- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Brooks Koepka has cemented his place among the legends of golf with a third PGA Championship crown and fifth career major.
Koepka closed with a three-under-par 67 to convert a one-stroke overnight lead into a two-shot victory from fellow American and world No.2 Scottie Scheffler (65) and Norwegian Vicktor Hovland (68) at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York.
By joining Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods in having his name etched on the Wanamaker Trophy at least three times, Koepka also atoned for his self-confessed Masters “choke” and became the first LIV Golf player to win a major since last year’s formation of the Saudi-backed league.
He finished with a nine-under 271 total, two years after undergoing career-threatening knee surgery..
“This is incredible. This is wild,” Koepka said.
“I look back at where we were two years ago, everything that has gone on. I’m just so happy right now. I’m kind of at a loss for words.
“This is just the coolest thing.”
Brooks Koepka celebrates winning the 2023 PGA Championship. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Australian Cam Davis and American Kurt Kitayama both equalled the low round of the championship with 65s to share fourth at three under with former US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau (70) and secure tickets to next year’s Masters.
But the day belonged to 33-year-old Koepka.
It was only three months ago that the former world No.1 aired his vulnerabilities during the Full Swing Netflix series.
Koepka admitted to returning prematurely from his knee surgery in March, 2021 as he struggled to regain the form and confidence that propelled him to the 2017 and 2018 US Open titles and also back-to-back PGA Championships in 2018 and 2019.
But, finally fit and healthy again, he first signalled a resurgence with victory at the LIV Golf Invitational Jeddah last October.
Then he won LIV Golf Orlando last month before carrying the lead heading into the Masters final round.
He let a four-shot last-day lead slip at Augusta National with a defensive Sunday 75 to allow world No.1 Jon Rahm to steal the green jacket and vowed not to make the same mistake on Sunday.
Koepka was true to his word.
After three days of mostly rain and cold, bright sunshine made for ideal scoring conditions and Koepka was quick to take advantage at Oak Hill with three birdies in his first four holes.
He stumbled briefly with successive bogeys on the sixth and seven holes to have his lead trimmed back to one.
But it was all over when Hovland left his second shot in the bunker and chalked up a double bogey on No.16 and Koepka made birdie to jump three clear again.
Koepka joins Seve Ballesteros, Byron Nelson and Australian Peter Thomson with five major championship triumphs.
Only 12 players have won more.
“I don’t know the list of guys who have won five times but to be in those groups of names is absolutely incredible,” Koepka said.
“I’ll be honest, it’s something I’m not even sure I dreamed of it as a kid, that I was going to win this many.”
© AAP