Masters 2026: Brooks Koepka lurking after solving bizarre driver mishap
· Yahoo Sports
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Golfers usually head to the range after a round to find something positive with their swings that can help them the following day. But Brooks Koepka uncovered something there on Thursday that he wasn't expecting. And it made a big difference on Friday.
The five-time major champ shot a Friday 69 to play his way into contention at the Masters. Then revealed an equipment mishap that had played into his slow start on Thursday.
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"Yeah, just drove it better," Koepka said. "Some of my setting on the driver switched off A1 to B1. No one noticed it. Switching back to A1, which is what we usually had it and just driving it better."
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Koepka then clarified he noticed the change while on the range following the first round. He's not sure how it happened.
Koepka plays a Titleist GT3 driver that has 16 settings. The A1 is the standard lie, while the B1 changes the lie angle to .75 flat, giving the club more of a fade bias.
On Thursday, Koepka lost .41 strokes off the tee, but, after changing back to his usual setting, he picked up nearly a stroke on the field with his tee shots.
"I feel like I'm striking it exactly the way I wanted to. Obviously driver, we clicked that into the right settings so I know where the misses are. Everything is solid," Koepka added. "Just the putter. I don't know, I've been caught out—sometimes I feel like if I just would hit a few putts a little bit harder they would have been in and I could have really shot 5-, 6-under today."
Since winning the 2023 PGA Championship, Koepka hasn't been a factor in a major, missing the cut in three last year. But Brooks is officially lurking again—as long as no one tinkers with his driver.
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