Brooks Koepka Is Well Aware Of Why He's Had No Success In The Players Throughout His Career
The iconic 17th has Koepka's number.
With five of his nine career wins on the PGA Tour being major championships, Brooks Koepka has proven to be a big-game hunter. The 35-year-old has built a legitimate legacy by consistently performing at his best on golf's biggest stages, with another 13 Top 10 finishes in majors to go with his five victories.
Based on those facts, one would assume he's also performed well at TPC Sawgrass and picked up quality finishes in Players Championships over the years. That, however, hasn't been the case at all.
Outside of a T-11 finish in 2018, Koepka doesn't have another Top 15 finish and has missed the cut twice in his six starts in The Players.
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On paper, that's an anomaly for a guy who consistently gets up for the biggest events on the calendar, but it's no secret as to why he's performed so poorly in the PGA Tour's flagship event: it's the Par 3 17th hole.
"The 17th hole. I think, I don't know if there's stats on it, but I guarantee there are. One year I made an 8 and a 7. Yeah, that wasn't very good. But that 17th hole has gotten me over the years. I've played good rounds here; that's just kind of the one bugaboo that always gets me," Koepka said when asked why he hasn't fared too well around Sawgrass.
Brooks Koepka can't be too big a fan of the 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass. (Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images)
When you break down the numbers on his performance on the island-green hole, things get even more grim.
In his 20 times playing the hole, Koepka has put 10 balls into the water, made a seven on two occasions, carded just two birdies, and has an overall scoring average of four.
It has been such a horror show for Koepka that he has a fake memory of making an eight on the hole, when in reality, his worst score is a seven.
Koepka joked that he did hit the green during his Monday practice round, which is certainly a plus.
This week will mark Koepka's first appearance at The Players since 2022, as he made a shock return to the PGA Tour after leaving LIV Golf to begin the 2026 campaign.