Fleetwood in Koepka’s shadow but still shining
Tommy Fleetwood could have been forgiven a rueful smile as he looked up at the leaderboard following a fine first-round 67 in the US PGA Championship yesterday and saw the name Brooks Koepka above his own.
We’ve been here before, of course. Sixty miles east on Long Island at Shinnecock Hills the pair fought out a classic duel for the United States open last year, where Koepka demonstrated his nerve in the face of a fabulous final-round 63 from the Englishman.
This time it was the impressive Koepka who delivered the fireworks and a wondrous, course-record 63 of his own for a one-stroke lead over former US Amateur Champion Danny Lee, with Fleetwood third.
Thus, Koepka has become the first man in history to shoot two 63s in the same major, following the same score on his way to winning at Bellerive last year.
Is the old cliché that you can only lose tournaments on the first day, not win them, about to need a little revision?
Koepka is acquiring something of an aura in the majors and this felt like an ominous declaration of intent as he seeks his fourth win out of the last eight he’s played.
There is no better platform to show how good you’ve become than playing with Tiger Woods, of course. In beating the great man by nine clear strokes, the defending champion didn’t so much take the honours on this occasion as complete the golf equivalent of lapping his illustrious playing partner.
Koepka shot seven under and could conceivably have finished with the first 61 in a major, given he didn’t pick up strokes on either of the two par-fives, while missing from five feet for a birdie at the 11th.
‘It was still a crazy-good day,’ insisted the Floridian. ‘ That’s the best I’ve felt for an awful long time with a putter in my hand.’
It was the putter that preserved his bogey-free round, when he holed from 15 feet for an unlikely par at the 14th — the fifth on the card — and the putter that provoked a rare show of emotion at the ninth as his last shot of the day fell below ground from 30 feet to complete his historical footnote.
Koepka ( inset) delivers his answers with uncomplicated logic and plays golf the same way, with no doubts or baggage. Asked what he was thinking as his putt tracked towards the ninth hole, he replied: ‘Nothing. I mean, what are you supposed to be thinking? I was hoping it would go in, obviously, but I wasn’t thinking.’
on the eve of the tournament he explained why he finds it easier to win majors — he’s only won two regular PGA Tour events — and why he feels he’s
basically playing against 35 guys in this 156-man field, since he’ll either just beat the rest or they’ll succumb to the pressure.
‘There’s not as many as 35 left now, for sure,’ he replied. ‘That’s one of my best rounds as a pro and I’m excited about the way I’m playing. I’m determined to keep the pedal down.’
If Fleetwood wasn’t such a nice bloke, he might feel a touch resentful at the fact his designated role in the majors presently appears to be hanging on to Koepka’s coat-tails.
‘I wouldn’t compare myself to him because he’s much bigger than me and he’s got the wins under his belt and I haven’t,’ said the 28-year-old. ‘I can see similarities, mentally, in the way we prepare for majors and the buzz we get from them.’
With his blue- collar look, it’s no surprise that Fleetwood is not short of admirers in these parts, as the fans who followed him at Shinnecock came back for more.
‘I bet he’s a good singer as well, with that look,’ said one pal to another, which raised a smile from the man himself.
Fleetwood played two shots that were right out of the top drawer. At the difficult, long par-three third — his 12th — where there was barely a birdie witnessed all day, he made one by striking his tee shot to 18 inches. Better still was the six iron to his final hole that set up the last of his six birdies.
‘I’m really pleased to get that many on a course like this,’ he said. ‘I just need to clean up the errors.’
Fleetwood’s fellow Englishman matt Wallace reached four under par at one point before settling for a still useful 69.
‘I was so chilled early on I thought I was going to shoot 59,’ said Wallace smiling. ‘It was disappointing to drop the shots, obviously, but it’s still a good score round here.’
Justin Rose was another with too many bogeys as he carded a 70, the same mark as Northern Ireland’s Graeme mcDowell, who got his career back on track with his first PGA Tour victory for four years in the Dominican Republic last month.
Among the favoured contenders playing in the afternoon wave, it must have been deflating walking to the first tee knowing that such a formidable frontrunner as Koepka had already posted seven under.
For Rory mcIlroy there was nothing to get excited about over the first 14 holes which he played in two over without a single birdie. World No 1 Dustin Johnson struggled early but rallied.