Brooks Koepka is the definition of the modern golfer – built like an NFL strong safety and carries himself more like a boxer than a golfer. Like two of the other contenders on Sunday, Dustin Johnson and Tony Finau, Brooks Koepka grew up in the Tiger Woods era. Woods inspired a generation of athletes to pick up the sport of golf and to have them accept it as a “cool” activity. And from that, a generation of athlete golfers is upon us on the PGA TOUR, winning tournaments and Major Championships. This past weekend, Koepka became the first man since Curtis Strange in 1989 to successfully defend his US Open title at Shinnecock Hills, grinding out pars and finishing with a final round of 68 (2-under par) and total of 1-over for the Championship.
To win, he had to hold off good friend, Dustin Johnson, as well as Daniel Berger and Tony Finau. The four of them were tied at 3-over par for the Championship heading into Sunday, but nothing could phase Koepka. He was patient with his game and steady when he needed to be, making the crucial putts for par that typically make or break a champion. Throughout the week, Koepka was 2nd in driving distance, 4th in greens in regulation and 7th in strokes gained putting! Hard to beat a player with numbers like that. Watch highlights from his final round in the video above.
The tournament wasn’t without drama though (as it seems to always be the case with the USGA). The third round was a bit of a mess in the eyes of most players with a couple of pin positions in unfair placements on the greens. This was especially true as the wind was stronger than expected on Saturday and essentially, players in the AM and the PM were playing different golf courses due to the conditions. This ballooned the average score for the third round to 75.327, whereas on Sunday, the average was 72.179. Let’s hope that the USGA gets things right moving forward in “golf’s ultimate test.” All eyes will be on Pebble Beach next year!
Source: USGA
