For most Tour pros playing at the Farmers Insurance Open this week, winning is the goal. But Brooks Koepka, in his words, “just wanted to play four rounds.” And that much he will, even if he doesn’t win it, shooting rounds of 73-68-73 to barely but surely survive the weekend cut line. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t aware of the many problems he is facing this week, including serious putting woes.

At the round three presser, Koepka said, “Next week’s [WM Phoenix Open] greens are great. These greens are actually really, really good, they’re really good. It’s not — it has nothing to do with the greens, it’s all me… So I’ve got to look back. Off the top of my head, I know a few missed right, maybe one left that I can think of. But yeah, just kind of all over the place. Got to figure it out.”

When asked if he’s excited to leave these greens behind, Koepka replied wryly, “It can’t get worse, right?”

Hopefully, not, but there’s always something to take away from his understanding. Starting Saturday on hole 10, Brooks Koepka was 55 feet from the pin after two swings on the 9th, eyeing an eagle. Instead, he carded a bogey, three-putting from a mere 39 inches. He finished the day at T61. There was another disaster hole, however. On the 11th, he made a double bogey, missing a 4-footer that scooted 10 feet past.

But not everything was bad for him. Not completely, at least. On the 1st, he flagged a 6 iron directly off the cart path, as you can watch below. Then… he three-putted for a bogey.

In fact, among the 74 players that made it to the weekend, Koepka ranks 73rd in SG: Putting, losing 6.19 strokes to the field. Meanwhile, Justin Rose, the tournament leader, ranks 14th in SG: Putting.

But it’s not like putting woes is news to Koepka. Following his first round, he stated, “I don’t know if those greens were a little bit slower, but it felt like it…”

On the opening day, he lost 1.47 shots putting, averaging two putts per GIR (T136). That’s just one bad showing among many. Little wonder that in his last two starts at this event (2021, 2022), he missed the cut in both of them.

From 2014 to 2023, Koepka lost putting strokes just once, gaining a solid 0.73 per round in 2023. One reason could be that he’s a Floridian raised on Bermuda grass, nothing like the West’s squishy Poa annua, which buds as the day drags on.

Yes, Koepka indeed refuses to blame the greens, but he added, “I’ve never felt comfortable on Poa. You just miss a few, and you’ve got zero confidence.”

Other pros have also complained about these greens. For instance, after Tiger Woods four-putted the 1st in the 2020 Farmers Insurance Open, he just shrugged and explained, “It’s just poa.”

But what’s the deal with these Poa greens?

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How do these Poa greens really affect the Tour pros?

If you’ve caught Tour pros griping about Torrey Pines greens toughening up as the day wears on, they’re not imagining it. You can blame Poa annua grass. These greens will be in play on two more Tour stops, Pebble Beach (AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am) and Riviera (The Genesis Invitational). But what are these greens anyway? Also called annual bluegrass or simply poa, it’s a low-growing plant with short, canoe-shaped leaves that thrives in temperate climates.

Now, here’s what the data says, as per Golf.

Overall, make rates on putts from different distances decline for players going off later in the day. When you consider putts from five to 10 feet, for golfers starting before 9 AM local time, the make rate over the last decade sits at 52.3%. In the next two hours (9 AM to 11 AM), it ticks down to 52.2%. From noon to 2 PM, it drops to 50%, as per Golf. 

Since players in late weekend groups are already better putters than most of the field, consider just the first two rounds. On putts from 4–8 feet, those teeing off before 9 AM hole 64.9% of them. For the 11 AM to 2 PM crew, that rate slides to 61.5%.

Now, which course feels the day’s creep the most? Dividing tee times into early and late halves, the dawn patrol at Riviera claims the sharpest advantage. Across the past decade, golfers starting before 10 AM local time drain 3.4% more putts from 4 to 8 feet than latecomers. The spreads at Torrey Pines South (-0.3%) and Pebble Beach (-2.3%) are tighter.

Players finishing top-10 in the last 10 years at the Farmers Insurance Open, AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, and Genesis Invitational made 70.4% of 4-to-8-foot putts that week. Those outside the top-10? A measly 63.3%.

So, yes, there’s a lot to worry about when playing these infamous Poa greens.