Brooks Koepka took the first opportunity to erase some memories of his last-round failure at the Masters last month when he won his third PGA Championship and raised his tally of major wins to five with a dominant performance at Oak Hill in New Jersey. York.
Koepka, who led by two shots in Augusta’s final round, losing only to Jon Rahm after a shutout of 75, put the disappointment – which he himself described as ‘stifling’ – behind him with a tense showing in season two. Major, shooting a final round of 67 to finish at nine-under this week, two points behind runners-up Victor Hovland and Scotty Scheffler.
This is the third time in five years that Koepka has played a major tournament in New York state and held the top spot, after winning the US Open at Shinneock Hills in 2018 and the PGA at Bethpage in 2019. He joins greats from the game Sev Ballesteros, Peter Thompson and Byron Nelson, John Henry Taylor and James Braid as a five-time major winner.
The 33-year-old American was booed by sections of the fans on Saturday’s first tee for his involvement with LIV Golf, but received a much warmer reception on the 18th green on Sunday, with Florida finally getting into the stone face. He allows himself to smile as he hides his winning shot in front of the crowded galleries.
Koepka, who underwent major knee surgery just two years ago, has regained full fitness this year, winning the LIV Golf Championship in Florida at the start of April, before his strong showing in Augusta. “This is unbelievable,” he said after lifting the Wanamaker Trophy for the third time in his career. “Look at where we were two years ago, this is probably the sweetest one of them all, because of all the hard work that went into getting here. This is definitely special.”
When asked what he thinks that would mean for LIV Golf, who this was their first major champion on the Saudi-backed tour, Koepka said: “I definitely think it helps LIV, but I’m more interested in myself now to be honest. It’s a huge thing for LIV but at the same time Time, I’m here competing as an individual. All it does, I think, is validate it to myself and maybe anyone who doubts me after what happened in Augusta, is that I’m back, I’m here and I want to win more majors.”
Starting the final round with a one-shot lead over Hovland, Koepka sealed his authority over proceedings when he birdied three of the first four holes to open a four-shot lead, before his Norwegian partner countered. But the American saw his one-shot lead after finding water from the tee on the tricky sixth hole, while he and Hoveland dropped putts on the seventh.
Both players then engaged in a great duel that only fizzled out on the 16th hole when Hovland found a fairway bunker just off the tee and then fired his 9-iron approach into the face of the same bunker. Even though he got a free drop, he could only make a double bogey from there and his run was run.
At that point, Scheffler, who had bowled a late birdie putt on the back nine, looked poised to finish just under second, but Hovland rolled in the final time to join the American at seven under. Kupka, who missed the 17th, dropped two 15-foot putts for an impressive victory.
Further down, Kurt Kitayama, Bryson Dechambeau and Australian Cam Davis shared the fourth in the third, while Rory McIlroy’s frustratingly inconsistent form continued with a Northern Irishman firing a shutout of 69 that left him tied for seventh from two under. The four-time major champion earned an impressive 15 birdies over the four rounds, but 13 bogeys, many from good positions, proved too costly.
The PGA Championship is widely known for offering 20 places on the field to PGA Professionals, many of whom have enjoyed brief moments in the media spotlight, but this year saw Michael Block, a 46-year-old teacher professional from Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in California, achieve Beating the crowd with an impressive display saw him not only make the cut, but also score a hole-in-one on Sunday, finishing 15th after three rounds of 70 and 71 shutting out. The last hole to receive an invitation to next year’s tournament, he came up and down from 50 yards to a standing ovation from the galleries that were as loud as those awarded to the winner.
For all final scores from the PGA Championship, click here here.
Brooks Koepka winning gear
driver: Srixon ZX5 LS Mk II (10.5 degrees)
Fairwaywood: TaylorMade M2 Tour HL (16.5°)
Irons: Nike Vapor Pro (3), Srixon ZX7 Mk II Irons (4-9)
Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore (46°, 52 degrees, 56 degrees, 60 degrees)
Putter putter: Scotty Cameron Terrillium
Ball: Srixon Z-STAR DIAMOND