Brooks Koepka of the United States is a powerhouse with nine PGA Tour victories. Five of those came at major championships, earning him the nickname "major hunter." But Koepka, who moved to LIV Golf and returned to the PGA Tour this year, has yet to recover his former dominance.
Now Koepka has set up a foothold for his first win since the return. It came at the RBC Canadian Open (total purse $9.8 million), held Wednesday at the par-70 TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley North Course in Caledon, Ontario, Canada.
Koepka collected eight birdies and limited his card to two bogeys for a 6-under-par 64. He shares the lead with Emiliano Grillo of Argentina, Eric Cole, Sahith Theegala and Sam Burns of the United States, and Matthew Anderson of Canada.
It marks the first time Koepka has led after the opening round of a PGA Tour event since the 2023 Masters. His ball-striking has been solid this season, but his putting has been a source of frustration. He ranks 136th in strokes gained putting (-0.364).
Wednesday was different. He gained 3.491 strokes with his putter, placing fifth in that category for the day. After tuning his game with four birdies and two bogeys through the 13th hole, Koepka made four birdies over the final five holes to climb to the top of the leaderboard.
"My ball striking has been good all year. It's been very solid. I just need my putting to come around," Koepka said. "I hope the next three days are like today."
The competition for the title is fierce. With six players sharing the lead, as many as 31 players are crowded within two strokes of the lead.
Kim Joo-hyung, the only South Korean player in the field, sits at 3-under-par (four birdies, one bogey), tied for 32nd. Three strokes off the lead, he can aim for a move up the standings in the remaining rounds. Kim, who has three career PGA Tour wins, has been in a slump this season, with just one top-10 finish in 13 starts.
