Brooks Koepka is Starting to Sound Dangerous Again

A locked-in Brooks Koepka is a dangerous Brooks Koepka. When he was winning major championships, it felt like he out-willed everyone else in the field. Regardless of conditions, it was fairways, greens, and attack when opportunities arose. That mindset led to five titles at golf’s big four and a Hall-of-Fame resume at 36 years old.

Since his PGA Championship win in 2023, he hasn't had a top-10 finish in a major. But after listening to his pre-tournament presser from TPC Craig Ranch on Wednesday, it sure sounds like Koepka is close to being that dangerous man once again.

“I've kind of fallen back in love with this,” he said. “I'm enjoying the grind. I'm enjoying battling it out here. It's just a newfound love, a newfound passion for the game, and something that I'm really, really enjoying being back on the road and grinding it out and trying to find it in the dirt. I think there's something to be said about that. Each week is becoming more and more fun, and I very much enjoy that.”

RELATED: How to Watch THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson, Tee Times

Since making his return to the PGA TOUR and knocking off some rust in his first two starts, Koepka has had some great showings: T-9 at the Cognizant, T-13 at THE PLAYERS, T-18 at the Valspar, T-12 at the Masters, and T-11 in Myrtle Beach. As for the golf swing, it’s been clicking all year. He’s ranked third in Strokes Gained: Approach and eighth in SG: Tee to Green.

The one club that has kept him from getting back in the winner’s circle is the putter. He put his trusty Scotty Cameron blade in storage and has been using a TaylorMade Spider Tour V.

But that’s changing at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson.

After spending some serious time in a putting studio back home, Koepka has put a Scotty Cameron Fastback 1.5 in the bag. He noted that this putter releases on its own, and that’s the feeling he’s been looking for.

“I was in there for quite a while working on some different things, trying some different putters,” he said. “Just going back to basics, I think is a huge thing, trying to make sure you're lined up, your grip is correct, your putter is aimed where you think it's aimed.”

Since the TOUR started playing at Craig Ranch, the winning score has been 23 under thrice, 25 under, 26 under, and Scottie Scheffler won by eight at 31 under a year ago. So if Koepka has any plans of winning come Sunday, he’ll have to make his fair share of birdie looks. Enter his new Scotty Cameron.

We’ll see what we get from Koepka over the next four days, but I’d be lying to you if I said I wasn’t looking ahead a bit. He’ll return to Shinnecock in a month for the U.S. Open, a tournament he won at that very venue eight years ago.

With his newfound love for golf, for the grind, and a new flat-stick in the bag, I’d be shocked if he wasn’t right there come the weekend on Long Island.

But for now, he’ll focus on getting some putts to drop at Craig Ranch.