Late birdies give Brooks Koepka victory and first major title.
Koepka ties scoring record to win his first major title
ERIN, Wis. - Brooks Koepka has never feared the unknown.
Traveling the world over during his foray into professional golf on the European Tour and its developmental circuit, the former Florida State All-American visited many lands, from Kenya to Kazakhstan, from Spain to Scotland, from South Africa to Shanghai. It was an unconventional route to golf’s biggest stages but the adventurous soul loved it.
So mammoth, mysterious Erin Hills, just 11 years old and basically unfamiliar to all 156 players that came to Wisconsin for the 117th edition of the U.S. Open, wasn’t going to rattle the muscular Floridian, no matter how much fescue, distance and sharp edges the course can dish out.
The easy-going Koepka, 27, just comfortably settled in and unleashed his eye-opening power to get the better of Erin Hills and won the national championship on Sunday in record fashion.
With a final round, 5-under-par
67, Koepka finished at 16 under and four shots clear of 54-hole leader Brian Harman and Hideki Matsuyama. With rounds of 67-70-68-67, Koepka equaled the scoring record in relation to par set by Rory McIlroy in 2011 at Congressional Country Club north of the nation’s capital.
“That’s awesome,” Koepka said of tying the record, although he joked he wished he had gotten up-and-down on the 72nd hole for birdie and had the record to himself. “I think it’s really cool. It hasn’t sunk in, obviously, and probably won’t for a few days. But that’s probably one of the coolest things I’ve ever experienced and to do it on Father’s Day, it’s pretty neat.
“I didn’t exactly get my dad a card, so this works.”
Koepka, one of 16 players within six shots of the lead with 18 holes to play, began his round with two birdies, missed just one green in regulation and turned the wide-open U.S. Open into a one-man show with three consecutive birdies on the back nine starting on the 14th.
He became the seventh consecutive first-timer to win a major, adding to the list of Jason Day, Danny Willett, Dustin Johnson, Henrik Stenson, Jimmy Walker and Sergio Garcia. He’ll move from his present spot at No. 22 in the official world rankings into the top 12. And he banked $2.16 million.
“I felt confident all week,” Koepka said. “So to feel as confident as I did on a Sunday of a major, and coming down the stretch, was pretty neat.”
Harman, who began the day with a one-shot lead, was tied for the lead with seven holes to play but couldn’t keep up with Koepka and finished with a 72. Matsuyama came storming home with a 66, the lowest round of the day.
“It bites a little bit right now. But Brooks played so well today,” Harman said. “I don’t believe in moral victories. I had an opportunity today and I didn’t get it done. But at the same time, I don’t feel as though I lost a golf tournament. I think Brooks went out and won the tournament.”
Tommy Fleetwood (72) finished in solo fourth.
In a tie for fifth at 10 under were Rickie Fowler (72), Bill Haas (69) and Xander Schauffele (69). Charley Hoffman (71) finished solo eighth at 9 under.
The win was Koepka’s second on the PGA Tour, but his peers will be the first to tell you that many more are to come. His talent is unquestioned, his power admired, and his laid-back demeanor envied by many.
“He’s so subdued. He’s just really, really chilled out,” said his caddie, Ricky Elliot. “He’s so unflappable, he could almost do with a little bit of a kick in the ass because sometimes it’s like, ‘Are you awake yet?’ But despite his mean face he’s as calm as it gets.
“He came through Europe but he is an American so I know he wanted to win on his home turf. He’s only done it once so to win his national open, I think that’ll take a while to sink in. He might even smile.”
Golf wasn’t Koepka’s favorite sport growing up – baseball was his first passion but he moved on from the game when he couldn’t hit for power. That was never a problem in golf, and he overpowered Erin Hills despite the course playing the longest in tournament history.
Koepka wasn’t alone in clobbering Erin Hills.
While thumping wind made its first appearance of the week in the final round, it stayed around for just four hours of play. With the course’s best defense non-existent, the narrative of par being your friend in a U.S. Open was flipped on its head.
The cut, in relation to par, came at a tournament-tying low of 1-over. In the first round, 44 players broke par, a tournament record for the opening session. On day 2, 46 players – one shy of the record for the second round – were in red numbers. In the third round, 32 of the 68 players left in the field broke par – another tournament record. Yet another record fell in the third round when Justin Thomas shot 9-under-par 63, the lowest score in relation to par. It was the 30th 63 in a major championship.
In all there were a record 138 subpar rounds.
Players were delighted in the stickershock tone of the tournament, saying it was playing more like a regular PGA Tour event where birdies are plentiful.
“Yeah, 12 under, I’d have about a 10shot lead in most Opens,” Harman said after posting 67-70-67 the first three rounds.
Through it all Koepka kept his measured swagger on a roll and never got ahead of himself. In Europe, he won four times on the developmental tour, then upon graduation to the European Tour, he won the 2014 Turkish Airlines. After joining the PGA Tour, he won the 2015 Waste Management Phoenix Open. He called on his passport again and won the 2016 Dunlop Phoenix Tournament in Japan.
And his play this past fall in the Ryder Cup when the U.S. whipped Europe, where he said he had never felt more pressure, helped him immensely.
As did all those trips to faraway places, where eating was an adventure – don’t ask him about the time he dined on horse meat – and traveling was a chore. He’d like to forget the expected 20-minute bus trip to a hotel in Africa that took three hours. They were journeys he’ll never forget. And ones that led him to the U.S. Open trophy.