Brooks Koepka has had a woeful year.
The five-time major champion missed the cut in three of the four majors and recorded only two top 10s on LIV. Then, he missed the Irish Open cut two weeks ago with a second-round 80 and failed to secure a weekend tee time last week at the BMW PGA Championship.
It appears his game on the mend, though.
Koepka, looking for his first win since LIV Golf Greenbrier in August 2024, is tied for the DP World Tour’s FedEx Open de France lead with Min Woo Lee after 54 holes.
“I feel like my game’s been trending in the right direction,” Koepka said after a third-round 6-under 65. “The results haven’t been there, but I feel a lot closer.
“I’m pleased with the work I’ve put in over the last few months and nothing’s shown, so hopefully, I get a chance to win.”
Why has the 35-year-old been able to flip the script on his season this week?
“Honestly, I felt very uncomfortable over the putts pretty much all year,” said Koepka, who ranks 16th in the field in strokes-gained putting. “Just been a little bit of hand position. We’ve got it sorted now where I feel like I’m striking the putts very well, hitting them on line and feel confident, and that’s honestly half the battle, is feeling confident and if you’re not confident out there, it’s tough.”
That was evident on holes 13 through 17, where he carded five straight birdies on the hardest part of the course.
Lee, meanwhile, shot a second consecutive 68 to share the lead with Koepka at 11 under. It’s a little bit of a turnaround for the 27-year-old Aussie, too. He won his maiden PGA Tour title in March at the Houston Open but recorded only one top 20 for the rest of the Tour season before a T11 at the BMW PGA.
He, like, Koepka feels he has turned a corner.
“I think that’s the one thing I learned throughout my time as a professional,” Lee said, “you just gotta keep hitting shots and keep mentally strong, but it’s not done until the end and you just got to keep going, every shot.”
There are five players within two strokes of the lead, but all eyes will be on Koepka Sunday. Having held a 54-hole lead 10 times in his career, he has converted those to victories seven times, never finishing worse than third.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Amid Miserable Year, Brooks Koepka Co-Leads Open de France With Min Woo Lee.