Brooks Koepka slumps to missed cut at WM Phoenix Open

Brooks Koepka missed the cut at the WM Phoenix Open in just his second start back on the PGA Tour. 

Koepka fell out the gates early on Thursday with a lacklustre 75 and despite an improved 69 on Friday, the five-time major champion's two-round total was not enough to progress to the weekend. 

Koepka had given himself a chance of making the weekend with three birdies on his outward nine in the second round, but he came back in 1-over par - missing a tiddler for par on his final hole (9th) - to finish the week in the dark on 2-over par. 

Players are still out on the course in the second round at the time of publication, but the projected cut is expected to fall at 1-under par. 

Koepka endured tough week on greens with new putter

The biggest issue for Koepka over the two rounds at the WM Phoenix Open, especially in the first round, was the putter. 

Koepka made a surprise decision to bench his much-loved Scotty Cameron after more than a decade of use on Thursday. 

Instead, he made a switch to a mallet - a TaylorMade Spider Tour X to be precise. 

If truth be told, it did little to inspire much confidence for Koepka on the greens. 

He ranked well down the board for strokes-gained putting at -3.564. 

Koepka's longest putt on Thursday was incredibly just five feet.

While things did improve slightly on Friday, highlighted by a 35-footer for birdie on the 6th, the American knows he has a lot of work to do with the flatstick over the coming weeks.

Koepka is taking the next couple of weeks off and he will return to action at the Cognizant Classic at the end of the month. 

Koepka made his official return to the PGA Tour at last week's Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines. 

He made the cut on the number there en route to a T56 on 4-under par. 

But a week later, he has stumbled to a first missed cut back on the circuit with another rusty performance at the WM Phoenix Open. 

Koepka quit the LIV Golf League on 23 December 2025, and three weeks later he was let back onto the PGA Tour via a new Returning Membership program. 

The missed cut at TPC Scottsdale is a blow for Koepka, not just for his comeback on the PGA Tour but also because he has cited the WM Phoenix Open is one of his favourite events in the world. 

He won the Phoenix Open twice before in 2015 and 2021. 

Koepka went as far to say he didn't even watch any of the tournament while he was a LIV Golf player as he found it tough to watch while not being there. 

Japanese duo Ryo Hisatsune and Hideki Matsuyama vaulted to the top of the board on day two at the WM Phoenix Open.

Matsuyama had set the clubhouse target of 10-under par earlier in the round with a scorching 64, but hours later his compatriot Hisatsune went one better with a stunning 63 to move to 11-under par.

Hisatsune played the last six holes in 6-under par to race to the front as he goes in search of his maiden PGA Tour title.

In-form American duo Chris Gotterup and Pierceson Coody are also firmly in the mix. 

Elsewhere, pre-tournament favourite Scottie Scheffler fired a 65 to bounce back from a disappointing 73 on Thursday. The World No.1 is seven shots off the pace on 4-under par. 

Keep up to speed with live scores from the WM Phoenix Open here