Brooks Koepka became the first LIV Golf star to win a Major last night as he triumphed on a thrilling final day at the US PGA.
And the American’s fifth Major title also lifts him up to second place in the rankings for the US Ryder Cup team. Since his last Major victory at the 2019 US PGA across New York State at Bethpage Black, Koepka had undergone knee surgery and suffered a crisis of confidence which was captured in the Netflix Full Swing series.
While missing the cut at the Masters last year, he told his wife Jenna: “I’m going to be honest with you, I can’t compete with these guys week in and week out.”
But now back fit and firing, Koepka played like his old dominant self here as he followed consecutive rounds of 66 with a nerveless closing 67 to win by two shots on nine-under par.
By holding off the 2022 Masters winner Scottie Scheffler and Viktor Hovland, the 33-year-old also ends a run of seven Majors won by players in their 20s since 50-year-old Phil Mickelson won the 2021 US PGA.
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The American held off Viktor Hovland in the final roundKoepka had a three-shot lead over Scheffler on the 17tht tee and after pulling his tee shot into the rough, his Northern Irish caddie Ricky Elliott persuaded him to chip out and take the bogey before a closing par at the last.
Koepka has now won the same number of Majors (five) as Seve Ballesteros and Peter Thomson - and the same number of PGAs as Gene Sarazen and Sam Snead. Scheffler (65) and Hovland (68) finished as joint runners-up. Koepka also becomes the first male player born after 1975 - he was born in 1990 - to win five Majors and only the 20th in history.
After lifting the Wanamaker Trophy, he said: “It is incredible. This is cool. Looking back to where we were two years ago, I am so happy. I am lost for words. I don’t have a list of the guys who have done it but I could not have dreamed of doing this. It is the coolest thing. I am just happy to do it in front of the New York fans. I love you guys. I have won three Majors in New York now. It is special for me.”
World No.1 Jon Rahm said of Koepka: "He is a player that, when he gets in contention, is like a shark in the water. He smells blood, especially on these types of courses. It suits his mentality of being even keel, plodding along and taking opportunities when they come."
Fellow LIV star Phil Mickelson added: “He's been knocking on the door a lot. And he's been playing some really good golf. And I think I think we're all kind of expecting that to happen.”
Hovland, who has now finished in the top seven in the last three Majors, said: “I thought I handled myself pretty well. Unfortunate on 16 but I didn’t feel I threw it away. Brooks played awesome golf and deserved to win.”
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