MAJOR STEP FORWARD BUT SCOTT RUES FINISH
A DEJECTED Adam Scott says he will approach the majors with renewed vigour after capping a lean two years with a valiant display at the US PGA Championship.
The Gold Coast golfer answered the pressure of a major championship final grouping with a complete performance at Missouri’s Bellerive Country Club but he was ultimately no match for Brooks Koepka.
Big-hitting American Koepka fired a four-underpar
66 to earn a 16-under total and a two-shot win from 14-time major champion Tiger Woods (64).
Scott (67) was outright third at 13 under.
Koepka claimed his third Jon Rahm (Spain) 68-67-66-68 Thomas Pieters (Belgium) 67-66-71-66, Francesco Molinari (Italy) 68-67-6867, Justin Thomas (US) 69-65-68-68, Gary Woodland (US) 64-66-71-69
major in 14 months after successfully defending his 2017 US Open victory at Shinnecock Hills this year.
With the win, Koepka became the fifth player to claim the US Open and PGA Championship in the same year, joining Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen.
Scott missed a crucial birdie putt at the par-5 17th, which would have cut Koepka’s lead to one, before a sloppy bogey at the 18th.
“It really hurt that I missed that, just not to make it interesting up the last,” Scott said.
“I’m pretty disappointed … that I couldn’t play the last three holes better.”
Fellow Queenslander Jason Day (71) finished equal 19th at seven under.