Brooks Koepka

Koepka won the 2017 U.S. Open at Erin Hills with rounds of 67-70-68-67 - 272 for his first major championship and second PGA Tour title at age 27 years, 1 month, 15 days. After a three-under-par opening nine in the final round, he three-putted the 10th hole for his fifth bogey of the week and first on the back nine. With three consecutive birdies at holes 14, 15, and 16, and two closing pars, he came from one back at the start of the day to seal a comfortable four-stroke victory over Hideki Matsuyama and Brian Harman. He was tied with Rory McIlroy's 16-under total from 2011 for most strokes under par after 72 holes at a U.S. Open. Shared 36-hole lead at seven-under 137 with Paul Casey, Brian Harman, and Tommy Fleetwood. Over the last 30 years, became the third player to win the U.S. Open with 67 or better in the final round - Hale Irwin (1990), Tiger Woods (2000). Hit 17 of 18 greens in the final round and led greens in regulation for the week with 62 of 72 (86.11%).
The following year at Shinnecock Hills, Koepka defended his title with a one-stroke victory over Tommy Fleetwood. Koepka became the first repeat winner of the U.S. Open since Curtis Strange in 1989. Following the win, he moved to fourth in the Official World Golf Ranking, his third in 95 starts. At 28 years, 1 month, and 14 days, he became the youngest player to win back-to-back at the U.S. Open since Ralph Guldahl in 1938 (age 28). In addition to becoming the 22nd multiple winner of the U.S. Open, he became the seventh to do so in back-to-back years. He joined Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy as current players under 30 with multiple majors. Joined previous U.S. Open champions at Shinnecock Hills (James Foulis/1896), Raymond Floyd (1986), Corey Pavin (1995), and Retief Goosen (2004). The victory marked his 11th consecutive top-25 finish in major championships (13 top-25s in 18 major starts). He opened with a five-over 75, becoming the first winner since Raymond Floyd (1986) to open with a 75 or higher.
Another of his year's highlights was winning the PGA Championship. In the process, he became the 20th player to win the U.S. Open and the PGA Championship in his career, and he was just the fifth (Gene Sarazen/1922, Ben Hogan/1948, Jack Nicklaus/1980, Tiger Woods/2000 and Koepka/2018) to accomplish the feat in a year. Koepka also won Player of the Year honors.
With the PGA Championship moving from August to May in 2019, Koepka was ready and won his fourth major title at Bethpage State Park's Black Course. He got off on the right foot with an opening-round 63 and never looked back, becoming the first wire-to-wire winner since Hal Sutton in 1983 and the fifth overall. Koepka achieved something no other person had ever done: win back-to-back titles at the U.S. Open and PGA Championship. He also joined a small list of players to win multiple titles at both the PGA Championship and U.S. Open (Walter Hagen, Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino, and Tiger Woods). He became the fourth player in the modern era to win four or more majors in eight starts, joining Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods.
Koepka was born in West Palm Beach, Florida. His great uncle is Dick Groat, a two-time World Series-winning shortstop for the Pittsburgh Pirates and the 1960 National League Most Valuable Player. His mother, Denise Jakows, was a news anchor at a West Palm Beach station from 1986 to 1999. At an early age, he had to endure some hardships. In 2011, his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, underwent a double mastectomy, and underwent a long chemotherapy treatment. At age 10, Koepka fractured his nose and sinus cavity when his babysitter's car was hit at an intersection. He couldn't play any contact sports that summer, so he spent most days at West Palm Beach's public Okeeheelee Golf Course. He played college golf at Florida State University, winning three events and being a three-time All-American. He qualified for the 2012 U.S. Open as an amateur. Played in the stroke-play portion of the U.S. Amateur in 2010 and '11. Won the 2012 FAU Spring Break Invitational and the Seminole Intercollegiate. Won the 2011 Brickyard Collegiate and was named ACC Player of the Year in 2010 and '12. Earned 2012 All-American, All-Region, and All-ACC Team honors and was a 2010 third-team All-American. He was named All-ACC honoree in 2010 and '11 and had three runner-up finishes during his four years at FSU. Was named ACC Freshman of the Year in 2009.
After missing the 2012 U.S. Open cut, Koepka became professional and began playing on the Challenge Tour in Europe. He claimed his first victory in September at the Challenge de Catalunya. Koepka backed it up the following year when he won the 2013 Montecchia Golf Open for his second win on the Challenge Tour. Another victory followed a month later at the Fred Olsen Challenge de Espana, where he set two tournament records, a 24-under-par 260, and a winning margin of 10 strokes. Three weeks later, he earned his third win of the year at the Scottish Hydro Challenge. With three victories in one year, he earned his European Tour card for the remainder of the 2013 and 2014 seasons. One day after his third Challenge Tour win of 2013, Koepka qualified for the British Open. Koepka debuted as a member of the European Tour (he played in three events before promotion) at the Scottish Open, finishing T-12th. Was able to play 10 events on the European Tour during the rest of 2013, finishing with two top-10s and placing 113th in the Race to Dubai.
2014 Notes: Koepka was given a sponsor exemption into the Frys.com Open, where he finished T-3rd. He got into the Zurich Classic through Monday qualifying and finished T-21st. That performance earned him enough FedExCup points to give him special temporary membership status on the PGA Tour, allowing him unlimited sponsor exemptions for the rest of the year. He finished T-4th at the U.S. Open, his second top-10 finish. He earned over $1 million on the PGA Tour, along with his FedExCup points, which earned him his PGA Tour card for 2015. On the European Tour, he finished T-3rd at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic and in Switzerland at the Omega European Masters. He played in the European Tour playoffs and won the Turkish Airlines Open. He ended the year 8th in the Race to Dubai.
2015 Notes: Opened his year with a T-8th at the Frys.com Open and T-4th at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. After finishing T-19th at the Nedbank Golf Challenge the first week in December, Koepka put the clubs away for an entire month and did not touch them until a week before the Waste Management Phoenix Open. At Phoenix, he found himself three shots behind Martin Laird. Koepka shot a bogey-free, five-under-par 66 in the final round, highlighted by making a 50-foot eagle putt from off the green at the par-5 15th hole to claim his first career PGA Tour win by a stroke over Bubba Watson, Ryan Palmer, and Hideki Matsuyama. At the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Koepka tweaked a rib while warming up before the first round. He tried to play but dislocated a rib during the round on Saturday. On a tee shot at the 12th hole, the pain was so unbearable he was forced to withdraw. Was able to play at the Masters (T-33rd). He finished T-3rd at the FedEx St. Jude Classic, T-10th at the British Open, T-6th at the WGC-Bridgestone, T-5th at the PGA Championship, and T-6th at the Wyndham Championship. He played all four FedExCup playoffs, with his best result being a T-18th at the Tour Championship. He finished 24th in the FedExCup standings and 19th on the money list. The week after the Tour Championship, he played in Scotland at the Alfred Dunhill Links, and with weekend rounds of 64-67, finished T-2nd, two strokes behind winner Thorbjorn Olesen. Ended his year 7th at the Hero World Challenge.
2016 Notes: Played in the final group with winner Jordan Spieth and finished T-3rd at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. He finished T-8th at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. At the WGC-Dell Match Play Championship, they lost in the quarterfinals (T-5th) to the eventual winner, Jason Day, 3 & 2. He lost a playoff against Sergio Garcia at the AT&T Byron Nelson. He was runner-up in his next start at the FedEx St. Jude Classic, finishing three behind winner Daniel Berger. It was his third runner-up finish in six months. He was forced to withdraw from the WGC-Bridgestone and the British Open. Koepka said on Facebook that he tore a ligament in his right ankle after the U.S. Open and went through rehab, hoping to be fine for the PGA Championship. Despite a still-tender ankle, he posted four rounds of par or better to claim 4th place with Hideki Matsuyama and Branden Grace at the PGA Championship. In his next start, he finished T-9th at the Travelers Championship. He played 21 PGA Tour events and finished 35th in the FedExCup standings and 23rd on the money list. Making his first-ever start at the Ryder Cup, he went 3-1 in his four matches in the United States' 17-11 victory at Hazeltine. His three-point total (tied with Brandt Snedeker) was second only to Patrick Reed's three-and-a-half points. He closed the week with a dominating 5 & 4 victory over reigning Masters champion Danny Willett. He ended the 2016 season with a one-stroke win over Yuta Ikeda at the Dunlop Phoenix, his sixth international victory.
2017 Notes: Played 24 PGA Tour events, making 20 cuts. Finished in the top 10 seven times and placed 10th in the FedExCup standings. After finishing T-40th at the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai, China, Koepka returned home to play at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, where he finished 2nd, two strokes behind winner Rod Pampling. At the WGC-Dell Match Play, he reached the round of 16 before losing to Alex Noren to finish T-9th. Finished second at the Valero Texas Open, one stroke behind winner Kevin Chappell. He won the U.S. Open by four strokes. A month later, he played at the British Open, and despite shooting 71 in the final round, he still finished T-6th. He ended his PGA Tour season with a 6th-place finish at the Tour Championship. He posted a 2-2-0 record in his debut Presidents Cup appearance, helping lead the United States to a 19-11 victory over the International squad. This time, he won the Dunlop Phoenix in Japan by nine shots over Xander Schauffele, Prayad Marksaeng, and Sang-hee Lee.
2018 Notes: Played 17 PGA Tour events and made 15 cuts with six top-10 finishes. He was ranked 9th in the FedExCup standings. Before his Dunlop win in late 2017, Koepka finished T-2nd at the WGC-HSBC Champions in the fall portion of the PGA Tour schedule. During his travels home from Japan and playing two weeks later in the Bahamas at the Hero World Challenge, he played with left-wrist pain. At the Hero World Challenge, he finished in last place. The pain still lingered a month later during the Sentry Tournament of Champions. Doctors determined that he had a partially torn tendon in his left wrist and recommended eight to 12 weeks of rest and therapy. He returned 16 weeks later at the Wells Fargo, finishing T-42nd. I played the next week at The Players Championship with lingering pain and finished T-11th. Took a week off and was 2nd at the Fort Worth Invitational, three strokes behind winner Justin Rose. Won the U.S. Open by a stroke over Tommy Fleetwood and finished 5th at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. At the PGA Championship, his 100th career PGA Tour start, Koepka shot a 16-under 264 total to defeat Tiger Woods by two strokes. His total set a 72-hole PGA Championship record, and his second-round 63 tied the tournament's record for the lowest single-round score. His last top-10 of the year was a T-8th at the Northern Trust. He played his second Ryder Cup in France and went 1-2-1 for the week. He halved his singles match with Paul Casey. A week after the Ryder Cup, he finished T-7th at the Alfred Dunhill Links at St. Andrews. He was named PGA Tour Player of the Year.
2019 Notes: Played in 21 PGA Tour events, making 20 cuts with nine top-10 finishes. He placed 3rd in the FedExCup standings. He was the PGA of America Player of the Year for the second consecutive year. He started with a victory at the CJ Cup Nine Bridges, defeating Gary Woodland by four strokes. His final-round 64 included a seven-under 29 on the back nine, highlighted by a birdie-birdie-par-eagle finish. He was T-9th at the Abu Dhabi Championship. He posted a T-2nd at the Honda Classic, where he birdied two of his last three holes in a final-round 66. He finished one stroke behind winner Keith Mitchell. At the Masters, Koepka posted four under-par rounds and finished T-2nd, one stroke behind winner Tiger Woods. At the AT&T Byron Nelson shot rounds of 65-66-68-65 to finish 4th, three strokes behind winner Sung Kang. Koepka led big after every round of the PGA Championship and, in the end, won it by two strokes over Dustin Johnson. He was the first player in PGA Championship history to hold a lead of seven or more strokes after 36 holes (7) and the first to do so after 54 holes (7). His 36-hole score of 128 was the lowest in major championship history. At the U.S. Open, in his bid to become the first player since Willie Anderson in 1903-05 to win three consecutive U.S. Opens, he finished 2nd, three shots behind Gary Woodland. He became the first player in U.S. Open history to record four scores in the 60s and not win (69-69-68-68). At the British Open, he finished T-4th and became the fifth player in the top five in all four majors in a single year, joining Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Rickie Fowler, and Jordan Spieth. The following week, he won his first World Golf Championships at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational. He entered the final round trailing Rory McIlroy by one stroke before firing a bogey-free 65 to win by three over Webb Simpson. He became the fifth player to win a WGC and a major in the same season, joining Tiger Woods (eight times), Geoff Ogilvy (2006), Rory McIlroy (2014), and Dustin Johnson (2016). Led going into the FedExCup playoffs but with a T-30th at the Northern Trust, T-24th at the BMW Championship, and T-3rd at the Tour Championship finished 3rd.
2020 Notes: Played in 13 events making eight cuts with one top-ten finish. Was 104th in the FedExCup standings. On the Monday after the 2019 Tour Championship, August 26th, he underwent stem-cell treatment to repair a partially torn patella tendon in his left knee. He stayed off his feet for three days before beginning a four-week rehab program. A week before the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, started to play golf again. He missed the cut at the Shriners and went to Korea to defend his CJ Cup title. During the wet second round, Koepka slipped on damp concrete, aggravated his left knee, and withdrew from the tournament. He endured months of painful rehab and couldn't play in the Presidents Cup or the Sentry Tournament of Champions. He made his return at Abu Dhabi, shooting a promising first-round 66 but followed it with rounds of 75-70-69 to finish T-34th. In his next start, he finished T-17th at the Saudi International. At the Genesis Open, he finished T-43rd and in an interview with Golf Channel, said he was nowhere close to 100% and was still experiencing pain. This would become a recurring theme. Many thought the break for COVID-19 would help, and when he came back and finished T-32nd at Charles Schwab and 7th at RBC Heritage, the feeling was the pain had diminished. But after missing the cut at the Workday and the 3M Open, then a T-62nd at Memorial, he said before the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational that he had an MRI on the knee and would decide after the season was over if he would have surgery. He played in the PGA Championship and was in contention until he shot 74 in the final round to finish T-29th. During the second round, Koepka was seen getting worked on by a physiotherapist, downplayed the injury, and said there was nothing to worry about. After missing the cut at the Wyndham Championship, he withdrew from the FedExCup playoffs. He went to San Diego, where he underwent another round of platelet-rich plasma injections in his left knee and started rehab on his left knee and hip.
2021 Notes: Played in 20 PGA Tour events, making 14 cuts with eight top-ten finishes. Was 30th in the FedExCup standings. Ten days before the CJ Cup @ Shadow Creek, he began hitting balls and traveled to Las Vegas to work with swing coach Butch Harmon. He was pleasantly surprised by not having pain or limitations. At the CJ Cup @ Shadow Creek, he finished T-28th and had no pain issues. Koepka then returned to San Diego for more rehab. Playing at the Vivint Houston Open the week before the November Masters, shot 65-65 over the weekend to finish T-5th, five shots back of winner Carlos Ortiz. He finished T-7th at the Masters, his second consecutive top-10 at the event, and 13th career top-10 in a major championship. After that struggled to miss the cut at the Mayakoba Golf Classic, American Express, and Farmers Insurance Open. His game improved the next week at the Waste Management Phoenix Open with rounds of 68-66-66, going into the final round five shots back. In the final-round shot 65, which included two eagles, the last was when he holed out at 17 from 97 feet for an eagle. He beat K.H. Lee and Xander Schauffele by a shot. He finished T-2nd at the WGC-Workday Championship at The Concession, three shots back of winner Collin Morikawa. When things looked great for Koepka, he shocked the world when he withdrew from the Players Championship in what he described as a sprain suffered while with his family in Florida. He offered very little, but what he had was a right knee cap dislocation and ligament damage which required surgery on March 16th in California. He played the Masters and missed the cut. Didn't make another start till the AT&T Byron Nelson, missing the cut. At the PGA Championship, finished T-2nd at the Ocean Course at Kiawah, a shot back of winner Phil Mickelson, his third runner-up finish in major championships since the start of the 2017 season. He was T-4th at the U.S. Open, four shots back of winner Jon Rahm. This was Koepka's fourth consecutive top-five at the event (DNP in 2020). Shot 65 in the final round to finish T-5th at the Travelers Championship, three shots back of the English/Hickok playoff. Shot a final round 65 at the British Open to finish T-6th, seven shots back of winner Collin Morikawa. In the FedExCup Playoffs was T-31st at the Northern Trust and then T-22nd at the BMW Championship. At the Tour Championship was forced to withdraw in the first round as his wrist, which he had problems with in 2017 and '18, started to bother him. With rest was able to play in his third Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits and had a 2-2-0 record. He won his singles match over Bernd Wiesberger 2 & 1.
2022 Notes: Played in 16 PGA Tour events, making nine cuts with two top-ten finishes. He was 117th in the FedExCup standings. He was T-9th at the Hero World Challenge. In defending his Phoenix Open title, he made birdie at 17 and 18 but fell one short of getting into the Scheffler/Cantlay playoff, finishing T-3rd. In the WGC-Dell Match Play, he had a perfect 3-0-0 record in his group, beating Erik Van Rooyen, Harold Varner III, and Shane Lowry. In the Round of 16 beat Jon Rahm in 19 holes but lost to Dustin Johnson 2 up to finish T-5th.
2023 Notes: He was T-46th at the Saudi International and missed the cut at the International Series Oman. At the Masters, with rounds of 65-67-73, he led/co-led after all three rounds. But with a final round 75, he finished T-2nd, four shots back of winner Jon Rahm. Koepka was 13 under after his first 42 holes but played his last 30 holes in five over par. He lost the lead to Rahm with a bogey on the sixth hole in the final round. Koepka won his third PGA Championship at Oak Hill by two shots over Scottie Scheffler and Viktor Hovland. Koepka is just the third player to win three or more PGA Championships in the stroke play era, joining Jack Nicklaus (five wins) and Tiger Woods (four). Heâ??s the third player to win the PGA Championship three times in a six-year span, joining Nicklaus and Walter Hagen. He's also one of just five players in history to win the PGA three or more times and the U.S. Open more than once. The others are Hagen, Gene Sarazen, Nicklaus, and Woods. Only seven players since 1950 have won five or more men's majors before age 34: Woods, Nicklaus, Seve Ballesteros, Tom Watson, Gary Player, Arnold Palmer, and Koepka. Koepka (born in 1990) is the first player born after 1975 to win five men's major championships. For more than 22 years, Woods was the youngest man on Earth with five or more major wins â?? now that title goes to Koepka. He is just the 20th player in menâ??s professional golf history to win five majors. Koepka finished T-2nd at the Masters Tournament earlier in the year, just as he did in 2019 before winning the PGA at Bethpage Black the following month. Since the first Masters in 1934, there are only five instances of a player finishing runner-up at the first major of the season, then winning the second. Koepka has two of them â?? the 2019 and 2023 PGAs â?? the other three instances are in 1938 (Ralph Guldahl), 1965 (Player) and 2008 (Woods). There have been 25 menâ??s majors contested between the 2017 U.S. Open and the 2023 U.S. Open. Koepka has finished first or second in nine of them â?? nearly 40 percent of the time. To put that in perspective, since 1990, only three players have 10 or more top-two finishes in majors: Tiger Woods (22), Phil Mickelson (18) and Ernie Els (10). With Koepka's PGA Championship victory coming in New York, he now has three major wins in New York. He becomes the only player in men's golf history to win three majors on three different courses in the same state. Before Koepka, nobody had even won two majors in New York since Gene Sarazen at the 1932 PGA. At the U.S. Open held in Los Angeles Koepka finished T-17th and T-64th at the British Open. Played in his fourth Ryder Cup and had a 1-1-1 record. Beat Ludvig Aberg in his singles match, 3 & 2.