Koepka storms to victory at WGC St Jude

WORLD No1 Brooks Koepka birdied t hree of t he f irst si x holes on the way to winning h i s f i r st c a re er WGC t it le on Su nday at t he St Jude Inv itat iona l.

Koepka outclassed thirdranked Rory McIlroy in a lastduo duel of four-time major champions, their first ever pairing in a final round, for the victory at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee.

“It’s so special. It gives me chills thinking of it,” Koepka said. “It’s one of my favorite stops on the tour and to win here is very special for me.”

Koepka, who defended a major tit le at t his year’s PGA Championship, fired a bogeyfree f ive-under par 65 to f inish on 16-under 264 after 72 holes a nd defeat A merica n Webb Si mpson b y st rokes.

It was the seventh career US PGA tit le for Koepka, the 2017 and 2018 US Open champion and 2018 and 2019 PGA Championsh ip winner. His ot her pr ior US tour wins ca me in 2015 at Phoeni x a nd i n last y e a r ’s CJ Cup i n S out h Korea.

“I’ve been playing so well as of late,” Koepka said. “Everything comes if you wait. If you keep playing well and putting yourself in contention good things will happen.”

T he f i na l rou nd broug ht on ly more f r u s t r at ion for McI l roy, who miss e d t he cut last week at t he Br it ish Open in Portrush, Northern I r el a nd, but had t a ken a one-st roke lead a f ter f i r i ng t h r e e a 62 on Saturday.

Koepka praised the tournament’s cha r it y, t he St. Jude Children’s Hospita l in Memphis, say ing it put t he highs and lows in golf into a greater perspective.

“I’ve taken a trip to the hospital. It changed my life,” he said. “It puts everything in perspective, how little golf means, how much life matters.”

Rory misses big early

Simpson was second on 267 a f ter a closing 64 wit h Austra lia’s Marc Leishman third on 268 a nd McIlroy sha ring fourth on 269 with England’s Tommy Fleetwood and Matt hew Fit zpatrick. Spain’s Jon Ra h m was sevent h on 270 wit h Eng la nd’s Ia n Pou lter another stroke adrif t.

Koepka sa n k a n i ne-foot birdie putt at t he par-5 t hird hole to grab a share of the lead at 12-u nder, w it h McI l roy t hen missing a four-footer for birdie.

Dropping another nine-foot birdie putt at the par-4 fifth lifted Koepka atop the leaderboard, then he rolled in a tricky 20-footer for birdie at the sixth to seize a two-stroke lead at 14-under.

Koepka’s uncanny iron shots continued at the par-4 10th when he landed his approach to eight feet and sank the birdie putt for a three-stroke edge on McIlroy, who opened with 11 pars before making a bogey at the par-4 12th.

Simpson eagled the third and birdied three of the first four on the back nine as well as the par-5 16th and reached the clubhouse only two adrift of Koepka.

McIlroy found his first birdie from 18 feet at the par-3 14th to reach 12-under, one behind Simpson.

But Koepka would not falter down the stretch.

He sa n k a clutch si x-foot pa r putt to at 14 to stay on 15-under.

Koepka went well right and McIlroy hit into trees left off the 15th tee, but while Koepka rescued par with a tense ninefoot putt, McIlroy missed one from just inside that distance for a bogey to fall four back.

Koepka sank a 12-foot birdie putt at the par-4 17th, stretching his margin to three strokes, and he closed out with a par for the triumph.