Masters 2026: Brooks Koepka's driver was set to the wrong setting

Brooks Koepka tees off on the 18th hole during the second round of the 2026 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 10, 2026 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)

(David Cannon via Getty Images)

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Brooks Koepka’s driver was set to the wrong setting.

Admittedly, this gets into the weeds of golf nerdity, but when you’re teeing it up at the Masters, golf nerdity is part of doing business.

So let’s explain:

Koepka uses a Titleist GT3, which allows for different settings. These settings are adjustable depending on what kind of ball flight you want — neutral, fade or draw. It’s a bit more complicated than that, but the gist is you set the club to your preferred setting.

Koepka’s preferred setting is “A1,” or standard. But on the driving range Thursday after Round 1 he realized his driver had been set to B1, which is more “flat.”

“No one noticed it,” he said. “Switching back to A1, which is what we usually had it and just driving it better.”

Per Data Golf, Koepka lost .41 strokes off the tee Thursday, but gained .86 on Friday. Not surprising, he hit seven fairways on Thursday compared to nine on Friday and his score showed it — 72 in Round 1 vs. 69 in Round 2, which puts him 3-under for the tournament, nine shots back of Rory McIlroy.

While Koepka explained the error on Friday, he didn’t make much of a thing of it.

“Ball striking has been really good this week. Putted better today. Short game has been kind of iffy,” he said after his round. “But, yeah, I like the way I'm playing right now. Just need to be a little bit more aggressive.”

Koepka, playing in his first major since leaving LIV Golf, currently sits in a tie for 13th.