American golfer Brooks Koepka won his first career major on Sunday at the U.S. Open with a record-tying 16-under at Erin Hills.
He made par and finished at 16-under 272, matching the record to par by Rory McIlroy, who shot 16-under 268 at Congressional in 2011. "But he just said a few things, and just stay patient. One of them was me and I said, 'Dad, that's weird!' I guess I'll have to get used to being in the spotlight there now". "I felt like I've underachieved", he said.
Matsuyama and third-round co-leader Brian Harman tied for second at 12 under par, four strokes behind Koepka. "The conditions were so tough".
England's Tommy Fleetwood was unable to keep pace with playing partner Koepka, carding a final round 72 to end fourth on 11-under.
World No. 22 Koepka then uncorked a brilliant trio of birdies on the 14th, 15th and 16th holes to surge into a four-shot lead and virtually assure himself of the title. "I mean, you've got to tip your cap". The long-hitting American travelled far and wide, from Kazakhstan to Kenya and mainland Europe, cramming into bed and breakfast rooms with fellow players, spending some nights sleeping in cars, and learning about life and how to win.
"To bogey the last is very disappointing because I really grinded hard today".
While wins by Walker and Willett might come as a surprise, especially Willett since he has not been the same player since last years victory at Augusta, Koepka's win should not shock you.
Koepka became the seventh straight first-time victor of a major championship, and it was the first time since 1998-2000 that Americans won their national championship 3 straight years.
With all his success, one might expect Koepka to be a golfer-for-life; someone who watched greats like Tiger and Phil in his youth and knew from a young age that he would someday be a major champion like them.
Early returns: Tight Georgia House race as nation watches
Handel, 55, embraces her experience as a statewide and local elected official, often telling voters: "You know me". Despite the president's general unpopularity, this wasn't the loud rebuke of Trump many Democrats were hoping for.
After days of being humbled, Erin Hills turned nasty for the final round as heavy winds pummeled the links-style layout adding an intriguing wrinkle to the year's second major.
Having eagled the first hole, Casey recovered from a bogey on the tenth to card three birdies in the next eight holes.
As the front nine progressed, it looked increasingly as if it would come down to a question of who would blink first.
After hitting a short par putt on 18, Koepka - playing a group ahead of Harman - pumped his fist twice in celebration.
Another birdie chance lipped out on the 12th as the tension mounted.
Tied for the lead with six holes left, Koepka made an 8-foot par putt on 13 that gave him confidence in his putting stroke.
Matsuyama equaled Isao Aoki's record for the best finish by a Japanese man in any of the four majors.
"To go over there, I think it helped me grow up a little bit and really figure out that, hey, play golf, get it done, and then you can really take this somewhere", he said. I'll go anywhere. And some of the places we went to were pretty neat. "It might just be a little bit more of a mental headache if we do get to see that".
Comments