Brooks Koepka stood on the tournament grounds at the FedEx Open de France and sounded like a man who feels something shifting. After rolling in a sharp 65 in round three to tie for the lead, he didn’t just credit luck or course setup; he pointed to fixes he’s made. “Just putting, honestly. I’ve felt very uncomfortable over the putts pretty much all year. Just been a little bit of hand position. We’ve got it sorted now where I feel like I’m striking the putts very well, hitting them on line and feeling confident.” His performance that day showed more than flashes; it showed evidence that his worst days might be behind him.

For most of 2025, Koepka carried the weight of missed cuts and underperforming tournaments. He missed the cut at the Masters, the PGA Championship, and The Open. In those events, his putting numbers cratered: in his past five tournaments before the Open Championship, he averaged about 0.396 strokes gained putting, though his total strokes gained stayed positive, around +0.538. He acknowledged that slump. “The putter’s let me down this year.” Confidence, he said, trailed behind every miss-made putt.

“If you’re not confident, not there, it’s tough to shoot good scores.” That echoed his remarks in recent weeks: “It’s felt good, and then it’s completely disappeared. It ebbs and flows. Golf’s crazy.” Much of his struggles stemmed from what he called “very uncomfortable over the putts,” especially under the ten-foot range;  putts that used to feel automatic. Those short ones had become a weakness: he admitted, “I haven’t really made anything inside eight feet, which has been my bread and butter my whole career.” 

Yet his form in France painted a different picture. He fired rounds of 69-68-65, the 65 putting him in position for victory on Sunday. He said, “Putted a lot better. I feel like my game has been trending in the right direction. It’s the results haven’t been there. I feel a lot closer. I’m pleased with the work I’ve put in over the last few months, and nothing has shown, so hopefully got a chance to win tomorrow.” That work isn’t abstract; it involves tweaking grip or hand position, aligning the face more squarely to his intended line, and rebuilding faith over every putt.

He didn’t duck the mental side either. Over the summer, he confessed, “I would say from the first weekend in April until about last week, you didn’t want to be around me. It drove me nuts. It ate at me. I haven’t been happy. It’s been very irritating.” He admitted that his perception of where club and face were in his swing was off by “eight inches off, nine inches off,” making him feel like his own swing mechanics were ghosts he couldn’t trust.

The stats reflect his comments. His putting had been significantly below the PGA / LIV average in short putt success and strokes gained putting. For example, in betting profiles ahead of major tournaments, he showed negative strokes gained putting: – 0.136 before the Masters, – 0.396 before the Open. These are big slots in modern golf metrics: if you lose strokes on the green, you need exceptional performance everywhere else to stay in contention.

Brooks Koepka now appears to be repairing both his swing and his mindset. With the putter behaving, hand position more reliable, and his short game under pressure looking sharper, he looks more dangerous. He’s acknowledged how far he still must go, “feeling confident” remains part of the battle, but his 65 in France, combined with the recent admission and mechanical tweaks, suggest he’s closer than many thought to finding the version of Brooks Koepka that wins majors, rather than wondering how he lost them.

Brooks Koepka faces his Ryder Cup reality

Brooks Koepka’s competitive fire has defined much of his career, but the five-time major winner is approaching a painful moment with unexpected humility. After a season of uneven form and missed opportunities, Koepka confirmed he will not be part of the 2025 U.S. Ryder Cup team. Rather than searching for excuses or questioning the selection process, he delivered a frank assessment of his own role in the outcome.

Speaking during the Irish Open, Koepka addressed the decision with striking self-awareness. “I played my way off it so I can’t be disappointed. I did it myself,” he said, as reported by The Sun. Those words cut to the core of a season defined by inconsistency. For a player renowned for his poise under major-championship pressure, acknowledging personal responsibility is as rare as it is revealing. He didn’t point to the qualification system or external distractions; he pointed to his own scorecards.

Koepka’s candid admission follows a year in which his results rarely matched his reputation. He missed several major cuts, and his putting statistics have trended well below his career norms. In his last five tournaments before September, he averaged nearly −0.4 strokes gained putting, a metric that often separates contenders from the middle of the pack. Those numbers, combined with a winless stretch of more than a year, left little room for debate about his Ryder Cup prospects.

Keegan Bradley, serving as the U.S. captain for 2025, ultimately based his selections on recent form and momentum heading into Bethpage Black. His captain’s picks included established stars like Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, and Sam Burns. Koepka’s omission reflected not a judgment on his career accomplishments but on his 2025 performance trajectory. “It’s not anything I’m not aware of. I’m not shying away from it,” Koepka said, highlighting that he understood both the selection criteria and the competitive standard required to represent the United States.

Ultimately, Koepka’s candid assessment may mark a turning point in his approach to competition and career management. The absence from the Ryder Cup is disappointing, but it may also serve as a motivating factor. By owning the consequences and reflecting on them publicly, Koepka demonstrates the resilience and honesty that have long defined his reputation. Fans and observers can view this moment not simply as a missed team selection but as evidence of a player committed to regaining his place at the highest levels of golf.