Koepka Makes History After PGA Championship Victory
May 21, 2019Brooks Koepka has now become the only player to win back-to-back in two different majors after his PGA Championship victory at Bethpage Black this past weekend.
Koepka won the U.S. Open in 2017 at Erin Hills, then again in 2018 at Shinnecock Hills. Koepka continued his back-to-back ways, adding another PGA championship victory to his resume having won the same major tournament at Bellerive just nine months ago.
A big part of his championship performance can be attributed to his early round play. Heading into Saturday, Koepka beat a course record for the largest lead by anyone at the halfway point in a major tournament in 85 years. However, on Saturday, Koepka only finished at even for the day as Dustin Johnson and Jordan Spieth made a strong push back into relevancy with just 18 holes left.
The real drama went down on Sunday where Koepka hit four straight bogeys on the back nine. The tides began to feel like they were turning. Johnson would birdie a long 400 yard 15th hole as Koepka bogeyed the 14th. This put DJ only two behind Koepka for the lead with just three holes to go. However, Johnson unraveled with two bogeys on 16 and 17. He finished one under par for day and six under for the tournament. Two shots short of a PGA Championship title.
Koepka kept his cool calm composure to finish out the last few holes. His Sunday’s score may not have been champion-esque, finishing the final round +4 but, with credit to his spectacular earlier rounds and some late weekend toughness, he got to hoist the Wanamaker trophy with a final score of -8.
Tiger Woods did not make it to the weekend’s end as he missed the cut at five over par, a disappointment for golf fans alike, after witnessing his historical Masters performance just weeks prior.
In the first round on the front nine, Woods looked promising as he hit two birdies and an eagle in just the first four holes. But, that was all we got to see of the old Tiger as he finished the round at two over par. His second round wasn’t much better. He tallied six bogeys and only three birdies. He finished the round at five over par and missed the cut by two strokes. Tiger would head into the weekend from the outside looking in. It didn’t seem like a compelling weekend with Tiger back on his yacht in Oyster Bay however, Koepka had other ideas.
With or without Tiger, Koepka ensured the tournament remained captivating. With historical early round play and a dramatic end to the PGA Championship, this weekend was all about Brooks Koepka.
Koepka has now won four of the last seven majors and will enter the U.S. Open next month as the favorite with 6-1 odds. Dustin Johnson trails right behind him at 8-1 and Tiger at 12-1.
Koepka will have a shot at etching his name in the history books among only a handful of golf superstars. A shot at a tournament major three-peat. As incredible as it sounds, Koepka’s spectacular performance at Bethpage Black does not make it difficult to imagine him lifting the US Open Championship Trophy at Pebble Beach for his third straight time.
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