US Open: Brooks Koepka wins at Erin Hills, claims first major ahead of Brian Harman

Updated

American Brooks Koepka has held firm against buffeting winds and crushing pressure to claim a sensational four-shot victory at the US Open and become the latest in a growing line of first-time major winners.

The muscular American, who started the day one back off 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 5-under-par 67 to finish four clear of compatriot Brian Harman (72) and Japan's Hideki Matsuyama (66).

Australia's only player to make the cut, Marc Leishman, finished at 1-under overall after shooting a 75 in the final round.

Leishman was 5-over for the day after nine holes but his recovery was capped with a birdie on the last.

Koepka's winning total of 16-under equals the lowest score to par for a US Open, matching Rory McIlroy's victory at Congressional in 2011.

It also marks the seventh consecutive major that has crowned a first-time winner.

Koepka, who had just one PGA Tour win on his resume coming into the championship, inherits the trophy from good friend and world number one Dustin Johnson.

US Open leaderboard Player Country Score Brooks Koepka USA 16-under Hideki Matsuyama Japan 12-under Brian Harman USA 12-under Tommy Fleetwood ENG 11-under Xander Schauffele USA 10-under Bill Haas USA 10-under Rickie Fowler USA 10-under Charley Hoffman USA 9-under Trey Mullinax USA 8-under Brandt Snedeker USA 8-under

After days of being humbled, Erin Hills turned nasty for the final round as heavy winds pummelled the links-style layout, adding an intriguing wrinkle to the year's second major.

The day started with journeyman Brian Harman leading on 12-under and Justin Thomas — who broke the all-time US Open record with a 9-under 63 in the third round — Koepka and Briton Tommy Fleetwood one shot back on 11-under.

Koepka, the 27-year-old big-hitter from Florida, birdied the opening two holes to grab the outright lead.

As the wind picked up at Erin Hills, Fleetwood briefly made it to second place, but things settled down with Koepka and Harman clearing away from the pack.

The pair were level at 13-under, before Koepka birdied the eighth to go one shot clear.

The leader made his first real mistake of the day on the 10th, however, three-putting for a bogey to drop back to 13-under with Harman.

None of the leaders were taking control, although a late flourish from Japan's Hideki Matsuyama gave him the clubhouse lead on 12-under.

But it was on the final six holes of the back nine that Koepka took control.

A birdie on the long par-four 14th was followed by an excellent approach shot to the hardest hole on the course, the 15th.

Koepka's birdie putt never looked like missing, and suddenly he was well clear as Harman bogeyed 12 and 13.

The overnight leader made two birdies back on 14 and 16, but when Koepka birdied the 16th to make it three in a row, the title was all but his and he completed a 5-under round of 67 to share the US Open record total with McIlroy.

Harman (72) had an expensive bogey on the last, giving up sole control of second place to join Matsuyama on 12-under 276.

Fleetwood finished fourth on 11-under, with three Americans — including Rickie Fowler — tieing for fifth on 10-under.

Reuters/ABC

Topics: golf, sport, united-states

First posted</s>– While Patrick Reed was screaming and wagging his finger at Rory McIlroy last fall at Hazeltine National, one of his teammates was proving even more dominant as the United States won the Ryder Cup.

Reed earned 3½ points in five matches and his hystrionics earned him the nickname “Captain America.” Brooks Koepka — Colonel America? — used his power to earn three points in four matches as a Ryder Cup rookie.

This weekend at the U.S. Open, Reed wore his Ryder Cup slacks but it was Koepka who celebrated another quintessential American victory, tying a tournament record with a winning score of 16 under to earn his first major.

Koepka’s father wasn’t at Erin Hills, so he had to watch his son like the rest of the golf world, as Brooks turned a tight leaderboard into a Father’s Day laugher “I didn’t get him a card,” Koepka said. “So I hope this works.”

Koepka shot a final-round 67 as the Erin Open became the seventh straight major to produce a first-time major winner. The 67 was the lowest final round by the winner of the Open since Tiger Woods shot the same score in 2000 at Pebble Beach.

Ten of the last 13 U.S. Opens have been won by first-time major winners — the last two by quiet, powerful athletes who work out together and triumphed by overpowering landlocked courses.

Dustin Johnson won at Oakmont last June. He and Koepka, two of the strongest men on tour, work out together regularly. “Dustin actually called me last night, and told me the same thing, just stay patient, keep doing what you’re doing, you’re going to win the thing,” Koepka said. “Just don’t get ahead of yourself.”

With wind finally making Erin Hills a challenge on Sunday, Koepka missed just one green in the final round. He hit a 3-wood 379 yards off the 18th tee. He dominated the longest course in U.S. Open history, completing his career climb by winning by four strokes over Hideki Matsuyama and Brian Harman.

Koepka has won on the international Challenge Tour, European Tour, PGA Tour and now has won as many majors as regular PGA Tour events. Not bad for a guy who once ate horse meat in Kazakhstan and once called his manager to try to beg out of a tournament he was winning overseas.

“I just wanted to be home, even though I think I had the lead at that point and was about to win the third one,” Koepka said.

Now Koepka travels only when he chooses. His four-shot victory was the largest in the last nine majors, landing him a $2.1 million payday.

“He’s a great player,” Justin Thomas said. “And he has no fear.”

Koepka admitted he felt more ambitious than nervous on Sunday. “I just felt like I should be winning more,” he said. “I’ve been trying to win so badly. I felt like I’ve underachieved. And the more patient that I can become, the more times I’ll put myself in that situation.”

Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee said this week that he was standing on the practice range with his wife, noting that most golfers used to look like him, short and slender. Then he pointed at players like Johnson and Koepka and said, “These guys look like Greek gods.”

Koepka could have played baseball, although he said he wasn’t able to hit for power. He has second-guessed his decision to play golf instead. “I think I’ll be all right with golf,” he said Sunday night.

Predicting future greatness based on one major championship has proven unwise. On Sunday nights, it’s difficult to tell the difference between budding legends and historical footnotes, but Koepka has proven himself on two of the most pressurized stages in golf.

Koepka won big at Hazeltine, withstanding the intense pressure of playing for teammates and country, and he won going away at Erin Hills.

The Midwest has been good to Koepka, who no longer needs to eat horse meat in Kazakhstan to make a living in golf.</s>ERIN, Wis. — Brooks Koepka has won the U.S. Open title for his first major championship.

The 27-year-old Koepka grabbed control with three straight birdies on the back nine at Erin Hills. He matched Rory McIlroy’s U.S. Open record by finishing at 16 under.

Koepka takes home $2.16 million, the largest single-day earnings in golf. He also extends the streak of first-time major winners to seven.

Koepka became the third straight American to win the title. It’s the first time that has happened since 1998-2000.</s>Golf: Koepka tames wind, nerves to win U.S. Open by four shots

ERIN, Wisconsin (Reuters) - American Brooks Koepka held firm against buffeting winds and crushing pressure to claim a sensational four-shot victory at the U.S. Open on Sunday and become the latest in a growing line of first-time major winners.

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).

Englishman Tommy Fleetwood shot 72 to finish fourth on 11-under, with Americans Bill Haas, Xander Schauffele and Rickie Fowler another stroke back.

Koepka's winning total of 16-under equals the lowest score to par for a U.S. Open, matching Rory McIlroy's victory at Congressional in 2011 on a par-71 layout.

It also marks the seventh consecutive major that has crowned a first time winner.

Koepka, who had just one PGA Tour win on his resume coming into the championship, inherits the trophy from good friend and world number one Dustin Johnson.

"Dustin actually called me last night and told me the same thing, just stay patient," said Koepka. "Just keep doing what you're doing, you're going to win the thing.

"I felt like that has been the thing lately with me, why I haven't really played that well, I've been trying to win so

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.

But Koepka would not be blown off course producing a near-flawless final round, subduing the winds with a mix of power and precision.

"Obviously the wind picked up and I felt like that played right in my hand," said Koepka.

"So to feel as confident as I did on a Sunday of a major and coming down the stretch was pretty neat."

Having spent a good part of his golfing apprenticeship traveling the globe sleeping in cars and working his way up through the European minor tour, Koepka now steps into the U.S. sporting spotlight.

One of golf's biggest hitters, the 27-year-old also demonstrated a killer instinct along with a deft touch with the putter, rolling in a monster 41-foot birdie putt at the eighth.

When Matsuyama, at number four the highest ranked player to make the cut, delivered the round of the day a six-under 66 to get within one of the lead, a rampaging Koepka countered with golf's version of the knockout punch, clinching victory in ruthless style by registering three straight birdies from the 14th.

Harman, level with Koepka with six to play and without a bogey on the back nine all week, took his first at the 12th after his tee shot ended up in the belt-high fescue and followed that up with another at the 13th.

The miscues put Koepka alone back on top of the leaderboard, a perch from which he would not be removed.

"It hasn't sunk in, obviously, yet, and probably won't for a few days," said Koepka. "That's probably one of the coolest things I've ever experienced and to do it on Father's Day it's pretty neat.

"I didn't exactly get my dad a card, so this works."</s>ERIN, Wis.>> Brooks Koepka received a short piece of advice from a valuable source on the eve of the final round at the U.S. Open.

Defending champion Dustin Johnson was doing most of the talking.

“It was a long phone call for us, it was like two minutes,” Koepka said. “But he just said a few things, and just stay patient. And I’ll win if I stay patient and just keep doing what I’m doing.”

What he did looked awfully familiar Sunday at Erin Hills, minus any mess involving the rules.

With athleticism and power, and four straight putts over the back nine that allowed him to pull away, Koepka capped off his hardscrabble journey around the world and found stardom at home as the U.S. Open champion.

He closed with a 5-under 67, only realizing after his par on the final hole that a birdie would have set yet another U.S. Open record in a week filled with them.

Koepka finished at 16-under 272, matching the lowest score to par first set by Rory McIlroy six years ago at Congressional.

Tied for the lead with six holes to play, Koepka holed an 8-foot par putt on the 13th hole that gave him confidence with his stroke and momentum to pour in birdies on the next three holes to turn the final hour into a celebration of another young star in golf.

The 27-year-old Koepka wound up winning by four shots over Brian Harman, who was done in by back-to-back bogeys right when Koepka was making his run, and Hideki Matsuyama, who closed with a 66.

“That’s probably the most emotion I’ve ever shown coming down the stretch,” Koepka said. “It feels amazing to get my name on this trophy with so many other great names. It’s truly an honor.”

Emotion? The most he displayed was a light fist pump, his hand clenched a little tighter with each birdie, and a double fist pump on the 18th when he tapped in for par.

It’s not much different from Johnson.

They are close friends on the golf course and in the gym, and they play a similar game of power off the tee, a clean strike with the iron and a knack for looking calm even as the pressure is ramping up.

And now their names are on the U.S. Open trophy, one after the other.

It capped quite a journey for the Floridian. Without a card on any tour when Koepka got out of Florida State, he filled his passport on the Challenge Tour with stamps from Kazakhstan to Kenya, Scotland and Spain, India and the Madeira Island.

One night in Scotland, he called his agent and wanted to come home, even though he was leading the tournament. He had been on the road for so long, in so many different countries, and was feeling lonely. He won the next day to graduate to the European Tour. The next year, he earned a spot in the U.S. Open through a qualifier in England, and his tie for fourth at Pinehurst No. 2 helped him earn a card on the PGA Tour.

Koepka took it from there — a victory in Turkey against a strong field, his first PGA Tour victory in the Phoenix Open, his first Ryder Cup and now a major championship.

“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.

Koepka became the seventh straight first-time winner of a major championship, and it was the first time since 1998-2000 that Americans won their national championship three straight years.

Tommy Fleetwood, who played alongside Koepka and closed with a 72 to finish fourth, played the Challenge Tour a year before Koepka arrived.

“It gives you a good grounding,” Fleetwood said. “Obviously, Brooks dealt with it amazingly. He came and kicked everyone’s (behind) over there, didn’t he? But he’s proven for a long time how good he is. Now he’s done it in a major.”

It was only fitting that Koepka left Erin Hills with yet another record matched or broken.

McIlroy finished at 16-under 268 when he won on rain-softened Congressional in the 2011 U.S. Open. But the low scoring went much deeper than that. Only six players had ever reached double digits under par in the previous 116 times at the U.S. Open. McIlroy and Tiger Woods (12 under at Pebble Beach in 2000) had been the only players to finish there.

This week alone, nine players reached at least 10 under and seven finished there.

Xander Schauffele, a rookie on the PGA Tour playing in his first U.S. Open, birdied his last hole for a 69 to tie for fifth at 10-under 268 along with Bill Haas (69) and Rickie Fowler (72), who was poised at yet another major to win only to fall back. Fowler started one shot out of the lead at the Masters this year and shot 76. He was only two behind when he made the turn, but bogeys on the 12th and 15th holes and no birdies until No. 18 ended his hopes.

Justin Thomas, coming off a 9-under 63 that matched the major championship scoring record and was the first 9-under round at a U.S. Open, went out in 39 and closed with a 75 to tie for ninth.

The week ended with 31 players under par, breaking the U.S. Open record of 28 players at Medinah in 1990. There were 133 sub-par rounds, nine more than the previous record in that 1990 U.S. Open.</s>U.S. Open 2017 Leaderboard: Final Round Scores As Brooks Koepka Wins First Major

The U.S. Open is supposed to be the toughest major championship in golf to win, but don’t tell that to the 2017 field at Erin Hills in Erin, Wisc.

More than 20 players concluded the tournament under par after Sunday’s final round, including winner Brooks Koepka, who finished at a record-tying 16-under-par after shooting 5-under-par over his final 18 holes. It’s the first major tournament win for the 27-year-old Koepka.

The leaderboard lacked star power, too, as many of the game’s best players failed to even make the cut.

Rickie Fowler finished T-5th at nine-under par, but not many other notable names had a shot Sunday. Jordan Spieth, who once was labeled the next great star after Tiger Woods, ended his four-day run at 1-over-par and T-35th.

Here’s the top 10 of the final 2017 U.S. Open leaderboard.</s>US Open: Brooks Koepka wins at Erin Hills, claims first major ahead of Brian Harman

American golfer Brooks Koepka has timed his run to perfection with an authoritative final round to clinch the US Open at Erin Hills.

Koepka carded a 5-under-par 67 to clinch his first major title, finishing at 16-under overall, ahead of Brian Harman and Hideki Matsuyama (12-under) who tied for second place.

Australia's Marc Leishman finished at 1-under overall after shooting a 75 in the final round.

More to come.</s>He did it! Brooks Koepka battled through a crushing final round at Erin Hills, WI to become the 2017 U.S. Open champion. We’ve got the details on his incredible win.

All hail Brooks Koepka! He battled through four days of incredibly tough play to lay claim as the 2017 U.S. Open champion. It was a tough day of play through the final round on June 18 at Erin Hills, WI, and ultimately the 27-year-old found himself atop the leaderboard as play ended. This is his very first win in a major tournament, proving that the world’s 22nd ranked player is now one of professional golf’s most elite stars.

His final round five under helped secure his place in golf history, as he finished with a remarkable six birdies and one bogey to end up at under 16 for the tournament. His score ties Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy‘s 2011 win for the lowest score to par in U.S. Open history. Things were made a little easier for Brooks when Rory and Jason Day, 29, were cut on June 16 after having disastrous opening two rounds. Rory is the second ranked player in the world and Jason is number three, so it was a shock to see them both go home so early.

The world’s top ranked player Dustin Johnson, 32, was hoping to repeat at the U.S. Open champ but he had some competition early on as Rickie Fowler, 28, emerged as the dominant player in the tournament. The California native had never won a major and was looking for his first chance at holding one of golf’s big four trophies above his head. Dustin was heavily favored to win The Masters in April, but had to bow out after tripping on stairs at his rental home and injuring his back on the eve of the tournament. With the U.S. Open being the next major on the circuit, he had a lot to prove. He just became a dad again when earlier in the week fiance Paulina Gretzky, 28, gave birth to the couple’s second son on June 13. Ultimately, it wasn’t either Rickie or Dustin’s day, as Brooks took the U.S. Open.

HollywoodLifers, send your congrats to Brooks in our comments. Are you glad he won the U.S. Open?</s>ERIN, Wis. – Amid a crowded leaderboard and facing difficult conditions, Brooks Koepka barely broke a sweat en route to winning the U.S. Open.

Koepka had six birdies during a final-round 67 that turned a one-shot deficit into a four-shot win over Brian Harman and Hideki Matsuyama. It is Koepka’s second career PGA Tour victory, and at age 27 he is now a major champion.

"It's unbelievable. I don't know what to say right now," Koepka said. "To do it here, where I played the 2011 U.S. Amateur, is really special. it was a real team effort."

With winds gusting upwards of 30 mph at the start of the day, Koepka birdied each of his first two holes to move to the top of the standings. He added a lengthy birdie on No. 8 and despite a three-putt bogey on No. 10 he maintained at least a share of the lead across the entire back nine.

Koepka broke out of a tie with Harman with a birdie on No. 14, the first of three straight birdies that essentially put the tournament on ice. Koepka’s 16-under total matches Rory McIlroy’s record score in relation to par from the 2011 U.S. Open at Congressional, and he is now the seventh straight first-time major champ dating back to Jason Day’s win at the 2015 PGA.

"I knew where I stood. I was just trying to get it as low as I could," Koepka said. "It was something I thought was important, just to keep the pedal down."

Koepka’s lone prior win came at the 2015 Waste Management Phoenix Open, but he has been a perennial contender in majors. This is Koepka’s eighth straight finish of T-21 or better in majors, including a T-4 finish at last year’s PGA Championship. He has now finished T-18 or better each of the last four years at the U.S. Open.

"What I've done this week is amazing," Koepka said. "To win the same tournament as some of the names on this trophy, it's unbelievable."

Tommy Fleetwood finished alone in fourth place, while Rickie Fowler was among a group tied for fifth at 10 under.</s>ERIN, Wis. (AP) — Brooks Koepka traveled around the world to find his game. He found stardom right at home as the U.S. Open champion.

Koepka broke away from a tight pack with three straight birdies on the back nine Sunday at Erin Hills and closed with a 5-under 67 to win the U.S. Open for his first major championship. A par on the final hole tied Rory McIlroy’s record score to par at 16 under for a four-shot victory.

Not even the wind could stop the onslaught of low scores at Erin Hills.

And nothing could stop Koepka.

“What I’ve done this week is amazing,” Koepka.

Tied for the lead with six holes to play, Koepka made an 8-foot par putt on the 13th hole. As Brian Harman began to fade, Koepka poured it on with birdies over the next three holes, lightly pumping his fist after each one.

His reaction was subdued, just like his close friend and last year’s U.S. Open champion, Dustin Johnson. They spend time a lot of time together on the course, in the gym and at home, so Koepka has seen that U.S. Open trophy plenty at Johnson’s house in south Florida.

And now he gets to keep it for a year, with his name on it.

It capped quite a journey for the 27-year-old Floridian. Without a card on any tour when Koepka got out of Florida State, he filled his passport with stamps from the most unlikely outposts in golf while playing the minor leagues on the European Tour — Kazakhstan and Kenya, Portugal and India and throughout Europe.

It was at the U.S. Open three years ago when Koepka tied for fourth that helped earn a PGA Tour card, and he powered his way from obscurity to his first PGA Tour victory in Phoenix, his first Ryder Cup team last fall and now a major championship.

Harman’s chances ended with two straight bogeys, and a bogey on the par-5 18th hole gave him a 72 and a tie for second with Hideki Matsuyama of Japan, who closed with a 66. Matsuyama didn’t need to stick around very long. Koepka simply couldn’t miss.

Koepka, who finished at 16-under 272, became the seventh straight first-time winner of a major championship, and it was the first time since 1998-2000 that Americans won their national championship three straight years.

Tommy Fleetwood, who played alongside Koepka and closed with a 72 to finish fourth, played the Challenge Tour a year before Koepka arrived.

“It gives you a good grounding,” Fleetwood said. “Obviously, Brooks dealt with it amazingly. He came and kicked everyone’s (behind) over there, didn’t he? But he’s proven for a long time how good he is. Now he’s done it in a major.”

It was only fitting that Koepka left Erin Hills with yet another record matched or broken.

McIlroy finished at 16-under 268 when he won on rain-softened Congressional in the 2011 U.S. Open. But the low scoring went much deeper than that. Only six players had ever reached double digits under par in the previous 116 times at the U.S. Open. McIlroy and Tiger Woods (12 under at Pebble Beach in 2000) had been the only players to finish there.

This week alone, nine players reached at least 10 under and seven finished there.

Xander Schauffele, a rookie on the PGA Tour playing in his first U.S. Open, birdied his last hole for a 69 to tie for fifth at 10-under 268 along with Bill Haas (69) and Rickie Fowler (72), who was poised at yet another major to win only to fall back. Fowler started one shot out of the lead at the Masters this year and shot 76. He was only two behind when he made the turn, but bogeys on the 12th and 15th holes — and no birdies until No. 18 — ended his hopes.

Justin Thomas, coming off a 9-under 63 that matched the major championship scoring record and was the first 9-under round at a U.S. Open, went out in 39 and closed with a 75 to tie for ninth.

The week ended with 31 players under par, breaking the U.S. Open record of 28 players at Medinah in 1990. There were 133 sub-par rounds, nine more than the previous record in that 1990 U.S. Open.

Erin Hills, an 11-year-old course shaped out of Wisconsin pastureland, didn’t put up much of a fight without much wind. The strongest gusts were Sunday morning and it tapered to a strong breeze by the afternoon.

No one was more solid from start to finish than Koepka. He opened with a pair of tap-in birdies and putted for birdie on every hole but the par-3 13th. Of all his birdies, that 8-foot par putt might have been as big as any.

“I needed something to go in and see that to build momentum off it, and just carried that over,” Koepka said.
In golf, Brooks Koepka of the United States wins the 2017 U.S. Open at the Erin Hills course. It is Koepka's first win at a major tournament.