Brooks Koepka did just enough to stay in the tournament at the 2026 Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches, but he made it clear he expects much more from himself. Playing his hometown event for the first time since 2022, the five-time major champion fought back in Round 2 to safely make the cut.
He started the week with a rough 74 (+3), recording two birdies, three bogeys and a double bogey. Koepka improved sharply on Friday, carding a 66 (−5) with six birdies and only one bogey. That lifted him to two under par through 36 holes, tied for 29th.
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Despite the improvement, Koepka was not satisfied with simply making the weekend. Speaking after the round, he admitted he isn’t happy with how he’s playing.
“If I’m out here to try to make cuts, I’m probably done. I just need to putt like I did the first day and then putt like I did today. I have a feeling the putting will come around, but just been hitting it really good, so just nice to see a red number.”
This week’s performance is better than his first two starts since returning to the PGA Tour. Brooks Koepka finished T56 at the Farmers Insurance Open and missed the cut at the WM Phoenix Open. He came into the event ranked No. 263 in the world and is still trying to get back to his best form.
Brooks Koepka pointed to course changes ahead of the tournament
Before the event started, Brooks Koepka spoke about how different PGA National feels compared to the version he used to play. The 35-year-old first played here in 2014 and hardly missed it before joining LIV Golf, so this week marks his eighth appearance at the event.
Ahead of his return, Koepka said several changes have softened what was once one of the toughest courses on the PGA Tour.
“The course has changed so much, I think, from when I last played it, being overseeded,” he stated.
He also pointed out that shots around the greens should be easier than before, when thick rough made it almost impossible to predict how the ball would come out.
“Chipping around the greens has gotten a lot easier. The rough is down a little bit. It was so difficult because if you got in the rough here, you had to judge whether it was going to be a 30-yard flier or just come out 30 percent of its normal distance.
Brooks Koepka came into the week ranked sixth on Tour in strokes gained around the green, so those changes looked like they could suit his game.
After two rounds, though, his numbers show a mixed performance. He has gained 0.437 strokes off the tee (55th) and 2.384 on approach (21st), but lost 2.475 around the greens (113th). His putting has been solid at +1.858 (25th). Overall, he is tied for 31st with 2.425 strokes gained total and has hit 14 of 28 fairways, a 50 percent mark that ranks tied for 76th.
Edited by Sonali Verma
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