Brooks Koepka secured a fourth major title in just eight attempts with a wire-to-wire victory in the 101st PGA Championship.
The 29-year-old American retained the title he won just eight months ago with a closing 74 at a windy Bethpage Park in New York, which saw him finish just two shots ahead of Dustin Johnson, after starting the final round with a seven-stroke lead.
Koepka led from day one, when he fired a seven-under par 63, and added rounds of 65, 70 and 74 to become the first male player to win his first four Major titles in less than two years.
On a brutally challenging final day at the famously difficult Bethpage Black Course, Koepka looked to be cruising to a comfortable victory when six shots clear at the turn, but four consecutive bogeys from the 11th saw his lead collapse to just one.
But the pressure that Johnson had been applying faded and back-to-back bogeys on 16 and 17 meant he relinquished his world number one position to Koepka, who dropped a shot at the 17th and then parred the 18th to sign for an eight-under-par winning total.
Speaking about his impressive run of form in the majors since his victory at the US Open in 2017, Koepka said:“It’s been so much fun these last two years. It’s incredible. I don’t think I even thought I was going to do it that fast. I don’t think anybody did, and to be standing here today, with four majors, is mind-blowing.
“Today was definitely the most satisfying out of all of them for how stressful that round was; how stressful DJ made that. That was definitely the most excited I’ve ever been in my life ever there on 18. I knew today was going to be a tough day, when it was blowing 15 or 20mph on the range. I left the tenth hole feeling pretty good, and left 14 not feeling so good. It can change very quickly. Once the wind gets above the tree line, it can do whatever it wants. You’ve just got to hang tough. I’m just glad we didn’t have to play anymore, that’s for sure.”
Further down the leaderboard, England’s Matt Wallace secured his best finish at a major championship after battling to a final round 72 to finish in tied third alongside Jordan Spieth and Patrick Cantlay on two under. That moved the Londoner to second in the Race to Dubai rankings, and up to 25thin the world.
Two-time US PGA Champion Rory McIlroy signed for a one-over-par final round 71 to register his ninth top ten in his last nine starts, and he shared eighth place with Shane Lowry – who carded three sub-70 rounds at Bethpage.
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