Brooks Koepka’s title defense in the U.S. Open was in jeopardy recently because of a left wrist injury.
The 28-year-old Koepka was healthy enough to shoot 2-under-par 68 in the final round and win the 118th U.S. Open by one stroke over Tommy Fleetwood of England, who made a bit of his own history at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y.
“It’s nice to hold that trophy again; it doesn’t get old,” said Koepka, who became the seventh back-to-back winner of the tournament and the first since Curtis Strange (1988-89), who walked the course with him as a commentator for Fox Sports and greeted Koepka with a hug behind the final green.
“It hasn’t sunk in yet. I could not have dreamed of winning it in back-to-back years. It’s special and I’m honored. … Shinnecock was really testing this week and the fans were loud, they were great, and I loved it. I just kept grinding, started playing well and took advantage of it.”
Koepka, who missed the Masters because of the injury, recorded a 72-hole score of 1-over 281 and will rise from ninth to fourth in the world after his third PGA Tour victory. He sank a clutch putt of 12 feet putt for bogey on the 11th hole and made par-savers of six feet on the next hole and eight feet at No. 14.
Fleetwood became the sixth player to shoot the tournament record of 63, 45 years to the day since Johnny Miller was the first to achieve the feat.
And Fleetwood missed birdie putts on the last three holes, including a nine-footer at No. 18.
“I knew what (the put on the last hole was for—62,” said Fleetwood, 29, who finished more than two hours before the other leaders and waited in the clubhouse holding in infant son, Frankie, while celebrating his first Father’s Day. “If I could go back and take it again, I would hit it a little harder give it a little more pace. It was a bit little slow. I hit so many good putts today. I’ll take it, but I wanted 62.
“I knew the course was softer today and I just wanted to get off to a good start. When I hit good putts on holes 4-7, it was game on, and then I got going again on the back nine, but wound up just a bit short.”
Top-ranked Dustin Johnson, the 2016 champion who had at least a tie for the lead after each of the first three rounds, wound up two shots back in third after a 70, followed one more behind by Masters champion Patrick Reed after a 68, while Tony Finau was four down in fifth after a 72.
Xander Schauffele of La Jolla and San Diego State shot 68 and finished five behind in a tie for sixth with Tyrrell Hatton (69) of England, Henrik Stenson (71) of Sweden and Daniel Berger (73).
Koepka, Johnson, Finau and Berger were tied for the lead entering the final round.
Third-ranked Justin Rose, the 2013 U.S. Open champion, totaled 73 and was another shot back in a tie for 10th with Webb Simpson, the 2012 U.S. Open champion, who came in at 69.
Tenth-ranked Hideki Matsuyama carded a 66 to tie for 16th, seventh-ranked Rickie Fowler of Murrieta tied for 20th after a 65 that was low score of the day and second-ranked Justin Thomas was 25th following a 74.
Phil Mickelson, who started the week trying to complete the Career Grand Slam, closed with a 69 to tie for 48th.
For complete results, visit https://www.pgatour.com/competition/2018/us-open/leaderboard.html.
