117th U.S. Open
Erin Hills
Erin, WI
Beginning the final round one shot back, second-round co-leader and World No. 22 Brooks Koepka painted a 5-under-par 33-34=67 to reach 16-under 272, good for a four-shot win over Hideki Matsuyama and 54-hole leader Brian Harman.
The Florida State product, a pre-tourney 40/1 outright, bags his first major championship title in his 15th major appearance, matching the U.S. Open scoring record (to par) with 2011 champ Rory McIlroy (Congressional CC).
He is the second straight former Seminole to win on the PGA TOUR in as many weeks (Daniel Berger) and the seventh straight first-time major winner.
The 27-year-old claims a second TOUR title in 80 career events (79 pro), joining the 2015 Waste Management Phoenix Open (58 starts ago), where he came from three back with 5-under 66 to win by one (also over Matsuyama).
It’s his seventh top 25 of the season in 17 starts, fifth top 10 and third top 5, supplanting previous bests of 2nd at the Valero Texas Open and 2nd at the Shiners back in November.
Koepka checked in off T31 at the Memorial (69-73-74-74) and T37 last week at the FedEx St. Jude (69-66-71-73).
He’s the sixth straight winner on TOUR to win after posting a T37 or worse in their previous start.
After opening in 67-70-68, Koepka began in a three-way T2 on 11-under, one back.
Playing out of the penultimate twosome, he striped 12 (of 14) fairways and pelted 17 greens in regulation (GIR), gaining 3.030 strokes approaching-the-green, No. 1 in the latter with a cumulative 8.466.
The Floridian raced out with birdies at the par-5 first (2-putting from 37’3”) and the par-4 second (from 3’9”), and circled his long of the day with a 33’11” bomb for birdie-3 at eight to turn 3-under.
He squared his lone bogey at the par-4 10th, 3-putting from 38’10”, his only 3-jack of the tourney. At that point, the leaderboard read:
T1- Brooks Koepka -13 (thru 10 holes)
T1- Brian Harman -13 (thru 9)
T3- Rickie Fowler -11 (thru 10)
T3- Hideki Matsuyama -11 (thru 14)
5th- Tommy Fleetwood -10 (thru 10)
Koepka saved par from 8’9” at 13, the only GIR he missed, which buoyed him to a 3-birdie train at 14-16, including an up-and-down 4 from the greenside bunker at 14, a 9-footer at the par-4 15th, which played as the most difficult hole in R4, and culminated his race to the finish with a 16’10” birdie-2 at 16.
Koepka in Majors:
15th Major: 10th top 25 (eighth straight); fifth top 10; fourth straight top 13 or better
Fifth U.S. Open: fourth top 25; fourth straight T18 or better; second top 10 (T4/2014).
Career Best: 1st, 2017 U.S. Open; previously: T4 x2, 2016 PGA Championship (Baltusrol, New Jersey); 2014 U.S. Open (Pinehurst No.2, North Carolina)
Matsuyama, six groups ahead of Koepka, shot the low lap of the day with 66 (eight birdies, two bogeys) to post the clubhouse target of 12-under 276 (74-65-71-66), but would settle for a two-way T2, four back.
The 25-year-old records his eighth top 25 of the season in 15 starts and fifth top 10, all five of the latter are runners-up or better, highlighted by his third and fourth TOUR titles at the WGC-HSBC Champions and the WM Phoenix Open.
It’s his fourth runner-up in 98 career events (93 pro). Matsuyama bumps two places to a career-high 2nd in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR).
Matsuyama in Majors:
19th Major: 10th top 25; sixth top 10; third straight top-11 finish
Fifth U.S. Open: third top 25; second top 10 (T10/2013 debut).
Career Best: T2, 2017 U.S. Open; previously: T4, 2016 PGA Championship (Baltusrol, NJ)
Harman, a 36-hole co-leader and 54-hole leader, cancelled three birdies with three bogeys (two 3-putts) out of the final twosome for 72, finishing T2 on 12-under 276 (67-70-67-72); his first career runner-up in 176 career events (173 pro).
The 30-year-old registers his 11th top 25 of the season in 21 starts, sixth top 10 and third top 3, highlighted by his second TOUR win at the Wells Fargo four starts ago. He jumps 23 spots to a career-high 27th in OWGR.
Harman in Majors:
Ninth Major: first top 25; first cash in three U.S. Open appearances
Career Best: T2, 2017 U.S. Open; previously: T26, 2014 Open Championship (Royal Liverpool, England)
Final Leaderboard:
1st- Brooks Koepka: 67-70-68-67 (-16)
T2- Hideki Matsuyama: 74-65-71-66 (-12)
T2- Brian Harman: 67-70-67-72 (-12)
4th- Tommy Fleetwood: 67-70-68-72 (-11)
T5- Xander Schauffele: 66-73-70-69 (-10)
T5- Bill Haas: 72-68-69-69 (-10)
T5- Rickie Fowler: 65-73-68-72 (-10)
Note: Top 4 (and ties) earned invites to 2018 Masters
Koepka’s Position by Round:
R1: T4
R2: T1
R3: T2
Koepka earns a five-year TOUR exemption; a five-year exemption into the Masters, Open Championship, PGA Championship and THE PLAYERS; a 10-year exemption into the U.S. Open; and an invite to the 2018 SBS Tournament of Champions.
Koepka’s payday: $2,160,000 (up from $1,800,000 last year)
With a Strength of Field rating of 849, Koepka banks 100.00 world-ranking points and jumps 12 places to a career-high 10th in the OWGR.
He earns 600 FedExCup (FEC) points for the victory and vaults 14 spots to a career-high 5th in the FEC standings.
Field Scoring Average:
This was the 117th playing of the U.S. Open and first at Erin Hills.
Par 72 (36-36); first par 72 since 1992 (Pebble Beach)
R1: 73.385 (7,845 yards); longest in U.S. Open history
R2: 73.226 (7,839 yards)
R3: 72.015 (7,818 yards)
R4: 73.926 (7,721 yards)
Total: 73.204
Koepka posted 20.552 SG: Total
Note: 133 sub-par rounds were recorded, breaking the previous record of 124 in 1990 (Medinah).
Koepka’s Key Stats:
1st in SG: Approach-the-Green
1st in GIR
T1 no double bogeys or worse
T1 in 3-putt avoidance
Koepka’s Weekly Stats (ranking of 68 players):
Birdies: 21 (T2)
Bogeys: 5 (T2)
Double Bogeys or Worse: 0 (T1)
Par-3 Scoring: 2.75 (3rd)
Par-4 Scoring: 3.85 (2nd)
Par-5 Scoring: 4.63 (T5)
Driving Distance: 318.1 yards (7th)
Driving Accuracy: 49/56 (T4) at 87.50 percent
GIR: 62/72 (1st) at 86.11 percent; second straight U.S. Open winner No. 1 in GIR
Putts per GIR: 1.758 (20th)
Total Putts: 123 (T51)
Putts by Round: 29-31-32-31
3-Putt Avoidance: (T1) with one
Scrambling: 6/10 (T26) at 60.00 percent
SG: Off-the-Tee: 5.379 (3rd)
SG: Approach-the-Green: 8.466 (1st)
SG: Around-the-Green: -0.404 (45th)
SG: Tee-to-Green: 13.442 (3rd)
SG: Putting: 7.110 (3rd)
Draw:
A total of 66 pros and two amateurs from a field of 142 pros and 14 amateurs made the 36-hole cut of 1-over 145:
35 (of 77) EARLY/late; 1 WD
33 (of 78) LATE/early
Note: Cut at the U.S. Open is top 60 and ties with no 10-shot rule.
11 players finished in the top 10 with SEVEN of those EARLY/late, including the champion and both runners-up:
EARLY/late: Brooks Koepka (1st), Hideki Matsuyama (T2), Brian Harman (T2), Tommy Fleetwood (4th), Rickie Fowler (T5), Charley Hoffman (8th), Brandt Snedeker (T9)
LATE/early: Bill Haas (T5), Xander Schauffele (T5), Trey Mullinax (T9), Justin Thomas (T9)
21 tourneys this season with a traditional draw.
WINNERS:
EARLY/late: 16 (76.1%)
LATE/early: 5
Yahoo! Low Rounds:
R1: Rickie Fowler (65)
R2: Hideki Matsuyama, Chez Reavie (65)
R3: Justin Thomas (63) *U.S. Open record (to par)
R4: Hideki Matsuyama (66)
Bogey-free Rounds:
R1: Rickie Fowler (65), Xander Schauffele (66), Brian Harman (67), Tommy Fleetwood (67)
R2: Hideki Matsuyama (65), Bill Haas (68), Kevin Chappell (70)
R3: Russell Henley (67)
R4: NONE
Leader/co-leaders by Round:
R1: Rickie Fowler; finished T5 (65-73-68-72). Drops to 0-for-4 as 18-hole leader/co-leader.
R2: Paul Casey; finished 26th (66-71-75-74). Drops to 1-for-4 as 36-hole leader/co-leader
R2: Brian Harman; finished T2 (67-70-67-72). Drops to 0-for-1.
R2: Tommy Fleetwood; finished 4th (67-70-68-72). Drops to 0-for-1.
R2: Brooks Koepka; finished 1st (67-70-68-67). Improves to 1-for-3.
R3: Brian Harman; finished T2 (67-70-67-72). Drops to 1-for-3 as 54-hole leader/co-leader.
24 of the Top 25 in OWGR were in the field
13 missed the cut
4 finished in the top 10
48 of the Top 50 in OWGR were in the field
23 missed the cut
9 finished in the top 10:
No. 4 Hideki Matsuyama (T2); top-ranked player to make the cut
No. 9 Rickie Fowler (T5)
No. 13 Justin Thomas (T9)
No. 22 Brooks Koepka (1st)
No. 33 Tommy Fleetwood (4th)
No. 38 Brandt Snedeker (T9)
No. 46 Bill Haas (T5)
No. 50 Brian Harman (T2)
Players in the Top 15 OWGR who MC:
No. 1 Dustin Johnson (75-73); defending champ and odd-fave; SECOND straight MC on TOUR; SECOND straight MC in majors
No. 2 Rory McIlroy (78-71); 2011 champ; first MC on TOUR since 2016 PGA; second straight MC in U.S. Open
No. 3 Jason Day (79-75); first MC in major since 2012 PGA (18 major starts ago)
No. 6 Henrik Stenson (74-74); second straight MC in major
No. 8 Alex Noren (73-77); second straight MC in major; fourth straight MC at U.S. Open
No. 10 Jon Rahm (76-73); first MC in four majors
No. 11 Justin Rose (72-74); second straight MC in U.S. Open; second MC in last 15 major starts
No. 12 Adam Scott (72-75); first MC in major since 2015 PGA (six major starts ago)
Qualified but did not play: No. 23 Phil Mickelson (daughter’s HS graduation); No. 43 Ryan Moore (shoulder)
11 former U.S. Open champs were in the field:
Best finisher: 47-year-old and 2003 champ Jim Furyk with T23 on 3-under 285 (70-74-69-72). His previous six starts on TOUR: MC-MC-MC-MC-MC-MC. Furyk records his 41st top 25 in 86 career majors.
Furyk is in the field at this coming week’s Travelers, where shot a Sunday 58 last year to make TOUR history.
First-timers and/or Rookies:
U.S. Open debuts: 51 (14 made cut)
Top-10 finishers: 2
Major debuts: 34 (10 made cut)
Top-10 finishes: 2
TOUR Rookies: 8 (4 made cut)
Top-10 finishes: 2
Sectional Qualifiers: 78
Top-10 finishes: 2
We’ll combine the above FOUR categories as the two top-10 finishers are the same for all FOUR:
Xander Schauffele: Making his major debut, the 23-year-old was the best of the bunch with a career-tying-best T5 on 10-under 278 (66-73-70-69).
It’s the second time this season in 18 starts that he was low rookie (T24, Wells Fargo). The SDSU alum records his fourth top 25 of the season and second top 10, matching T5 at the opposite-field Sanderson Farms back in October.
He leaps 174 spots in OWGR from No. 352 to a career-high 178th and earns an invite back to the 2018 U.S. Open. Schauffele led the field in par-4 scoring (3.83).
Trey Mullinax: Making his major debut, the 24-year-old posted a career-best T9 on 8-under 280 (71-72-69-68).
It’s his fourth top 25 of the season in 20 starts (second straight) and first career top 10, eclipsing a previous-best T14 at the AT&T Pro-Am back in February.
The Alabama alum, who was paired the first two rounds with Schauffele, vaults 128 places in OWGR from No. 373 to a career-high 245th, and earns an invite to the 118th U.S. Open.
Season Stats:
Consecutive top 10s on TOUR:
Justin Thomas (T9-T4)
Consecutive top-10 streaks ended:
Kevin Kisner (T58-T6-1st)
Leaders in Top-10 Finishes:
Justin Thomas (8 in 16 events)
Jon Rahm (7 in 16 events)
Jordan Spieth (6 in 15)
Dustin Johnson (6 in 12)
Kevin Kisner (6 in 18)
Brian Harman (6 in 21)
Rickie Fowler (6 in 13)
Hideki Matsuyama (5 in 15)
Bud Cauley (5 in 20)
Brooks Koepka (5 in 17)
Graham DeLaet (5 in 17)
Pat Perez (5 in 19)
Updated Top 10 in OWGR (this week’s finish):
1. Dustin Johnson (CUT)
2. Hideki Matsuyama (T2); UP two (career high)
3. Rory McIlroy (CUT); DOWN one
4. Jason Day (CUT); DOWN one
5. Sergio Garcia (T21); UP two
6. Jordan Spieth (T35); DOWN one
7. Henrik Stenson (CUT); DOWN one
8. Alex Noren (CUT); DOWN one
9. Rickie Fowler (T5)
10. Brooks Koepka (Won); UP 12 (career high)
Note: Jon Rahm (CUT), dropped from 10th to 11th.
Updated Top 10 in FedExCup standings (points):
1. Dustin Johnson (2,270)
2. Hideki Matsuyama (2,145); UP one
3. Justin Thomas (2,060); DOWN one
4. Jon Rahm (1,708)
5. Brooks Koepka (1,534); UP 14 (career-high)
6. Jordan Spieth (1,479); DOWN one
7. Kevin Kisner (1,458); DOWN one
8. Rickie Fowler (1,429)
9. Pat Perez (1,426); DOWN two
10. Brian Harman (1,402); UP one
Note: Daniel Berger (CUT), dropped from 10th to 12th.
Season Trends:
18 winners were in their 20s (Koepka’s age: 27)
11 were in their 30s
4 were in their 40s
17 winners had at least one week off prior to their respective wins (Koepka did not)
13 winners had a top-10 finish the start prior (Koepka did not, T37)
4 had a missed cut (Mackenzie Hughes, Si Woo Kim, Billy Horschel (x4), and Jason Dufner.
19 of the 30 winners (minus Match Play and team-Zurich) have emerged out of the FINAL group on Sunday.
The 11 outliers:
Brooks Koepka (U.S. Open): Penultimate twosome, erased 1-shot deficit w/ 5-under 67; won by 4
Daniel Berger (FESJC): Fifth-to-last twosome, erased 3-shot deficit w/ 4-under 66; won by 1
Jason Dufner (Memorial): Third-to-last twosome; erased 4-shot deficit w/ 4-under 68; won by 3
Kevin Kisner (DDI): Penultimate threesome; erased 3-shot deficit w/ 4-under 66; won by 1
Si Woo Kim (PLAYERS): Penultimate twosome; erased 2-shot deficit w/ 3-under 69; won by 3
Brian Harman (Wells Fargo): Third-to-last twosome: erased 2-shot deficit w/ 4-under 68; won by 1
Wesley Bryan (Heritage): Third-to-last twosome: erased 4-shot deficit w/ 4-under 67; won by 1.
Marc Leishman (API): Penultimate twosome: erased 3-shot deficit w/ 3-under 69; won by 1.
Hideki Matsuyama (WMPO): Penultimate threesome: erased 4-shot deficit w/ 5-under 66; won in playoff.
Jon Rahm (Farmers): Fifth-to-last threesome: erased 3-shot deficit w/ 7-under 65; won by 3.
Brendan Steele (Safeway): Third-to-last threesome: erased 4-shot deficit w/ 7-under 65; won by 1.
54-hole leaders/co-leaders performance (minus team-Zurich):
Converted: Hideki Matsuyama (WGC-HSBC), Mackenzie Hughes (RSM Classic), Justin Thomas (SBS TOC), Justin Thomas (Sony), Jordan Spieth (AT&T Pro-Am), Dustin Johnson (Genesis), Rickie Fowler (Honda), Adam Hadwin (Valspar), Sergio Garcia (Masters), Kevin Chappell (VTO)
Failed: Patton Kizzire (Safeway), Anirban Lahiri (CIMB), Luke List, Chris Kirk (Sanderson Farms), Lucas Glover (Shriners), Gary Woodland (OHL), Adam Hadwin (CareerBuilder), Patrick Rodgers, Brandt Snedeker (FIO), Byeong Hun An (WMPO), Justin Thomas (WGC-Mexico), Kevin Kisner, Charley Hoffman (API), Chris Stroud (PRO), Sung Kang (SHO), Justin Rose (co-Masters), Jason Dufner (Heritage), Patrick Reed (Wells Fargo), J.B. Holmes, Kyle Stanley (PLAYERS), James Hahn (Byron Nelson), Webb Simpson (DDI), Daniel Summerhays (Memorial), Rafa Cabrera Bello, Stewart Cink, Ben Crane (FESJC), Brian Harman (U.S. Open)
Note: Harman was the 13th player this season to hold a one-shot lead thru 54 holes. Only two have converted: Chappell (VTO) and Hughes (RSM).
Minus the Zurich (team), 54-hole leaders/co-leaders have failed to convert the last seven. Most recent to get across the finish line: Chappell (VTO).
Up Next:
The TOUR heads to Cromwell, Connecticut, for the Travelers at TPC River Highlands (par 70).
Russell Knox is the defending champion, erasing a three-shot deficit with 2-under 68 to beat runner-up Jerry Kelly by one.
It was Knox’s second TOUR title in his 110th career start and second of the season.
Stay tuned to this space for all the latest player news and analysis as the TOUR readies for its 33rd tournament of the season (of 47).
