Trying to find his form again, Brooks Koepka has been switching things around. The former Smash GC captain ranked 74th on the field at Torrey Pines when it came to strokes gained from putting. At one point, he considered changing a few things to improve his performance on the green. So Koepka decided to change his putter for the first round of the 2026 WM Phoenix Open. But things didn’t go as planned. Yet, he has stuck to it on Friday as well.

As tweeted by Underdog Golf, “Brooks Koepka has continued using the Spider mallet putter in Round 2. 18-foot birdie putt on 1 comes up short.”

It was confirmed that Koepka was using the TaylorMade Spider mallet after he picked up his putter on the par-4 10th hole at TPC Scottsdale. He had been using the Scotty Cameron T10 Select Newport 2 Teryllium putter before this.

Sitting 18 feet away from the cup, his ball rolled 8 inches near the hole before giving him an easy par. However, he would have certainly preferred a birdie instead.

Koepka fulfilled that goal on the 13th hole. He sank a 5-footer for an amazing birdie to go 1-under par for the day. However, that wasn’t enough to pull his overall score below par.

The putter had not been as favorable to him in the first round of the event as Koepka managed to score only one birdie with the Spider mallet on Thursday. However, he did endure five gruesome bogeys, one of which was from just 8 feet away. It has certainly been a testing time for the five-time major champion.

However, if he continues to play the way he is in the second round, then he might improve his position. Especially considering how he has dominated the event in the past.

Can Brooks Koepka prove himself at TPC Scottsdale once again?

If there is one venue where Brooks Koepka knows how to perform, it’s TPC Scottsdale. He has won the WM Phoenix Open twice in the past while playing on the course. The 35-year-old also finished at T3 the last time he participated in the event in 2022.

Making his return to the PGA Tour, this is the perfect opportunity for Koepka to prove himself. He is quite a few strokes away from the top of the leaderboard. However, getting into the top-10 is still a realistic possibility.

However, his primary goal on Friday would be to make the cut. If Koepka manages to get into the projected cutline, then it will be sixth cut in six attempts at the WM Phoenix Open. That should give him enough motivation to aim for a better finish over the weekend.