It took him six years — an eternity in a sport that has been ruled by boy kings like Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy — but at Erin Hills, Brooks Koepka finally WON THE MAJOR TITLE that he has been chasing since he turned professional.
Fred Couples was 32 years old when he won the Masters for his first, and only,major. Tom Kite was 10 years older when he won the 1992 U.S. Open, his first and only major. Couples and Kite ended up in the World Golf Hall of Fame, but if they were playing today, they would be in danger of being left behind before they got started.
BROOKS KOEPKA WENT INTO this U.S. Open, his fifth, with one PGA Tour victory and one European Tour title. At 27, he was, in his mind, an underachiever.
It took him six years — aneternity in a sport that has been ruled by boy kings like Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy — but at Erin Hills, Koepka finally won the major title that he has been chasing since he turned professional.
KOEPKA’S 72-HOLE TOTAL of 16 under 272 tied the tournament record for lowest total under par, which was set by McIlroy at Congressional Country Club in 2011. Koepka also became the seventh consecutive first-time winner in the men’s majors, and he is the youngest of the seven by a few months.
After parring the 18th hole, Koepka walked off the green like a man leaving the grocery store with supplies for a barbecue. Though his face did not show it, he was excited, really.
“Did you see that fist pump on 18?” Koepka said.
This story is from the July 1, 2017 edition of Sportstar.
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This story is from the July 1, 2017 edition of Sportstar.
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