Brooks Koepka‘s struggles at TPC Sawgrass are widely documented. The five-time major winner just can’t seem to get the hang of The PLAYERS Championship. However, he seems to have finally cracked the code to the iconic course this time around. And GOLF.com revealed what helped Koepka solve that problem.

They tweeted, “MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! ✅ Brooks Koepka goes 4/4 on hitting the 17th green this week for the first time in his career.”

In an interview with the reporters prior to the tournament, Koepka had revealed that he had the worst record on the 17th hole. He consistently struggled to find the green on the small island surrounded by the pond.

As he told the media, “The 17th hole. (Smiling.) I don’t know if there’s stats on it, but I guarantee there are. One year I made an 8 and a 7. Yeah, that wasn’t very good. But that 17th hole has gotten me over the years. I’ve played good rounds here; that’s just kind of the one bugaboo that always gets me.”

But after finding the short grass in all four rounds off the tee, he was able to deliver one of his best performances on the course. The highest he had finished in the PLAYERS Championship was a T11 in 2018. Koepka recorded his second-highest finish on the leaderboard at TPC Sawgrass this year with a T13.

Koepka was already struggling to perform in events since his PGA Tour return. But his T9 in the Cognizant Classic and the T13 today will give him a boost of confidence. He is scheduled to appear in the Valspar Championship next week. It will be the last PGA Tour event in his home state of Florida.

So, what has changed for Koepka that he was able to perform better on the 17th hole this year?

What could be the secret behind Brooks Koepka’s improved form at TPC Sawgrass?

A number of factors could have come into play that might have resulted in Brooks Koepka’s confident approach on the 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass. One of them could be that he came off an excellent performance in the Cognizant Classic a couple of weeks ago.

Prior to 2026, Koepka had finished inside the top-10 in the tournament only once in 2019. The five-time major winner had finished at T2 that year. He also wasn’t married to Jena Sims back then. But this year, he was playing on his home course with his wife and son watching. While he only finished at T9 in 2026, Koepka still managed to record his best score in the event of 10-under par.

Moreover, not playing in the tournament for four years, during his time at LIV Golf, would have given him a better perspective on his game. The international experience with LIV Golf would have also benefited his ability to adapt to such courses. Any or all of these could be the reason behind his confidence on the 17th hole. If this continues, then Koepka might end up competing for the title in the PGA Tour flagship event from next season onwards.