Multi-titled golfer Brooks Koepka kissed another trophy on Sunday after winning his second consecutive U.S. Open title in Shinnecock Hills.
Koepka beat finalists Daniel Berger, Tony Finau, and Dustin Johnson before escaping Tommy Fleetwood to grab the title. The 28-year-old Koepka carded a plus-1, which is ahead of Fleetwood's plus-2 and Johnson's plus-3.
With the victory, Koepka also became the first player since Curtis Strange to win back-to-back U.S. Opens. Strange who is now a FOX television analyst, won it in 1988 and 1989. Aside from Strange and Koepka, Ben Hogan also became a repeat winner of the annual competition when he bagged the titles in 1950 and 1951.
"To be honest with you, probably couldn't have dreamed of it in my wildest dreams. I'm at a loss for words right now, but it's really incredible," Koepka said.
Stepping Up On The Clutch
Koepka started the day tied with Johnson, Finau, and Berger at the top of the leaderboard following a bogey on 11. The defending champion showed his championship pedigree in his semifinal pairing against Johnson as he scored three birdies out of five holes. On the other hand, Johnson failed to catch up with Koepka as the former lost his footing in the shot 70 of the third round.
Just when Koepka was ready to celebrate, the 12-ranked Fleetwood put up an impressive performance by hitting 13 out of 14 fairways and 16 out of the 18 greens in regulation before committing a two-putt bogey. Nonetheless, Koepka showed nerves of steel as he managed to create some separation with a 12-foot putt to make up for his bogey before converting another six feet for par on 12. Koepka sealed the deal with another par on 14 and a birdie on the 18 for the U.S. Open title.
Finau settled for the fifth place with a card of plus-5 after a double bogey on the 18. Patrick Reed took home the fourth place: a plus-4 card. Completing the top 10 were Xander Schauffele, Tyrell Hatton, Henrik Stenson, and Berger, who all accumulated plus-6 cards, and Webb Simpson and Justin Rose, who carded a plus-7.
After winning his second straight major title, Koepka is expected to move up the ladder and take the fourth spot in the world ranking. As of June 17, Koepka is ranked in ninth place by the PGA Tour behind Jason Day, Rickie Fowler, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Jordan Spieth, Rose, Justin Thomas, and Johnson.
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