Koepka keeps U.S. Open crown
SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. – Brooks Koepka told anyone within earshot this past week that no one was more confident than he was when the field of 156 arrived at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club for the 118th edition of the U.S. Open.
How confident do you think he is now?
Koepka became the seventh player to win the national championship in backto-back years with a final-round 2-under-par 68 Sunday to hold off Tommy Fleetwood by one shot. Koepka, who got his first major win in the 2017 U.S. Open at Erin Hills in Wisconsin, shot rounds of 75-66-72-68 to finish at 1 over.
Fleetwood, who finished in a tie for fourth at Erin Hills, came rushing home with a 63. He missed a 9-footer for birdie on the last hole, keeping him from becoming the first to shoot 62 in U.S. Open history.
World No. 1 Dustin Johnson, who led by four shots after 36 holes, three-putted six times on the weekend and fell back to third place at 3 over with a finalround 70. Masters champion Patrick Reed grabbed a share of the lead with five birdies in his first seven holes Sunday but couldn’t sustain his charge and finished fourth at 4 over with a 68.
Koepka, 28, who joined Curtis Strange (1988-89) and Ben Hogan (195051) as the only players to win consecutive Opens since the end of WWII, was on point with all facets of his game, tapping into his mental state, eye-opening power and imperative short game with equal reward.
One of four players to share the 54hole lead, Koepka broke from the pack with three birdies in his first five holes and added a crucial 4-footer for birdie on the 16th to keep his rivals at bay. Just as important for Koepka, who never lost the outright lead after No. 9, were par saves from 6 feet on 12 and 8 feet on 14 and a bogey save from 15 feet on 11.
Throughout the week, Koepka walked with a confident step. His conviction didn’t waiver after an openinground 75, didn’t tremble during a brutal test of survival in the third round when grueling Shinnecock, high winds and quick greens shook most everyone else. His left wrist, which he dislocated on two occasions this year, was of no concern, and he didn’t cower from his finalround pairing with Johnson, his fellow Bash Brother and workout mate.
Koepka has won 10 times around the world, three of them coming on the PGA
Tour (the 2015 Waste Management Phoenix Open was the other), and will move up from his current rank of No. 9 in the world. The former Florida State All-American took an adventurous route to becoming one of the game’s best players, traveling the world on the European Tour and its developmental circuit. Never one to back down from a challenge and never shy of the unknown, he grew as a man, and his game took major strides with stops from Kenya to Kazakhstan, from Spain to Scotland, from South Africa to Shanghai.
He said he gained a cache of confidence as he tackled currency demands, time zone changes, dining challenges and every golf course condition imaginable. So he didn’t sweat when his wrist injuries knocked him out of action for nearly four months this year, a break so long that he forgot where he left his golf clubs. When he returned, the wrist wasn’t 100% and he reinjured it in The Players Championship. Still, he tied for 11th in The Players and finished second in the Fort Worth Invitational.
And he didn’t sweat historic Shinnecock. Just as Erin Hills was last year, the course seemed ideal for Koepka, whether playable or not. It was playable Sunday after the USGA said it applied “appropriate levels of water” Saturday night and Sunday morning to slow the greens down.