AUGUSTA, Ga. — One of the indelible images in all of Brooks Koepka’s major championship victories is him wiping the face of his Scotty Cameron Newport 2 SLT T10 blade putter, then lining up his ball on the toe and burying everything. That’s why it came as such a shock last week at LIV Miami when the five-time major winner was seen sporting a very different type of flat stick – the Scotty Cameron Phantom X 5.5 mallet.
RELATED: Masters 2024: Jon Rahm admits he thought LIV jump would lead to agreement
Koepka did not have immediate success with it at Doral, shooting a pair of 77s over the weekend to finish T-46 in a 54-man field. Despite the shaky start with the mallet on the greens, Koepka had it back in the bag during his Monday practice round at Augusta National. Then, on Tuesday morning, during “Masters on the Range” coverage he told CBS Sports’ Amanda Balionis that he felt “comfortable” with it last week in South Beach.
“I felt like I was hitting a lot of lips and good putts, but nothing was falling,” he said. “We’ll just stick with it and see how it goes.”
Later that same afternoon, Koepka had his normal blade style putter in his hands during his practice round, as Golf’s Jonathan Wall was first to point out on Twitter:
Brooks Koepka on Tuesday: “I’m comfortable with [the mallet]. … We’ll just stick with it and see how it goes.”
Also Brooks Koepka on Tuesday: pic.twitter.com/5w6eNDOpi3
— Jonathan Wall (@jonathanrwall) April 9, 2024
It should be noted that even back when Koepka was still playing Nike equipment, he was using a blade. When Nike exited the equipment business in 2016, Koepka went back to the Scotty Cameron 2 SLT T10 putter, which he had used in his first PGA Tour victory at the 2015 Waste Management Phoenix Open. Koepka used that one for his first four major titles. He had an updated version of it for his 2023 PGA Championship victory at Oak Hill, which appears to be the one he is holding in the photo above.
We’ll see which one Koepka has in the bag on Wednesday. He plans to play in the par-3 contest with his wife, Jena, and their new baby son, Crew. Normally, for a mere mortal, tinkering during Masters week would be cause for concern, especially with putters. But given Koepka’s history of success at the majors, including at this one, we’ll trust that he knows what he’s doing.
MORE FROM GOLF DIGEST @ THE MASTERS
Masters 101: Answering all your frequently asked question
How to watch the 2024 Masters
Power Rankings: Every player in the Masters field, ranked
50 defining Masters Moments, ranked
The bogey golfer’s guide to surviving Augusta National
5 shots that players should NEVER hit at Augusta National
15 people who ended up in the Masters penalty box
The most memorable Rules issues in Masters history
In search of the greatest Augusta National
The Masters’ other jackets: Why working tournament week has its perks
The greatest Masters round time has forgotten
The Champions Dinner Tell-All, from those inside the room Tee times for Round 1 and Round 2
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
