Koepka on top of the world
-16 Brooks Koepka (US)
-12 Hideki Matsuyama (Japan)
-12 Brian Harman (US)
-11 Tommy Fleetwood (England)
-10 Xander Schauffele (US)
-10 Bill Haas (US)
-10 Rickie Fowler (US)
-9 Charley Hoffman (US)
-8 Trey Mullinax (US) -8 Brandt Snedeker (US)
-8 Justin Thomas (US)
-7 J.B. Holmes (US)
-6 Brendan Steele (US)
-6 Patrick Reed (US)
-6 Si Woo Kim (South Korea)
-5 Matt Kuchar (US)
-5 Steve Stricker (US)
-5 Chez Reavie (US)
-5 Eddie Pepperell (England) -5 Bernd Wiesberger (Austria)
-4 David Lingmerth (Sweden)
-4 Sergio Garcia (Spain)
-3 Kevin Chappell (US)
-3 Jim Furyk (US)
-3 Louis Oosthuizen (South Africa)
-2 Paul Casey (England)
Others: Marc Leishman (Australia) -1, Jordan Spieth +1, BROOKS Koepka believes travelling the world winning golf tournaments prepared him perfectly for his recordequalling US Open victory in Wisconsin.
The 27-year-old bagged his first major championship by four shots over world No.4 Hideki Matsuyama and Brian Harman at Erin Hills in Wisconsin yesterday.
He became the seventh consecutive first-time winner of a major.
The big-hitting American spent five years moving across the globe searching for the ideal preparation to consistently take on the world’s best.
Most of his compatriots are happy to stay at home to chase the big prizemoney on offer on the US PGA Tour but Koepka took the unusual route of trying his hand in Europe as part of his apprenticeship.
Koepka compiled victories in Spain, Italy and Scotland on the second-tier Challenge Tour, before progressing to Europe’s main circuit and winning the 2014 Turkish Open.
He settled on the US PGA Tour shortly after and bagged a breakthrough win at Phoenix Open in 2015.
And the 2016 Dunlop Phoenix Tournament in Japan, for good measure. Koepka believes the global journey prepared him well for his maiden major title.
“Travelling the world at 21 years of age helped me grow up (although) there was a low point where I just wanted to come home,” the world No. 22 said.
“I’d love to get a map and just look at all the places I’ve won. It’s pretty cool but to win my first major in the US is pretty special.”
Koepka’s maturity came to the fore on a rookie US Open course that drew the ire of many competitors for its knee-high fescue rough and 7100m length - the longest in 117 years of the championship.
But Koepka delivered a dominant performance, firing a brilliant five-under-par 67 in the final round to finish at 16-under, equalling the lowest total relative to par in US Open history – a record Rory McIlroy set in 2011.
Koepka is likely to climb to No.10 in the world, which will be his debut in the top-10.
Overnight leader Harman (72), of the US, slumped to a share of second alongside Japan’s Matsuyama (66), while England’s Tommy Fleetwood (72) finished a shot back in fourth at 11under.
The top-three players in the world – Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy and Jason Day – missed the cut for the first time since the rankings started in 1986.
Australian Marc Leishman fought back from a fiveover front nine yesterday to salvage a 75 and a respectable 27th place.