If you follow David Dusek of Golfweek on Twitter, you no doubt saw this eye-opening little gem on Brooks Keopka and Srixon yesterday…
Brooks Koepka appears to have switched to a TaylorMade M5 driver and the 2017 Titleist Pro V1x ball in preparation for the 2022 U.S. Open. https://t.co/gR6YWbcX1T pic.twitter.com/Jvm2sky1yf
— David Dusek (@Golfweek_Dusek) June 14, 2022
Yep, on the eve of the 2022 US Open, Brooks Koepka is switching both his driver and his golf ball. According to Dusek, the two-time Open champ is going back to the 2017 Titleist ProV1x (the ball he used to win all four of his majors) and his old TaylorMade M5 driver, which he used to win the 2019 PGA Championship.
Koepka signed a full bag and ball deal with Srixon-Cleveland last year, a deal that included both the Srixon ZX7 driver and the new Srixon Z-STAR Diamond golf ball. Srixon proudly announced at launch that the ball was actually designed with Koepka in mind.
What does it all mean? Why would Koepka do such a thing? Is this bad for Srixon?
All legit questions, so let’s get cracking.
The Details
According to Dusek’s article for Golfweek, Koepka was seen practicing with his old ProV1x at the Country Club’s short game practice area yesterday. Later, Koepka was seen pulling out his old TaylorMade at the driving range, even though it still has a Srixon headcover.
When MyGolfSpy contacted Srixon, we were given the following statement:
“In this early stage of our partnership, Brooks Koepka has validated the performance of the Srixon driver and golf ball. Though performance has been promising, the characteristics are not a perfect fit, yet.
“To work through this adjustment period most efficiently, we decided to focus our energy on fitting Brooks into the next generation Srixon driver and golf ball prototypes that will debut on tour in the near future – products developed with Brooks’ input and needs in mind.
“While get this organized in the next couple of months, Srixon is temporarily allowing Brooks to use his previous ball and driver. Of course, he will continue playing Srixon irons and Cleveland Golf wedges. Both parties are fully committed to the partnership, and we are confident Brooks will be back in a Srixon driver and golf ball soon.”
On face value, it seems reasonable. You can quibble about “validated the performance” vs. “the characteristics are not a perfect fit.” Still, the fact Brooks isn’t dumping his irons and wedges into the Charles River is telling.
What Does It Really Mean?
Given the discussion on our most recent episode of No Putts Given, it’s easy to conjecture. Is this proof that Brooks hates the ball and driver and made a huge mistake? Does Srixon have a ball problem? Is the relationship in trouble?
At best, Brooks’ switcharoo is embarrassing for Srixon. The company was justifiably proud when it announced the Koepka signing last November and especially excited when he used the Z-STAR Diamond in his Thanksgiving grudge match with Bryson.
It’s not like Koepka has been a non-factor with his new ball and driver. He has a pair of top-five finishes this year, along with a T12 at the Valspar. But he did miss the cut at The Masters, The Players and The Genesis, and he finished in a tie for 55th at the PGA.
Stats also tell us that while Koepka is ranked 18th in driving distance this season, he’s 179th in driving accuracy. In addition, he’s 75th in Strokes Gained off the tee and 123rd in Strokes Gained tee to green. On the other hand, Koepka has only played in 10 events since January. And one can make the case that, regardless of equipment, Koepka hasn’t been the same golfer since the 2018-19 season, when he had three wins and nine top 10 finishes. In 47 tournaments since, he has one win and 15 top-ten finishes.
Statistically, is there proof the ZX7 and Z-STAR Diamond might not be perfect fits? Koepka ranked 7th in Strokes Gained off the tee last season and 28th the season before. He’s generally in the top 25 in Strokes Gained off the tee, so this year’s results are an aberration. However, as far as driving accuracy goes, Koepka’s highest ranking in the last six years was 102nd in 2018-19.
Best Case for Srixon
As mentioned, the best-case scenario for Srixon is a short-term disappointment. The ZX driver (along with the rest of the line) is in the final stretch of its two-year life cycle, so it’s reasonable to presume the 2023 prototypes are ready to show up on Tour. The Z-STAR balls are on the same cadence, and Srixon was clear in saying Koepka has been involved in the development process.
The Z-STAR Diamond did seemingly come out of nowhere last fall. It was billed as a tweener between the Z-STAR and Z-STAR XV. And even though it was ostensibly designed for Koepka, it’s reasonable to presume that it might not be 100% right.
The timing of Koepka’s change is the curious part of all this. Even though it seems out of the blue, it’s important to note that Koepka hasn’t played since the PGA last month. Sure, he got married (and it looked like a hell of a party!), but to think he, out of the blue, decided just this week to switch his driver and ball is silly. And to think Srixon was blindsided by this yesterday is sillier. They may not have been ready for the social media publicity this sparked, but you have to believe they knew.
Worst Case for Srixon
After the short-term embarrassment subsides, the best case for Srixon is that Koepka moves into a new prototype driver and that he takes to the new prototype ball. Srixon balls work for Matsuyama, Lowry and Bradley, so there’s no reason to think Srixon can’t perfect something for Koepka, as well. The driver may be a little touchier, as Matsuyama has had an on-again/off-again relationship with Srixon and TaylorMade for his metal woods. Ultimately, it wouldn’t be precedent-setting if Koepka decided to stick with a different driver.
The next to worst-case scenario for Srixon is actually ironic. If Koepka turns it around and wins (or threatens) this week in Brookline, maybe he decides to stick with his M5 and ProV1x, at least for the time being. At that point, good luck getting either out of his back for a while. That might require some contract adjusting.
What’s the worst-case scenario? It’s that Koepka pulls a Justin Rose and gets out of his deal with Srixon. That, however, is highly unlikely, as all outward signs point to a solid working relationship between Koepka and Srixon. While many think Rose dumped Honma because the equipment sucked, there are two sides to that tale.
It’s easy to jump to conclusions and point out inconsistencies in messaging, and there are a few in Srixon’s seemingly rushed statement. It’s also easy to pile on and claim Srixon can’t make a decent driver or golf ball. But remember, Srixon staffers have won majors with Srixon balls and drivers. Maybe, just maybe, Koepka is like the rest of us. When things aren’t going well, we blame the equipment.
The only difference is our switcharoo doesn’t have hundreds of thousands of social media hits.
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