~Brooks Koepka wins first major championship at 117th U.S. Open

~Koepka cruises to first major at U.S. Open
By
Will Gray
June 18, 2017, 8:15 pm

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.

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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.

Article Tags: Brooks Koepka, 2017 U.S. Open