LIV Golf’s Brooks Koepka re-discovers swagger in final PGA Championship tune-up

Guess who brought back the swagger.

After 36 holes at Singapore’s Sentosa Golf Club, Brooks Koepka holds a three-stroke lead over Thomas Peters and Adrian Melonke in LIV Golf’s seventh event of the season.

“I feel like I’ve found my own little bit of arrogance,” Koepka said after Saturday’s 7-under 64.

“I’m happy with how I’ve played so far, but I just need to play a good round.”

Koepka hadn’t been at his best in the weeks leading up to the tournament in Singapore, with the exception of a 10th-place finish at the recent LIV Golf Adelaide. He tied for 45th at Augusta National, a result he called “embarrassing.”

“I think Augusta was a good wake-up call. I really had to work from then on,” Koepka said.

“That really excited things for me. I really had to keep my nose down and grind a little harder. I had to look my team in the eye and apologize. I’m never going to do that again.”

The extra practice since then has paid off, and Koepka has played much better than his poor showing at the 2024 Masters.

He attributes this to his ball striking, which he says has improved significantly.

“I’m finally being able to hit the ball. My putter is getting a little hotter. I think it’s just because I’m seeing better golf shots,” Koepka said.

“That’s the way it’s always worked out for me. If I hit it and it feels good, you have a little bit more of a chance and you get a little bit better looks. Potential to get 15 feet instead of 30 feet. And to be honest, it plays a huge role.”

Koepka’s first birdie of the round came on the par-5 fourth, where the five-time major champion hit his 3-wood through the palm trees and onto the green in two.

“It’s probably a bigger difference than people realize,” Koepka said of the shot.

“I had to start quite to the right of the flag, so I was confident I could start somewhere on the green. There’s always a bigger gap than it looks.”

On the next hole, Sentosa’s signature hole, Koepka hit an 8-iron to 6 feet and sank the putt. Thanks to his four-hour delay due to weather, the soft conditions allowed the field to attack every pin, and Koepka took full advantage of it.

Photo by Jason Butler/Getty Images

Another birdie continued on the 6th hole, and he suddenly moved into the lead at 8 under.

Koepka calmed down a bit after that, making six straight pars to stay at 8 under.

But there were even more fireworks on the par-4 13th, one of the most difficult holes on the course. Koepka hit a record 53 feet with a break of nearly 6 feet to reach 9 under and give him all the momentum.

On the next hole, Koepka nearly nailed an ace on the 180-yard par-3 and quickly improved to 10 under.

Two more birdies followed on the 16th and 18th, the latter thanks to a 20-foot make.

“I just wanted to go out and play some good golf. That’s all I want to do, especially leading into the PGA,” Koepka added.

Koepka has been getting better at the right time, with the PGA Championship just two weeks away. He arrives at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky as the defending champion, looking to successfully defend his major title for the third time in his career.

But before he can fully focus on winning his fourth Wanamaker Trophy, Koepka has a job to finish in Singapore, where LIV Golf’s fourth career win is well within reach. .

Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through.Be sure to check it out @_PlayingThrough Cover more golf. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko In the same way.