Brooks Koepka says this part of his game should be much improved at the Cognizant Classic

Brooks Koepka expects to show much better form in one specific area of his game at the Cognizant Classic than we saw from him earlier this season.

With many of the PGA Tour’s top names sitting out after back-to-back signature events, Brooks Koepka stands out as the headline act in this week’s Cognizant Classic field.

Koepka’s return to the PGA Tour hasn’t gone smoothly so far. He missed the cut at the WM Phoenix Open after finishing tied for 56th at the Farmers Insurance Open.

And one part of the 35-year-old’s game has been particularly poor so far this season.

Brooks Koepka backing his putting to improve at Cognizant Classic

Koepka comes into the week ranked 171st in strokes gained putting, losing over two shots per round on the greens so far.

He’s switched to a mallet putter and, speaking before the opening round at PGA National, said he expects his performance to pick up now that he’s had more time to adjust.

“Yeah, made a few changes. Everything is starting to get better, which it should. Got a game plan set going forward, which is nice, and making just little tweaks here and there,” he said.

“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.”

Koepka outlines the challenges of switching from a blade to a mallet

He’s not alone in that move. Plenty of players have switched over, attracted by the increased forgiveness and stability mallets tend to offer.

Scottie Scheffler is a prime example. Once he made the switch from blade to mallet, his putting took off and helped turn him into one of the best on Tour.

Koepka will be hoping for similar results in the weeks to come. And he explained how difficult the transition can be.

“I didn’t know where exactly I was hitting it, and obviously when you change putters, speed becomes another thing, and I felt like the speed was slightly off. Now I understand exactly where to hit it and where it’s going,” he said.

“I feel like my speed control has gotten better, and just with a few changes, just tidying those things up.”

A strong finish this week would be welcome for both Koepka and fans who are eager to see him competing at his best again.

But even if he doesn’t contend right away, any signs of progress will be a step in the right direction as he works his way back toward top form.

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