Brooks Koepka is turning to his rival for help with his putting woes, although not literally. The five-time major champion has switched to a different putter, hoping the change can solve a problem that has plagued him for years.

He followed the world number one, Scottie Scheffler, and switched from a Scotty Cameron T10 Select Newport 2 Terylium Putter to a TaylorMade Spider Mallet coming to the WM Phoenix Open.

“Everything is starting to get better, which it should,” Koepka told the media during the Cognizant Classic pre-tournament press conference. “Got a game plan set going forward, which is nice, and making just little tweaks here and there.”

“I probably hit 300 putts with it before I actually played. But having two weeks of being able to get work done and make some adjustments, it should be a lot better.”

Blade putters usually favor feel and feedback. Meanwhile, mallets offer higher MOI and alignment assistance (Spider Mallet has 50% more stability than traditional putters). 

And Scheffler’s consistent success with the Spider Mallet since 2024 brought the design into the spotlight. After all, he won the Olympic gold medal, the Masters Tournament, the TOUR Championship, and The Players Championship with the Spider Mallet.

“Now I understand exactly where to hit it and where it's going. I feel like my speed control has gotten better, and just with a few changes, just tidying those things up,” said Koepka.

However, his putting woes were persistent during the WM Phoenix Open. 

Brooks Koepka Faces Putting Trouble Despite Equipment Change

After finishing at T74 in the Farmers Insurance Open, the five-time major champion missed the cut at the WM Phoenix Open. He shot a four-over 75 to finish at T116 after the first round. In the next round, Koepka lost more than 3.6 strokes and finished second last. 

Despite winning at TPC Scottsdale twice before, Koepka faced disappointment. Nevertheless, he worked on the simple stuff. He kept his shoulders open and feet open enough to minimize the lines crossing. He “just tried to keep everything more consistent.” Yet, he didn’t feel comfortable with the ball. 

However, his downturn started even before making the switch back to the PGA Tour. Kopeka consistently finished near the back of the pack in events across the 2025 LIV season. His only bright spots came in Adelaide and Singapore.

Yet given his recent claims, it might be safe to expect things to get better at the Cognizant Classic.

Follow Club Golf for more.

Written by

Krushna Pattnaik

Edited by

Sagnik Bagchi