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Brooks Koepka believes he turned a corner after the Cognizant Classic first round
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- Brooks Koepka believes he turned a corner after the Cognizant Classic first round
Photo by Raj Mehta/Getty Images
Brooks Koepka will be feeling pretty good about himself after securing his first top-10 finish since rejoining the PGA Tour.
Despite a poor opening round of 74 at PGA National, Koepka managed to climb back into contention and finished tied for ninth.
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The 35-year-old made the switch back from LIV Golf in January, but his return did not start off smoothly.
He finished T-56 at Torrey Pines before missing the cut in Phoenix, so last week's result was just what he needed to get things moving in the right direction.
After the event, the 35-year-old spoke about how he feels much more settled now, and having had some time to adjust back into the tour routine, his results are starting to show it too.
Koepka's next tournament will be The Players Championship, which is scheduled to begin next week.
His performance at the Cognizant Classic, particularly from Friday onwards, suggests he will be heading to TPC Sawgrass with significant confidence.
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Brooks Koepka pleased with his improved putting at the Cognizant Classic
Photo by Raj Mehta/Getty Images
After shooting a final round 65 at PGA National, Koepka spoke to reporters about how he was feeling with his game at the moment.
The five-time major winner said: "Yeah, I played really solid the last three days.
"Didn't quite hit it that great yesterday, but just controlling shots I think a lot better. Putter obviously has gotten better. I haven't looked at the stats, but just that little adjustment Thursday night made a huge difference.
"Finally found some confidence. I think that's the one thing that's been lacking. Yeah, it'll carry over for sure.
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"Honestly, it was just the putter. The putter, it felt like – because I wasn't making any putts, I felt like I had to hit it to tap-in, so it was putting pressure on the iron play, maybe being more aggressive off the tee.
"So it was kind of backfiring that way."
Brooks Koepka's breakthrough at the Cognizant Classic
Improving his putting from Friday to Sunday has, indirectly, benefited Koepka's long game.
He said: "I think it was more the putter. I wasn't hitting it that bad, but I had to hit every shot to tap-in range because I wasn't making anything.
"But to be able to make a few of those putts, you can kind of build a rhythm and build momentum. It was a huge thing. I think Thursday night was a bit of a breakthrough."
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With his putting now more reliable, Koepka should feel less pressure on his approach play moving forward.
Before last week, he felt that every iron needed to be perfect just to keep pace with the field.
This also influenced how he attacked drives, knowing he needed to be in ideal spots for those tight approaches.
If this adjustment holds, fans could see a more composed and consistent version of Koepka going forward.
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