Koepka pain in rush
...BUT HE’S STILL IN HUNT WITH SCRAMBLER SPIETH
BROOKS KOEPKA blasted his ‘sloppy’ putting – despite remaining right in the frame for another Major success.
He is just three shots off the lead where he is joined by Jordan Spieth, with both aiming to extend the American domination of the Majors.
But the two US superstars felt very different emotions heading into the weekend. Koepka admitted his “frustration” with his putting after a 69.
Scrambling Spieth called his 67 “incredible” after his struggles from the tee saw him deploy recovery shots reminiscent of his Royal Birkdale lorry-park triumph in 2017 – and his old deadly putting touch.
Yet both men, who sit on five-under par, insist they can play better as part of the USA bid to complete a first calendar sweep of the Majors since 1982.
Koepka retained his US PGA title in May and is bidding to become the first player in history to finish in the top two of every Major in the same year.
The Floridian, who has local caddie Ricky Elliott on his bag, would be at the top of the leaderboard here if his putting had been up to scratch.
“It was pretty sloppy today,” said the four-time Major champion. “It is hard to shoot a low one when you are not making any putts. If I can make some putts I could very easily be 10-under and maybe more. It’s frustrating.
“It’s a little bit disappointing but at the same time I am close enough to make a run over the weekend. If I can just clean it up just the slightest little bit, I could be off and running.”
Spieth has not won a tournament since the 2017 Open. He has been working on “drastic” swing changes – but it is a work in progress.
He hit only five fairways in the first two rounds – and found himself repeatedly hacking out of knee-high rough and still saving par.
“I’ve spent a decent amount of time in some pretty bad spots this season, so maybe that’s helping,” he said.
“My shots out of trouble today were really, really nice. I hit maybe two or three fairways today. I posted a score that was pretty incredible from where I played my second shots from.”
But Spieth’s putting radar is tuned in again as shown by nailing an eagle putt from off the green at No.7.
He said: “The putter has felt great now for the last couple of months.
“I’m in contention. I feel good. If I can drive the ball better over the weekend, I should have a chance.”