Brooks Koepka, Rickie Fowler face separate Masters questions after Houston MCs

There was one thing Brooks Koepka wanted to accomplish this week in Houston. After three straight 20s and his PGA Tour-leading iron performance, the five-time major champion wanted to put himself to the test this weekend at Memorial Park to see if his game is ready for what’s next.

“I feel like it’s ready. The only thing is, I haven’t put myself in contention with nine holes left. That’s the last piece I feel I have to complete here before Augusta. But the game feels good. Everything is trending in a good way.”

All signs pointed to Koepka’s announcement being true. His iron play has been impressive, a driver problem found should have cleared up his biggest problem at last week’s Valspar and a recent change to the TaylorMade Spider putter finally seemed to fix a problem that had plagued him for two years.

The last one was the key.

Koepka returned to the PGA Tour at the Farmers Insurance Open and lost more than seven shots on the greens. Koepka made the switch to the mallet putter in Phoenix and missed the cut. But he seemed to find something on the green at the Cognizant Classic, where he gained 2.7 strokes per putt. That dipped at TPC Sawgrass, but Koepka still finished T13. The putter was working again at last week’s Valspar, where Koepka regained two strokes on the green en route to a T18 finish.

All of that led him to the Texas Children’s Houston Open believing that the relentless, hard-hitting style of golf that won him five majors was back.

“Now I can sit back and play golf the way I used to play in ’17, ’19, when I’m playing so well where I can’t be patient and just bide my time,” Koepka said. “I said it was aggressive. I picked the right line, the right place to make sure I don’t do a double. I did a double a couple of weeks ago, which was annoying. My game is shortened in form. I can see it. I don’t know if maybe you are smart about the results, it might not look like that, but I can see the whole ‘come together’.

But things are never linear or simple in golf.

Koepka started his week in Houston 2-under through six, but finished his opening nine with two double bogeys. After coming home with a 38, Koepka posted an opening-round 5-over 75. He shot 1 under on Friday, but the damage was done. In two rounds, Koepka lost more than three putting shots and missed a shot on approach, giving him an early trip from Houston and work to prove. that Brooks Koepka before the Masters in two weeks.

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While Koepka arrived in Houston looking for one final proof of his return before the big season, one of golf’s most enduring players is still looking to punch his ticket to Augusta National.

Rickie Fowler entered this week ranked 61st in the Official World Golf Rankings. Fowler opened the year with three straight top-20 finishes and then posted a T9 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Arrow has been trending for Rickie Fowler for a long time. Fowler played great summer golf last year and finished in the top 50 in the FedEx Cup Playoffs, earning a spot in all of the 2026 Signature Events. That defense allowed him to take the fall off to rest the shoulder injury he suffered in 2025. His body is healthy for 2026 but he says his consistency to open the season is different.

“I think a lot of it is on the mental side, not trying to do too much or anything special,” Fowler said Thursday in Houston. “I try to let the cycles come to me and put things together and plan my way.

“I’ve definitely become a better golfer overall. I’d say this year and going into where I’m at now, I feel like some of the best I’ve ever swung in terms of controlling the golf ball and what I’ve been able to do. I think it’s a combination of a lot of things. If you don’t get better mentally over the years and learn better ways to play and play golf. That’s easy, but you can imagine – this is my 17th year on Tour, I know my way around a little bit.”

But despite his continued play, Fowler is still not in the field at Augusta National. With this being the final week before the top 50 is decided at the 2026 Masters, Fowler likely needed a top-five finish to jump into the number one spot and secure a trip to Magnolia Lane.

Needing a good week in Houston, Fowler fired an opening round 67 to put himself in trouble.

But the wheels came off early Friday at Memorial Park.

Fowler made a smooth double-bogey on the par-3 second to fall short of the cut. Birds at No. 3 and 8 brought him back to even for the day, but a double-bogey on the ninth wiped him out. Fowler got one shot back on the 10th, but bogeys on 15 and 17 pushed him down and ended his quest for a spot at the Masters on Friday evening.

For Fowler, who has only played in one of the last five Masters, there is now only one way to get to Augusta National this year: Win next week at the Valero Texas Open.