Can Brooks Koepka Push On After Slow Start To PGA Tour Return?

Brooks Koepka holds his finish on a drive — (Image credit: Getty Images)

Brooks Koepka's PGA Tour return is set to be one of the big stories to follow in 2026.

In January, Koepka was reinstated to the circuit via the Returning Member Program, where he agreed to a $5m charitable donation, forfeiture of player equity for five years, and accepted ineligibility for FedEx Cup bonuses in 2026.

Brooks Koepka hitting a driver in a practice round at the WM Phoenix Open on the PGA Tour after returning from LIV Golf in 2026

He made his return at the Farmers Insurance Open at the end of January, where he scraped through to the weekend and ultimately finished T56.

Then at the start of February he took on the WM Phoenix Open, an event he has won twice previously and one that he traditionally enjoys playing in.

“I think this is always a comfortable event for me,” he said.

“The golf course suits my eye. Off the tee, it really does. And then everything about this place, it's always in great shape. It's a fun tournament to play… I enjoy the chaos. It’s fun.”

Unfortunately for Koepka, the fun only lasted two days as he failed to make the cut, finishing at two-over after his 36 holes.

As for his comfort off the tee, so far in his return to the PGA Tour his driving accuracy is ranked 153rd.

This supports his comment after the opening round of the Farmers, where he stated, “I felt like I was in the rough all day.”

The tee may be where, on paper, Koepka’s conundrums start, but certainly not where they end. On his return to Torrey Pines, he ranked second-to-last in strokes gained putting, squandering 6.19 shots to the field over the tournament.

So far this season, he is 171st on Tour for strokes gained on the greens (losing an average of 2.116 strokes) alongside ranking 168th for putts per round (average of 30.83).

After round three at Torrey, Koepka spoke of the challenges he faced on the greens.

“I think putting is probably last in the field, but never really putted well here. I don't know the answer to it right now. I'll probably try to figure that out when I'm done with you guys,” he quipped.

“Putting, I've never felt comfortable on poa. You just miss a few and you've got zero confidence. I don't know, today I felt every three-, four-footer was slightly downhill and I felt like it kind of went a little bit of both ways.

"I tried to firm 'em all and take the break out to still be aggressive like I normally am, but I wasn't even hitting the hole.”

At Phoenix, Koepka hoped to change his fortunes by switching from his historically trusted Scotty Cameron Newport 2 blade, to a TaylorMade Spider Tour X mallet.

Brooks Koepka holding his putter and an inset of him crouching down reading a putt

Five of the top ten players in the world use a variation of the Spider, including World No.1 Scottie Scheffler.

“This Spider putter is really easy for me to line up… I don't have to use the line on the ball. I line the putter up really well, and I line up in the middle of the face, and pretty much as simple as that,” Scheffler explained before his victory at The Players in 2024.

However, the switch only brought minor improvements for Koepka and his problems persisted, ranking last in putting after the first round at TPC Scottsdale.

Though the image painted so far looks bleak, there are flourishes of the five-time Major champion’s talent.

In terms of approach play, he is ranked 12th in proximity to the hole, showing his ball striking and iron play remains solid.

Moreover, his strokes gained on approach shots places him 22nd on the Tour and he is currently ranked 6th around the greens.

Next up for Koepka is the Cognizant Classic in his home state of Florida, to kickstart the Florida Swing.

As mentioned he has managed to gain strokes around the greens and via solid ball-striking, he just needs to stop returning them on the dance floor.

With only two events down for the former LIV man, it is perhaps too early to assess whether he is primed for a good season, but what is certain is that the Florida native will be eager for victory to earn entry into upcoming Signature Events.

So, can the home crowd fuel him to victory in a field that is composed of emerging talents and veteran warriors? If he can start rolling the putts in, he just might.

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Brooks Koepka's 2026 PGA Tour schedule
Date	Tournament	Course	Result
January 29 - February 1	Farmers Insurance Open	Torrey Pines (South Course)	T56th
February 5 - 8	WM Phoenix Open	TPC Scottsdale (Stadium Course)	MC
February 26 - March 1	Cognizant Classic	PGA National Resort (Champion Course)	Row 2 - Cell 3
March 12 - 15	The Players Championship	TPC Sawgrass (Stadium Course)	Row 3 - Cell 3
March 19 - 22	Valspar Championship	Copperhead Course at Innisbrook	Row 4 - Cell 3
March 26 - 29	Texas Children's Houston Open	Memorial Park Golf Course	Row 5 - Cell 3
April 9 - 12	The Masters	Augusta National Golf Club	Row 6 - Cell 3
May 14 - 17	PGA Championship	Aronimink Golf Club	Row 7 - Cell 3
June 18 - 21	US Open	Shinnecock Hills Golf Club	Row 8 - Cell 3
July 16-19	The Open Championship	Royal Birkdale Golf Club	Row 9 - Cell 3

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After graduating from the University of Edinburgh in 2023, Matt is now studying an MA broadcast journalism at City University London. He is a passionate sports journalist and a huge golf fan. Matt is currently an 8-handicap and plays the majority of his golf at The St Enodoc Golf Club.

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