Brooks Koepka received a succinct piece of advice from a valuable source on the eve of the U.S. Open's final round.
Florida native Koepka becomes the seventh consecutive first-time major victor, a run started by Jason Day at the 2015 US PGA Championship.
Brooks Koepka birdied three of the final five holes in the closing round of the 2017 U.S. Open on his way to winning his first PGA Tour major title Sunday.
The muscular American, who started the day one back of the lead, tamed his nerves and a wind-whipped Erin Hills carding six birdies, including two to kick-start his round, against a single bogey for a five-under 67 to finish four clear of compatriot Brian Harman (72) and Japan's Hideki Matsuyama (66).
Henderson won twice past year, taking the KPMG Women's PGA Championship for her first major, and successfully defending her title in the Cambia Portland Classic.
With most of his closest competitors somewhat running in place in the final round, Koepka pinned the gas pedal to the floor on the back nine and left everyone else wandering aimlessly in the waist-high fescue grass lining the fairways.
The 27-year-old had been called an underachiever or underrated depending on who was asked, but shed that label in dramatic fashion this week.
Koepka moved to 14-under with a birdie at the par-5 14th hole.
Koepka carried a one-stroke lead into the back nine after a birdie at No. 8, but quickly fell back into a tie with Harman.
"I just tried to get as low as I could (on each hole) and stay focused", Koepka said. "I played two good rounds, but it wasn't enough".
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A guy considered a short-hitter made quite an impression on the longest course in U.S. Open history.
Return visit: At 50, Steve Stricker would need to find the Fountain of Youth to play in another U.S. Open at Erin Hills. Scheffler finished ahead of Texas A&M's Cameron Champ, who entered Sunday's final round with a two-shot lead over Scheffler, shot a 4-over 76 to finish at 288. But a par at 13, Koepka admitted afterward, meant even more.
"Yeah, I like it", he said about Erin Hills.
The gusts tapered off from the morning, but they still were making Erin Hills play more hard than it had all week. He made bogey on the second hole, then another on the fourth and one more on the fifth. She thought for a second and replied, "16 birdies".
Brian Harman started the last round today, leading by one stroke.
Without much wind until Sunday and with rains during the week softening the greens for long-distance approach shots, scores were lower than expected. "But if 12 or 13 under would have won, it would have hurt really bad".
Jordan Spieth, the 2015 US Open victor, shot a 69 to claw back to one-over.
"And I felt confident all week, so to feel as confident as I did on a Sunday of a major and coming down the stretch was pretty neat". The 24-year-old native Kentuckian shot 2-over 75 for the day, ending in a tie for ninth place with Brandt Snedeker and former Alabama teammate Trey Mullinax at 8-under for the tournament.
Athletic-looking Brooks Koepka was an All American soccer player in college at Florida State.
Rickie Fowler, who is two shots back, said after his round Saturday that he was hoping the wind would pick up to make the course tougher.
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