PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Count Brooks Koepka among those who sometimes has had enough of his phone.
The five-time major champion returns to TPC Sawgrass this week for the first time since 2022, and he’s coming in off his best finish of the season, a tie for ninth at the Cognizant Classic. His record at the Players Championship isn’t the best — “that 17th hole has gotten me over the years,” he said — but Koepka has confidence heading into the week.
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One reason why? He recently changed his phone number.
“I do it probably more often than I should,” Koepka said Tuesday “I think after Phoenix I just wanted a little bit of a reset. Then my phone was blowing up. So just wanted to really focus in on preparation and dialing into golf.”
Koepka revealed he made the switch, which he guessed he does every couple years, when asked about how open he has been to LIV players who would be interested in returning to the PGA Tour. Koepka said he’s open to talk to anyone but then admitted they may have a hard time reaching him.
Brooks Koepka of the United States acknowledges the crowd on the 18th green during the second round of the Cognizant Classic 2026 at PGA National Resort And Spa on February 27, 2026 in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
His return to the PGA Tour included an emotional debut at the Farmers Insurance Open, a missed cut in Phoenix (where he has won twice) after debuting a new putter and a strong finish at the Cognizant. After his difficult start to the year, Koepka needed to make a change, and he started with his screen time.
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“I thought that was the best way to just kind of come unglued from the world for a half second and where basically it was only my family and anybody that’s golf related really has my number right now, which is — it’s been kind of nice,” he said.
In the first round at the Cognizant, Koepka lost 2.165 strokes on the greens and was in danger of missing his second straight weekend. He rallied and found his groove with the new TaylorMade Spider, finishing the week having gained 2.736 strokes putting, good for 15th in the field.
And if his strong golf continues this week at TPC Sawgrass, perhaps Koepka can point to changing his phone number as a springboard to success.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Brooks Koepka cuts screen time, finds form ahead of 2026 Players
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