Q. Brooks, nice bounce-back today to make the cut in advance of the weekend. Did anything flip or improve in your game from yesterday to today?
BROOKS KOEPKA: I hit it a lot worse today. Didn't drive it nearly as good. Iron play wasn't as good, but the putter was better. Made a few adjustments after the round yesterday. We were just kind of running over there. We spent probably about 15 minutes talking about it and then probably 30 minutes' worth of work.
Q. What is a general sense of what you adjusted?
BROOKS KOEPKA: Just may hand position at setup. I was just cheating it. Changed the stroke a little bit.
I'm not getting as handsy and I was cheating it by getting my hands back, and it just was creating an inconsistent feel, or where I thought it was taking off it wasn't.
Q. Is making the cut starting the day outside the cut line, do you consider it a small win in any way?
BROOKS KOEPKA: No. If I'm out here to try to make cuts, I'm probably done.
Q. Last year the winner here made the cut on the number, so is this --
BROOKS KOEPKA: No, this is a golf course you can definitely do it just because there's no wind in the morning, so it's definitely doable.
Q. On a little bit of a different topic, there's a report that within the next few weeks the 2027 TOUR schedule can come out. I know you spent a few years away from the TOUR, but is there something you'd like to see as the FCC makes some different changes to the schedule moving forward?
BROOKS KOEPKA: I have no clue. I'm three weeks into this, and I'm not a part of those conversations. It would be very tough for me to have a voice and for people to listen right now. I'm just thankful to be out here.
Q. No. 8 it looked like you were frustrated with that second shot. How difficult was that third shot from behind the green?
BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, it wasn't a good lie. It was almost impossible to keep that close. Second shot just jumped on me. It hasn't jumped all week, which was kind of weird. You could see in the ball flight it was just going through the wind and cutting, and the wind was into and off the right. Not a good place to miss it.
But you've just got to take your medicine and get out.
Q. You played with Ben Silverman, who got into the event and your pairing on Thursday morning. Have you ever been in that situation like when you played in Europe or on the TOUR when you first started where you were an alternate and sitting around waiting to get in and got in?
BROOKS KOEPKA: I've been first alternate and not gotten in.
Q. What's that like?
BROOKS KOEPKA: A lot of waiting, a lot of -- I think he sat around probably for -- probably got here 6:00 a.m. I'm assuming at the latest because I don't know what the -- what's the first tee time, 6:45, 6:50? So probably earlier than that. Then to hang around until 12:20 something, I think he'll enjoy his sleep tonight.
Q. Is there a number you think you can post tomorrow that would position you for Sunday?
BROOKS KOEPKA: I just need to play like I did the first day and then putt like I did today. I have a feeling the putting will come around. But just been hitting it really good.
Just nice to see a red number.
Q. Is putting a lot mental? Like the way you start yesterday, do you start thinking, am I going to be able to correct this today? Conversely, today was the exact opposite; did you all of a sudden feel like hey, I can knock in anything?
BROOKS KOEPKA: No, we changed my mechanics so I'm going with the feel of what feels good. Like I said, I was just cheating it yesterday, so at setup my hands were too far back, so that was the only thing. Once I got them forward, I felt like I really saw the line a lot better and could see where visually it's got to take off on the right line. They weren't matching yesterday.
Q. When do you notice that? Is it like you get through the round and then you realize afterwards? How does that come about, that change doesn't -- because you didn't do it during the round, obviously.
BROOKS KOEPKA: Well, I could. You can always change something in the round and try to do something.
It just wasn't -- it's very hard to see from the naked eye. You'd have to really get up -- that's why when I got done here I ran over to the putting green and sent some video and we kind of talked it out and noticed that, but that was really the only thing, but the stroke was fine.
Q. What's your expectations going into the weekend?
BROOKS KOEPKA: Just need to play good. Just go throw two rounds together that are pretty solid, play well, and see where it puts me.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports