Brooks Koepka’s 8-Under Surge: Is a Major Comeback Underway?

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Brooks Koepka, who changed putters, put himself squarely in contention with his best single-round showing since returning to the PGA Tour.

Koepka shot 8-under 63 in Round 1 of The CJ Cup Byron Nelson (total purse $10.3 million) at TPC Craig Ranch (par 71) in McKinney, Texas, on the morning of the 22nd (Korean time), finishing tied for second.

He posted one eagle and six birdies with no bogeys, his best 18-hole score since coming back to the Tour, and moved into the title mix. He sits one shot behind leader Taylor Moore (USA), who carded a 9-under 62.

Prior to this week, Koepka’s best 18-hole score this season was a 65 in the final round of the Cognizant Classic in February — a round that helped him finish tied for ninth after returning from LIV Golf.

While Koepka has recorded solid finishes — placing inside the top tier in five of 10 starts this year — putting has been his primary weakness. His Strokes Gained: Putting stood at a weak -0.471 entering the week. Ahead of this event he switched to his fourth putter of the season, and although today’s figure reflects only one round, his Strokes Gained: Putting surged to 2.505, giving him genuine momentum in pursuit of his first PGA Tour victory since the 2022–23 PGA Championship.

After the round Koepka said, “Overall, I liked everything today. I feel better with the putter. I’d felt good during studio practice the past few days, and I was comfortable out here. Seeing my feel match the results has given me a bit more confidence.”

Among the Korean players in the field, Kim Si-woo had the strongest start. Kim finished at 7-under 64, tied for fourth alongside the likes of Keith Mitchell (USA). He launched his round by holing a 68-foot, 8-inch (about 21 m) putt on the par-4 10th and otherwise looked in strong form. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (USA), who won this event last year at an astounding 31-under and prompted the course renovations, opened his title defense with a 5-under 66 to sit tied for ninth.

TPC Craig Ranch carried out renovations to its greens and bunkers before this year’s event, investing $22.5 million (about 33.9 billion KRW). But rain softened the greens when play began, and officials implemented preferred lies (players may pick up, clean and drop within one club length from the fairway), blunting the intended impact of the work — only 24 of the 147 players shot over par in Round 1. Rain is also in the forecast for the rest of the week.

Mitchell, who birdied eight times and bogeyed once in his 7-under round, said, “Tee shots play tougher and the greens’ slopes are steeper. Unfortunately, the current weather hides those changes. If the course had been firm and fast, it would have been much tougher and the renovations would have been more obvious.”