Becomes first player to win US Open and PGA Championship in the same year since Woods in 2000.
There were others too with significant roles in this rousing sitcom. Adam Scott was playing with Koepka, adding to the Sunday script with renewed confidence.
By Anand Datla Call it the St. Louis Declaration. The 100th PGA Championship was more than just the last major of the season. It turned out to be the final episode in a resplendent series of advertisements for the health of golf and the well-being of its practitioners.
And the game couldn’t have chosen a better stage than the Bellerive Country Club for a centennial celebration. Coincidentally, in his 100th start on the PGA Tour, Brooks Koepka proved yet again that he brooks no fear of dealing the cards in the final round of a major. The 28-year-old ignored the piercing cacophony accompanying a rampant Tiger Woods to seize a third major title by a comfortable twostroke margin.
Woods didn’t make a single fairway till he reached the 10th tee. But he had four birdies on his card and was prowling like a beast that caught scent of victory. The swagger was back and the crowds lapped up each of his shots like hungry children caught in the rain after a lengthy drought.
There were others too with significant roles in this rousing sitcom. Adam Scott was playing with Koepka, adding to the Sunday script with renewed confidence.
Justin Thomas, eager to defend his title, was pouring birdies. Stewart Cink and Jon Rahm were holding out a threat, but their incursions fizzled out soon. It was left to Woods, in the penultimate group, and Scott to provide a real challenge to the glacial Koepka.
Scott gained an entry by exemption, but with just four holes left to play, the Aussie sneaked up quietly into a share of the lead. He may have settled for third behind Woods, but it was a redemption that should put the steam back in his engine.
Meanwhile, Tiger was creeping up near the lead, like a cheetah preparing to pounce on an unsuspecting prey. He made a brilliant birdie at the 15th, reducing the gap to just one.
Woods is in the midst of a decade old major famine. Of course, he finished in second at the 2009 PGA Championship and also gained top 10s at The Open and PGA in 2012. But that does not cut it, not for Tiger.
The possibility of a 15th major was making it difficult for the crowd to breathe without a heaving chest. The excitement was palpable. The television ratings touched a new high, climbing up an insane 54% from 2017.
The influence of Woods on the appeal of golf is an undeniable fact. It certainly helps that he has been in contention for the last two majors.
But this story isn’t merely about Woods. The recent successes of Francesco Molinari and Koepka have refreshed the artillery for golf. As inspiring as their stories might be, the narrative is enriched by the manner of these two gentlemen and their approach to winning.
Molinari crept up unnoticed at the Open Championship, going bogey free through the weekend to clinch a life-changing victory. The fact that he played in the company of Woods on Sunday made it an even more impressive effort.
At the time of the Masters this year, Koepka was nursing a tendon in his wrist. All he could do was watch from the couch, even as Patrick Reed put his name on the roster of unheralded champions for 2018.
In just over four months since his return, Koepka has defended a US Open title and engraved his name on the Wanamaker trophy. He joins Tiger Woods (2000), Jack Nicklaus (1980), Ben Hogan (1948), Gene Sarazen (1922) in an elite group with US Open and PGA Championship victories in the same year.
Once again in victory, Koepka was overshadowed by a more fancied golfer. But amidst all the noise, Koepka marched calmly, like a saint with a vivid picture of destiny dancing before his eyes.
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