Brooks Koepka is slowly starting to show signs of his very best form with the start of The Masters now only just over two weeks away.
Koepka made a dramatic return to the PGA Tour from LIV Golf in January, but he has managed to record just one top-10 finish in five starts so far.
That said, he could easily have finished inside the top-10 at The Players Championship and the Valspar Championship, had it not been for double bogeys on his 72nd and 70th holes respectively in those two tournaments.
Koepka obviously knows how to win big tournaments – his haul of five major championship trophies is evidence of that.
And now with The Masters just around the corner, the 35-year-old will be hoping to hone his skills as he looks to win his sixth major championship.
Koepka recently admitted his putting has let him down on the PGA Tour, but he seems to have improved on the greens over the past couple of weeks, after he switched to a mallet putter.
Now, though, another big problem has crept into the five-time major champion’s game which he must address urgently.
Brooks Koepka has two alarming issues heading into The Masters
The American has been visibly frustrated with his inability to record some high finishes as he looks to earn his way into the Signature Events.
He knows full well that he is capable of winning again on the PGA Tour right now, but there are a couple of things that have been costing him a chance to do just that.
He is ranked 6th in strokes gained off the tee and 127th in strokes gained putting on the PGA Tour so far this season.
Everyone knows how vital putting is at Augusta National but you will not have any chance of winning the tournament if you don’t drive the ball well either.
Sure, there isn’t much rough, but if you’re not hitting the ball long and straight it’s almost impossible to access the pins that are cut on tiny portions of Augusta’s undulating greens.
Historically, the former LIV Golf star has been a superb driver of the golf ball.
However, Koepka admitted at the Valspar that his poor driving of the ball has perplexed him of late.
He needs to fix up in the driving and putting departments as soon as possible, if he is to contend at The Masters.
Ryan Lavner on Koepka’s main problem ahead of The Masters
Golf journalist Ryan Lavner has been speaking on The Golf Channel Podcast with Rex and Lav about Koepka’s hopes of winning The Masters.
“One other storyline that I want to throw to you, Rex, is Brooks Koepka,“ Lavner said.
“He was third in approach at the Valspar. That comes on the heels of four other positive stroke gained approach weeks in a row on the PGA Tour.
“It certainly seems like he has found at least a little bit of a fix for the putting.
“It was the driver that let him down, interestingly, at Innisbrook, a club that he typically does not struggle with.
“I think when you look at Brooks Koepka, the numbers don’t look great. The results are sort of pedestrian for a player of his calibre, as a five-time major champion.
“However, he has frittered away some points. He has frittered away some strokes late over the past couple of weeks.
“He made a double bogey on the 72nd hole at the Players Championship, when he was in position for a top-10 finish.
“A double bogey on the 70th hole at the Valspar Championship, as well, when he was in position for a top-10 finish.
“That might not seem like a lot, but as we sit here at the end of March, and with Brooks Koepka needing top finishes to get inside the next 10, the swing 5, get into the Signature Events to play against the best players on the PGA Tour.
“I think that could end up being quite important.
“I think big picture, though, he’s certainly trending in the right direction for Augusta.
“I’m not even sure at this point if he would be a sneaky pick.“
If Brooks Koepka is able to fix his current driver woes and manages to cut out the silly mistakes which lead to big numbers, he could well contend at The Masters next month.