well enough in stretches that he could be much higher up the leaderboard. The one thing holding him back has been his putting.
Brooks Koepka points to putting as key issue in return at Torrey Pines
Photo by Luke Walker/Getty Images
Koepka admitted he was a bit on edge before his first PGA Tour start back, but he said the warm welcome from fans helped him settle in. Even so, those nerves seem to have crept into his putting.
He’s been giving himself chances, but nothing has dropped. Koepka said after his round that he’s just been too cautious on the greens, and it’s cost him opportunities.
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“Maybe a touch conservative, maybe putting, not as aggressive. I don’t know if those greens were a little bit slower, but it felt like it. But that’s all right, got two days to figure it out and kind of really see where my game’s at, kind of take the reins off and go.”
The next two rounds should give Koepka a clearer picture of where his game stands. But there are questions about whether he can get back to being an elite putter – something we haven’t seen since 2019.
Koepka’s struggles on the greens holding him back
Since his move to LIV Golf in 2022, Koepka’s game hasn’t been the same. He missed the cut at three of the four majors last year, a stark contrast to his past dominance, and managed just one top five all season on LIV.
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The main issue has been his putting. In 2024, it was the only part of his game where he lost strokes to the field, and those problems have carried over into 2025.
That wasn’t always the case. Between 2014 and 2023, he lost strokes putting in only one season, and in 2023 he actually gained an impressive 0.73 strokes per round.
But that form hasn’t carried over. Fixing it has to be top of mind if he wants this PGA Tour return to go anywhere.
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