Monday Finish: Koepka, a dominant force in major championship golf

You could almost call it over after 18. Through 36, it was all but over. After 54, we were just treading water and waiting. But then the wild winds picked up at Bethpage Black and Brooks Koepka added some late heart palpitations before taking out the 101st PGA Championship. Welcome to the Monday Finish where Koepka ultimately outmuscled the famed Bethpage Black course and claimed an incredible fourth major title in his last eight major starts. FIVE OBSERVATIONS 1. You just have to tip your lid to Brooks Koepka Sure he made some back nine bogeys to see his seven shot lead get as low as just one shot, but the fact remains… he won. Again. Koepka is proving a dominant force in major championship golf. Four wins before 30. Four majors in his last eight major starts. That’s Tiger Woods like. But of course he cannot really yet be compared to Tiger. Woods has 81 PGA TOUR wins. Koepka has six. Woods always dominated. Koepka has just figured out how to peak at the right times. His performance over the opening two rounds at Bethpage Black this week were sensational. As good as golf gets and his 128 record for 36 holes in a major deserves to stand for decades. And say what you want about Sunday, but the fact remains he stepped up a number of times to arrest slides. His birdie on the 10th as Johnson first came at him was sublime. And then, as it all unraveled with four straight bogeys, he was able to compose himself, reset, and battle his way to the house without his best. True champions find a way to win even when momentum goes against them. Read more on Koepka’s efforts here. 2. After basking in the glory of what Koepka has been able to do the question becomes… How long can he keep this up? The game has shown us in recent times that players can get hot for a year or two. Rory McIlroy was going to be the guy as he put up his four majors in relatively quick time, but since his last in 2014 the dominance has not returned. Jordan Spieth had his three major run, with a FedExCup and more, before feeling a slump. Jason Day won seven times in 17 starts including a major and PLAYERS. Will this guy be different? He certainly appears like he could be. He claimed in the lead up to the event he has a target on at least 10 majors. Only three players have ever achieved that… but right now I’m not prepared to bet against him. Read more about what his rivals think will happen from here on out here. 3. Dustin Johnson could have been the spoiler Incredibly, the seven shot lead had been whittled down to just one as Johnson faced an approach into the 16th green from the fairway. Get in the house with three pars from there and who knows what might happen. But the 20-time PGA TOUR winner nuked his shot over the green and failed to get up and down. “I hit a 5-iron, but almost went back and got a 4-iron because I didn’t think the 5 was going to even come close, based on the shots that I’ve hit, earlier in the round, into the wind,â€� he would say afterwards. As Koepka was leaking oil, Johnson couldn’t find a way to apply more pressure. He then bogeyed the 17th and put his drive into the junk on 18 ensuring there would be no final hole birdie. For all his great play prior, when crunch time came, he faltered. Read more about his travails here. 4. I will admit it… I didn’t really believe Jordan Spieth when he said his slump was over Not before the tournament began. And not even through 36 holes when he was tied for second. But the 25-year-old former FedExCup champion certainly had his putter going like it was in his early years. His T3 finish was his first top-10 since the 2018 Open Championship. He led the field in Strokes Gained: Putting and he held his own on a course clearly favoring the bigger hitters. One swallow doesn’t make a summer, but he heads to the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial this week with some extra confidence and swagger. He has won there before… so who knows. Read more about his comeback here. 5. Every PGA TOUR event provides great learning experiences But of course major championship golf can be a breeding ground for painful lessons. Amongst those getting a painful reminder of just how hard Bethpage Black can be, particularly on Sunday at a major with high winds, were Harold Varner III (81), Luke List (74) and Jazz Janewattananond (77). They all started in second place on Sunday, but fell away with plenty to play for outside of a victory. But they weren’t alone. The scoring average on Sunday was 73.439 and featured some big names struggling. Tony Finau shot 79, with a 43 on the back. Louis Oosthuizen also shot 79, Tommy Fleetwood 78, Rickie Fowler and Hideki Matsuyama both shot 77. Of course Koepka shot 74. The Black still has some bite. FIVE INSIGHTS 1. Koepka led the field in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green gaining an incredible 17.354 strokes over the tournament. He was nearly a stoke per round better than second ranked Gary Woodland. Koepka was second in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee. He was third in driving distance (304.9) and hit 32 of 56 fairways. 2. Koepka also led the field in Strokes Gained: Approach at +9.533. He averaged 30-feet, one-inch in proximity (2nd) and hit 53 of 72 greens in regulation (1st). 3. Koepka is the first player to defend both the PGA Championship and U.S. Open in a career. 4. Koepka is one of three players in the last 30 years to win three majors before the age of 30. The others are Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy. He is just the fifth American to do it all-time with Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen. 5. Koepka set a bundle of records, including the 36-hole major championship scoring record. To get an appreciation of all his numbers check this out. WYNDHAM REWARDS The Wyndham Rewards Top 10 is in its first season and adds another layer of excitement to the FedExCup Regular Season. The top 10 players at the end of the FedExCup Regular Season will earn bonus payouts from the Wyndham Rewards Top 10. Brooks Koepka has leader Matt Kuchar in his sights now after his PGA Championship defense. Koepka jumps from fifth to second. Dustin Johnson also jumped up a spot to fifth with his runner up effort.

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