Will Phil’s “New Approach” Work at Sentosa Golf Club?
_{Phil detailed a new approach he was taking to the game in Hong Kong, how will that fare this week in Singapore?}

After shooting a 67 (-3) in the opening round of Hong Kong, Phil detailed a new tactic he had been working on to keep up with the younger players in the game:

This is far different from the Phil we’ve been seeing for the past five years. The "hit bombs” Phil, the “hellacious seeds” Phil. He’s been chasing speed, specifically distance off the tee, as his way of fighting off father time. He knew if he was hitting it as far, or farther than the young guns, his magical touch around the greens would allow him to compete with anyone.

At times it worked. Phil finished tied for 2nd at The Masters in 2023, he’s mixed in a couple of top 10s, but the reality is that he was just making far too many bogeys. His short game wasn’t as sharp as it once was, and wayward tee shots were depriving him of scoring opportunities and the results weren’t what he wanted.

Now, he’s reined things in a bit. He’s making sure he’s in the fairway, he’s making sure he’s hitting greens in regulation, and he’s focusing on avoiding bogeys. Phil’s not going to keep trying to make 10 birdies to offset the bogeys, he’s going to try to make 5-7 birdies and fewer bogeys.

This new approach worked fantastically in Hong Kong where he finished in solo 3rd, his best finish to date on LIV Golf. He made 7 birdies in each round and each day made fewer bogeys. It seems things are starting to click for the 6 time major champion who’s just a few months away from turning 55.

But the Serapong Course at Sentosa Golf Club presents a very different challenge than Hong Kong Golf Club did. Hong Kong was a tight course that demanded precision, but it only played around 6700 yards so sacrificing distance in favor of fairways wasn’t punished. This week the course will play 700 yards longer, just over 7400 in total. He won’t be able to hit safe drives, take 3 wood off of tees, and wait for his opportunities. He’s going to have to attack the course.

He’ll likely be using a lower spin ball this week, which will help him get a little bit more distance off the tee. He’ll adjust some lofts and potentially use a different driver than he did in Hong Kong, so he’s able to bring the same controlled swing but get a touch more distance throughout the bag.

This will be the true test of Phil’s new approach.

Is This the Week Brooks Koepka Finds Some Form?

_{He loves the course. He just hasn’t been able to find his game, yet…}

In a field of just 54 players it’s not often you’re going to find a name like Brooks Koepka outside of the top 45. But that’s exactly where he was through one round at Hong Kong Golf Club. A gettable course and the five time major champion shot two over par. While he’s got a bit of a reputation for not being invested in non-major events, his sheer talent and ability with a golf club in his hands usually sees him fall no lower than the middle of the pack.

He’d play a little, not a lot, better in the final two rounds but ultimately finish tied for 35th with Matt Jones and Ben Campbell. I know he may not care as much as other guys about winning non-majors, but I assure you he cares as much as anyone about performing poorly in them. Is he trying to peak for Hong Kong? Of course not. Does it bother him to no end that he lost to 34 players last week? Absolutely it does.

Currently we’re 25 days away from The Masters where Brooks will look, and expect to, capture his 6th major championship. He’s got to find some form if that expectation is going to become a reality, and Sentosa Golf Club could be the perfect place for him to do that. It’ll be his third consecutive year playing here and in 2023 he finished one shot out of a playoff with now teammate Talor Gooch and Fireballs GC captain Sergio Garcia.

When LIV Golf returned in 2024 his second round of 64, the best in the field, propelled him to a three shot lead over the field. He’d win by two the next day.

This week presents the perfect opportunity for Koepka to get some momentum going as he heads into the season that matters most, major championship season. He’ll have this week, a two week break, then head to Trump Doral the week before the Masters. Now’s the time if he’s going to get something going, he needs to see something positive from his game here and I think this could be the week he reminds everyone who he is.

What On Earth is Happening With Smash GC?
_{Brooks Koepka, Talor Gooch, Jason Kokrak, Graeme McDowell. 10th, 13th, 12th.}

If I said the results for Smash GC three events into the LIV Golf season had been lackluster, it’d be one of the larger understatements of my lifetime. They’re in a two way tie for dead last in the team standings with Iron Heads GC though if you compare the pedigree of the two rosters Smash GC isn’t in the same realm.

While it’s only three events into the season and golf’s a game where one good swing could start a run that brings you all the way to the top, this isn’t what I expected to see from them. I’d openly been skeptical about the level of focus around Talor Gooch but if he weren’t putting in the work his captain Brooks would be the first to call him out about it, and he just recently said the opposite.

In 2023 Brooks made multiple comments about teammates Matt Wolff’s work ethic on and off the course, saying that while he’s got a lot of talent, the talent it wasted. He later remarked that Smash GC contained only three team members, himself, his brother Chase, and Jason Kokrak. I don’t think he’d hesitate for a second if a current member of his team weren’t putting in the work to improve their game. This is what Brooks had to say ahead of this week’s event in Singapore:

So after having seen that there’s no doubt in my mind that they’re putting in the work, they’re trying to do the right things to get their game in shape, it just isn’t happening. Or is hasn’t happened yet. With 50% of their team’s roster having won here in the past two years, I would expect to see them some signs of life from them. If there’s any place they can get things turned around and make some noise on the team front, it’s Sentosa Golf Club.