Players 2026: Brooks Koepka encouraged by progress, laments 30-minute ‘spell’ from Friday | Golf News and Tour Information

PONTE VEDRA BEACH — Statistically, Brooks Koepka appears near placing all of it collectively. Mentally, he is aware of he may very well be just a bit bit sharper.

Unfortunately, a short lack of focus late in Friday’s second spherical, or, a “spell,” as Koepka referred to it, on Saturday, could be the distinction between profitable and a run-of-the-mill top-10 end at TPC Sawgrass this week. Yes, he is performed nicely sufficient to win, however a bogey-double bogey-double bogey stretch, which started on the twelfth gap on Friday, value him a authentic probability on Sunday.

“I feel fine, playing good, playing nicely” Koepka stated after a third-round 68 put him among the many prime 20 as afternoon play continued. “Maybe just lost focus yesterday for, I don’t know, 30 to 40 minutes. That’s what happens when you don’t really focus on every shot out here, especially around that stretch. I’ve struggled on 12 all week.”

That he has. Earlier within the week, Koepka stated the par-3 seventeenth was the rationale he is struggled at this golf event through the years. He’s parred all of it three days this time round. As for the quick par-4 twelfth, considered one of solely 5 holes which are taking part in below par, Koepka has made bogey 5 each single day.

Looking on the underlying stats, issues are wanting up for the five-time main champion, an encouraging signal with the Masters at Augusta National looming in a single month’s time. For the week Koepka is prime 10 within the discipline in strokes-gained/method, and the placing has come a great distance since that disastrous season debut on the greens at Torrey Pines.

Koepka will play Valspar subsequent week and seemingly the Texas Children’s Houston Open the week after at Memorial Park, a course he helped Tom Doak redesign in 2019.

“I’m excited, like I said, I’m playing really good,” he stated. “I’m flying the ball with the irons, wedges really feel like they’re below management, placing, I’ve made the enhancements that you could make over the past two weeks. It’s solely simply beginning, however I’ve seen numerous progress, I really feel like I’m hitting traces that I must. Maybe I must perform a little extra velocity work, simply contact issues up.

“But everything feels good, I’m pretty pleased with it. I wish yesterday didn’t happen, 30-minute spell, but that’s golf.”