Brooks Koepka speaks at a press conference ahead of the Players Championship on Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (Clayton Freeman/Florida Times-Union) Brooks Koepka may be warming up as he enters what he considers “the real heat of the golf season.”
The excitement can be seen at this week’s Players Championship, with the Masters coming up next month.
“I think The Players serves as a kick-off to the big tournaments every month.” Koepka said. “When we moved to March we got this, and then in April we got the Masters, which means there’s a big event every month after that.
“So this is where I think you need to know where your game is at. Every time you come to The Players, you get a good idea of the few weeks left before Augusta. If anything changes, it should happen here. In my eyes, this is where the real excitement of the golf season begins. And it should be very fun and exciting and keep going. More than anything.”
Koepka initially struggled with his return to the PGA Tour, tying for 56th at the Farmers Insurance Open and missing the cut at the WM Phoenix Open. The five-time major champion and nine-time winner on the PGA Tour rebounded with a tie for ninth at the Cognizant Classic in Palm Beach to move up to 221st in the Official World Golf Rankings.
“It’s definitely a lot better,” Koepka said of his confidence level after finishing the tournament at 10 under par. “I think the first week I was just trying to get out of it, and then the second week I felt so disappointed.
“I made a few changes. It’s a new putter. Just did a few different mechanical things on my putting. After my round at Cognizant on Thursday afternoon, it felt like it was starting to click. I feel good, I’m hitting good. Like I said, it’s just building momentum.”
Koepka did not perform well in his last appearance at the Players Championship, missing the cut after hitting 9 over par. He will be making his seventh start in this tournament.
“Yeah, it feels good to be back. I played the back nine (Monday),” he said. “I thought the greens were a little firmer than I remember. There are a few changes, but I liked the shape of the course and it will be a good test this week.”
–Field level media
