Brooks Koepka posted a T-11 finish last week at the Myrtle Beach Classic, his best finish since returning to the PGA Tour in January. Koepka also broke his putter on the final day, a casualty of a closing 70 that saw him lose more than 2.5 shots to the field on the greens.
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On Monday afternoon at Aronimink Golf Club, Koepka went to work trying to solve a pressing equipment question: which putter will he have in the bag at the PGA Championship?
Several years ago, the answer would have been obvious – a Scotty Cameron Newport 2 featuring a Teryllium insert. Koepka used two different versions of the blade to win five major championships.
Still, with the putter lagging behind the rest of his game, the 36-year-old made a surprise change at this year’s WM Phoenix Open when he inserted a TaylorMade Spider Tour X mallet.
“I feel like I’ve been hitting the ball great for a long time,” he said in Myrtle Beach. “I just haven’t holed any putts.”
It’s the kind of statement that cuts through the noise. Koepka’s swing has been tour-calibre since his return in January. His tee and approach games hum. But on the greens, where majors are usually won, he’s struggled to find consistency and currently sits 149th in Strokes Gained: Putting this season.
In need of a new wand, Koepka tested a myriad of different mallet offerings from TaylorMade and Scotty Cameron during a session that lasted close to an hour on the practice putting green.
One of the more interesting options was a custom Scotty Cameron Phantom 9.5R prototype – the same mallet Cameron Young popularised, and Justin Thomas recently picked up – featuring a milled Teryllium insert designed to mirror the one in his previous Newport 2 gamers. The gesture mattered: Cameron was saying we understand what made you great.
Then he picked up TaylorMade’s Spider Tour V.
This is where the story turns. The Spider Tour V carries a slightly sleeker look than his previous Spider Tour X, along with a visually longer plumber’s neck that can stabilise the stroke and reduce face rotation.
In 30 minutes on the practice green with the putter, Koepka found his rhythm. Mid-length putts dropped consistently. The feel and stroke appeared to be there. When he wrapped up the session, only the Spider Tour V remained in his bag.
Is the putter permanent? It’s early in the week of a major, and situations evolve. But for now, the three-time Wanamaker holder is staying with TaylorMade. Whether that decision holds through until Sunday is the only thing that matters.
