Koepka sets record while Woods falls short
DEFENDING champion Brooks Koepka has put himself in prime position for a fourth major victory in two years with a record-setting start to the US PGA Championship in New York.
The big-hitting Koepka, who was won three majors since the 2017 US Open, fired a course-record 63 on the notoriously difficult Bethpage Black layout to take the firstround lead at seven under.
Koepka’s 63 was the 17th time the score has been recorded in PGA Championship history, but he became the first player to do it twice.
The 29-year-old carded a 63 in round two of the PGA Championship he won last year.
Florida native Koepka also became just the third golfer with multiple rounds of 63 at the majors, joining Australia’s Greg Norman and Fiji’s Vijay Singh. On Thursday at the 7459-yard Bethpage, Koepka made no mistakes as he rattled off seven birdies and zero bogeys to equal his lowest round in relation to par at the majors.
He holds a one-shot lead over New Zealand’s Danny Lee (64), with England’s Tommy Fleetwood (67) third at three under.
The athletic, muscular Koepka is in career form and shows no signs of slowing down on the major stage.
He finished just one shot back of Tiger Woods at last month’s Masters. Koepka said it was satisfying to make a statement at Bethpage with so much hype surrounding Woods, his playing partner, who won his 15th major at Augusta National.
“It was great that Tiger won Augusta, but we’re at a new week now,” Koepka said.
“Obviously, everybody in New York is going to be cheering for him, and it’s going to be loud, especially if he makes a putt. You’ve just got to keep battling and find a way to get through it.”
Woods, who struggled to a 72, claimed Koepka could have shot a lower score given he did not birdie either of the two par 5s.
“That was probably the (worst) score he could have shot today,” Woods said.
“He left a few out there with a couple putts that he missed. But it could have easily been a couple better.”
Jason Day finished as the leading Australian with a 69 to claim a one-under score.
Next best was Adam Scott, who was humming at one under until he double-bogeyed his second-last hole to sign for a one-over 71.