There was a lot of talk about PGA National being too easy, but Brooks Koepka didn't see it that way as he struggled in the opening round of the Cognizant Classic.
A three-over round of 74 sees Koepka now struggling to make the cut at the Cognizant Classic, with three bogeys and a shocker of a double bogey during his opening round.
And it's clear to see where his problems lie looking at his stats, with his chipping and putting numbers among the worst in the entire field.
It's not the start he wanted to his hometown event and not what he wanted to see from his new putter.
The five-time Major champion's day was summed up by his double bogey on 17, when he overhit a chip right across the green and into the mud on the edge of the lake.
Koepka had to take his shoe and sock off to play an escape from the PGA National mud, but could only fat his effort halfway up the bank, which ultimately resulted in a five on the testing par three.
Koepka wasn't the only one as the final hole of the infamous Bear Trap claimed a few casualties while ranking as the hardest hole on the course in round one - with eight double bogeys or worse and just five birdies all day.
The carnage continues at PGA National. The 17th hole has more double and triple bogeys (6) than birdies (5) today.📺 Golf Channel and ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/xHaaEKpSg9February 26, 2026
It was symptomatic of Koepka's problems all day, as his struggles increased the closer he got to the hole.
He talked about PGA National being an easier chipping course now that it's been overseeded but really struggled as he ranked 120th in Strokes Gained: Around The Green losing 2.296 strokes to the field.
And he was only slightly better on the greens as he ranked 110th in Strokes Gained there with -2.165 as he continues to try and dial in his new TaylorMade Spider Tour X mallet.
Koepka did make one 36-foot bomb for birdie on the sixth, but missed four birdie chances on his opening four holes between 9-11 feet, followed by a 10 footer for par.
He also missed two further par putts from around five feet so there's obviously still plenty of work for him to do to settle with his new flat stick.
But Koepka may not have too much time as he starts the second round in T98 on three over and in a big battle to try and make the cut.
