Brooks Koepka’s Phoenix Redemption: Why This Week Matters More Than Torrey Pines Ever Could

Let me be straight with you – I’ve watched Brooks Koepka navigate more ups and downs than a caddie’s scorecard over the past decade, and what I’m seeing this week isn’t just another tournament stop. It’s a referendum on whether his LIV gamble can still produce the kind of magic that made him one of the game’s most dominant forces.

Yes, his Torrey Pines performance was forgettable. A missed-cut-adjacent 56th place finish 19 shots behind Justin Rose would make any comeback narrative take a hit. But here’s what the casual observer might miss: Brooks Koepka isn’t really thinking about Torrey Pines anymore. He’s thinking about TPC Scottsdale, and that distinction tells you everything you need to know about player psychology at this level.

The Course Fit Question

In my 35 years covering professional golf, I’ve learned that not all comebacks are created equal. Some players struggle with specific venues, and Koepka was refreshingly honest about his shortcomings at Torrey: the poa greens simply don’t suit his stroke. He ranked dead last – 74th out of those who made the cut – in Strokes Gained: Putting. That’s not a minor statistical hiccup; that’s a neon sign saying “this course isn’t your house.”

But here’s the thing: Phoenix is his house. And not just because he’s won there twice.

Having caddied in the ’90s and spent the last three-and-a-half decades watching patterns emerge on tour, I’ve noticed something fascinating about elite players – they often perform better at venues where they’ve tasted success. It’s not mystical. It’s confidence. It’s knowing the wind patterns, understanding how the greens break, and crucially, remembering what it felt like to execute when it mattered.

The Four-Year Pattern That Matters

Let’s talk about something the headline writers glossed over: the last time Koepka stepped away from Phoenix for an extended period, he won when he returned. After skipping 2018, 2019, and 2020 (injury played its part), he came back in 2021 with four major championships under his belt and absolutely dominated TPC Scottsdale.

“I love this place. This golf course is always fun. I like the way I finished that off. Hit a lot quality golf shots down the stretch. I haven’t been in contention in God knows how long, so to actually hit golf shots like I’m accustomed to seeing when the pressure is on, it’s a good feeling.”

That wasn’t just post-victory commentary. That was a player rediscovering his identity. He shot 19-under and won by a stroke from Xander Schauffele and K.H. Lee. More importantly, he demonstrated something we haven’t seen consistently from him in the LIV era: the ability to execute down the stretch when it matters.

Now, four years later, he’s in a similar position – returning to a place he dominates with questions swirling about his form. The parallel isn’t perfect, but it’s there. And in my experience, patterns like this matter more than any single 72-hole event.

Why Phoenix Isn’t Just Another Stop

What strikes me about Koepka’s Waste Management history is less about the wins and more about what the losses reveal. In 2016 and 2017, as defending champion and a player on the precipice of major dominance, he couldn’t find his rhythm during the middle rounds. Middle laps of 72-74 bookended by stronger efforts – that’s the signature of a player uncomfortable with something specific to those conditions or that moment in time.

Yet his quote from 2022, his last Phoenix appearance, showed refinement in how he thinks about the game:

“I putted it really well. Really solid. But the wedges just weren’t up to par. Leaving a few right, felt like a couple of them, the wind kind of switched a little bit, as well. But I mean, that happens. Just didn’t play good enough today. Sometimes you just have a mediocre day. It is what it is.”

That’s the voice of a player who’s competed in major championships at the highest level. He’s not making excuses – he’s forensically analyzing where his game fell short. That’s the Brooks Koepka we saw win four majors in three years.

The Real Story This Week

Torrey Pines was about getting his feet wet after the LIV transition. It was about showing up, making a cut, and proving he could still compete. Mission accomplished, even if the results were underwhelming.

But Phoenix? This is where we find out if Koepka still has the capacity to dominate. Not at a venue that doesn’t suit him. Not in a tournament where half a dozen factors work against him. But at the place where he’s won twice, where he knows every blade of grass, and where the roaring galleries actually seem to energize rather than distract him.

“I enjoy next week. I love the chaos, I think it’s fun. Yeah, it’s been, what, four years since I’ve been back so I’m excited to get back out there to a place I’m familiar with, comfortable with and a place I love.”

That enthusiasm? That’s not generic tournament speak. That’s a player who knows exactly where his strengths lie and is eager to lean into them.

The Waste Management Phoenix Open doesn’t just represent another chance for Koepka to prove his LIV return makes sense. It represents the most legitimate opportunity he’ll have in the near term to show that the game-winning magic hasn’t evaporated. If he can’t find it there, the questions will only intensify. If he does? Well, that’s when the real comeback narrative begins.