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

Guess who has his swagger again.

Through 36 holes on the Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore, Brooks Koepka holds a three-shot lead over Thomas Pieters and Adrian Meronk in LIV Golf’s seventh occasion of the season.

“Just kind of finding my own little swagger,” Koepka stated after his Saturday 7-under 64.

“Pleased with the way I’ve played so far and just need to go another good round.”

In the weeks main as much as this event in Singapore, Koepka has not been at his finest, exterior of a latest Tenth-place end at LIV Golf Adelaide. He tied for forty fifth at Augusta National, a consequence he known as an “embarrassment.”

“I think Augusta was a good wake-up call. I’ve had to really grind since then,” Koepka stated.

“That really kicked things into overdrive for me. I really have had to put my nose down and grind a little bit harder. I even had to look my team in the eye and apologize. I’m not looking to do that again.”

The additional observe since then has paid off, as Koepka has performed significantly better since his poor displaying on the 2024 Masters.

He attributes this to his ball-striking, which has vastly improved.

“Ball-striking is finally starting to come around. The putter is heating up a little bit. I think that’s just due to seeing some better golf shots,” Koepka stated.

“That’s kind of how it’s always worked for me. If I feel good striking it, you have a few more opportunities and a few more better looks. Instead of being 30 feet, it might be 15, which ups your chances tremendously. That plays a huge part, to be honest with you.”

Koepka’s first birdie of the spherical got here on the par-5 4th, the place the five-time main winner threaded a 3-wood by a set of palm timber and onto the inexperienced in two.

“It’s a bigger gap than people probably think,” Koepka stated of that shot.

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

On the following gap, the signature gap at Sentosa, Koepka caught an 8-iron to 6 toes and drained the putt. The delicate circumstances—because of a four-hour climate delay—allowed the sector to assault each pin, and Koepka took full benefit.

Photo by Jason Butler/Getty Images

Another birdie adopted on the sixth gap, and all of the sudden, he sat at 8-under par and held a share of the lead.

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

But extra fireworks went off on the par-4 thirteenth, some of the difficult holes on the course. Koepka drained a 53-footer with almost six toes of break to get to 9-under, which gave him all types of momentum.

On the following gap, Koepka almost made an ace on the 180-yard par-3 and shortly received to 10-under.

Two extra birdies adopted on 16 and 18, the latter of which got here because of a 20-foot make.

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

Koepka is rounding into type on the proper time, with the PGA Championship now solely two weeks away. He will arrive at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, because the defending champion, trying to efficiently defend a serious title for the third time in his profession.

But earlier than he can absolutely deal with successful a fourth Wanamaker Trophy, Koepka has a job to complete in Singapore, the place a fourth profession LIV Golf victory is nicely inside attain.

Jack Milko is a golf employees author for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be certain to take a look at @_PlayingThrough for extra golf protection. You can comply with him on Twitter @jack_milko as nicely.