100th PGA Championship
St. Louis, MO
Making his 100th career start, overnight leader and World No. 4 Brooks Koepka fired a 4-under-par 33-33=66 in Sunday’s final round at Bellerive Country Club for a four-day tally of 16-under 264, good for a two-shot victory over runner-up Tiger Woods, his fourth PGA TOUR title and sets the new aggregate scoring record at the PGA, previously 265 (15-under) by David Toms in 2001 (Atlantic Athletic Club).
The 28-year-old, a pre-tourney 16/1 outright, bags his third major title in 20 tries, second this season, and becomes just the fifth player in history to win both the U.S. Open and the PGA in the same year, first since Woods in 2000.
In a truly remarkable and impressive display of grit, power, touch and class, Koepka fended off a host of the world’s elite, including childhood idols Woods and playing competitor Adam Scott, who opened and ended with bogey-5s for 67 and solo 3rd, three adrift.
For the week, Koepka ranked No. 1 in driving distance (all drives) at 307.0 yards, T2 in scrambling and T3 in total putts. #Lethal
2018 Major Recap/Winners:
Masters (9-under 279): Patrick Reed (50/1): OWGR: #24; Age: 27; 1st major win 17th major appearance; won by 1; Runner-up: Rickie Fowler
U.S. Open (1-over 281): Brooks Koepka (25/1): OWGR: #9; Age: 28; 2nd major win in 18th major; won by 1; Runner-up: Tommy Fleetwood
The Open (8-under 276): Francesco Molinari (25/1): OWGR: #15; Age: 35; 1st in 36th major; won by 2; Runners-up: Justin Rose, Rory McIlroy, Kevin Kisner, Xander Schauffele
PGA Championship (16-under 264): Brooks Koepka (16/1): OWGR: #4; Age: 28; 3rd in 20th major; won by 2; Runner-up: Tiger Woods
FUN FACT: All four majors were won by Nike-clad athletes.
Final Leaderboard (pre-tourney odds outright):
1- (-16) Brooks Koepka (16/1)
2- (-14) Tiger Woods (20/1)
3- (-13) Adam Scott (80/1)
4- (-11) Stewart Cink (200/1)
4- (-11) Jon Rahm (22/1)
Koepka’s Position by Round:
R1: T33 (5 back)
R2: T3 (2 back)
R3: 1
Leader/co-leaders by Round:
R1: Gary Woodland (finished T6): 0-for-3 as 18-hole leader/co-leader
R2: Gary Woodland (finished T6): 0-for-3 as 36-hole leader/co-leader
R3: Brooks Koepka (Won): 2-for-4 as 54-hole leader/co-leader
Note: Koepka is 2-for-2 in majors. He won this year’s U.S. Open as a 54-hole quad-leader.
After kicking off with 69, PGA record-tying 63 and 66, Koepka began with a two-shot lead over Scott on 12-under, four clear of Woods, who began T6.
He was tied, on a few occasions, but never gave up the lead, and it was apparent from the get-go that he would not be backing down.
Moments after a huge Tiger roar reverberated from the par-3 third, Koepka calmly birdied the first from 8’2”. He then squared back to backs at holes 4 (3-putt from 68’4”) and 5 (failed scramble), allowing defending champ Justin Thomas -- four groups ahead -- to match him on 11-under after his third birdie of the round at 7.
Koepka righted the ship with birdie-3 at 7 from 10'6" to regain the lead, while Thomas, after 3-jacking 9 from 7'4" -- turning a birdie into a momentum-killing bogey-5 -- bounced back with birdies at 10 and 11, including an improbable 3 from the hillside at the drivable par-4 11th, to tie Koepka on 12-under. Seconds later, Koepka would snatch the top spot back with birdie-4 at 8 for back-to-back circles.
Thomas, who arrived off his third win of the season at last week’s WGC-Bridgestone, was attempting to become the first back-to-back PGA champ since Woods in ’06-’07. He faded down the stretch, however, playing his final seven holes in birdie-less 2-over for 68 and T6, six adrift. Thomas does record his TOUR-leading 16th top 25 of the season in 19 starts.
Meanwhile, playing out of the third-to-last twosome with first- and second-round leader Gary Woodland (69), four-time past PGA champ Woods, age 42, had been working the massive St. Louis crowds into an absolute frenzy. He painted a masterful, day-tying-low 64 (8 birdies, 2 bogeys), including four back-nine birdies, but never reached Koepka after beginning the day four shots back.
Woods got to within one after his fifth and sixth birdie of the round at 12 and 13, but an errant drive at 14 led to bogey-5. He rebounded with a kick-in birdie-3 at 15, after sticking his approach from 164 yards to 12 inches, and was back to within one again of now-co-leaders Scott and Koepka, but another wayward tee ball led to just a par at the par-5 17th, having to save from 8'11".
Woods walked off with birdie-3 at 18 from 19'1" but would come up two swings short. In his 80th major, he records his seventh runner-up, first since solo 2nd at the 2009 PGA (Hazeltine; MN). It’s also Woods’ 31st runner-up in 342 career events, second this season in 14 starts (T2, Valspar). After opening 3-over thru his first two holes and clawing back for an even-par 70, he was T48 after Day 1. The 14-time major winner finished 66-66-64 (196), his lowest score across 54 holes of a major (by four shots). In R4, he conjured five (of 14) fairways, -1.034 SG: Off-the-Tee, but gained 3.871 on approach and 2.216 with the flat stick, needing just 23 total putts. Woods was No. 1 for the day in SG: Approach and Total Putts.
Back to the champion...
Koepka would polish off an outward 2-under 33 with a third consecutive circle at 9 (from a fairway bunker), penciling birdie-3 from 7’3”, now 14-under total.
Pars at 10 and 11 and a missed birdie at 12 (from 7’6”) left him just one clear of Woods, who two groups ahead, circled 13 to move to 5-under on the day and 13-under total.
Koepka missed birdie again at 13 (from 6’8”), while Scott, not to be forgotten, canned his fifth birdie of the round, fifth in his last seven holes, from 6’7” to match Koepka on 14-under.
Like we learned at Shinnecock Hills two months ago -- en route to back-to-back U.S. Open titles -- Koepka takes it up another notch when challenged and did so again on Sunday.
He seized sole possession back with birdie-3 at 15 (from 10’0”) and increased the margin with a 2 at the 248-yard par-3 16th, after a laser 4-iron to 6’7”. #GameOver
The Florida State product finished par-par, missing birdie at 17 from 6’4” and a two-putt clincher at the last, not even waiting for Scott to finish out from 2’2” (for bogey). He was ready to win right then and there.
In all, the Florida native and resident hit nine (of 14) fairways, seven of those with drives of 326 yards, 328, 332, 300, 334, 338 and 324 yards, respectively.
He landed 14 greens in regulation, outpacing two bogeys with six birdies and took 28 total putts. In total, Koepka tallied 22 birdies against four bogeys and one double and was T1 in par-4 scoring and 1st in the All-Around. See his full stats at the bottom.
This was Koepka’s sixth PGA and sixth cash. After a T70 on debut in 2013 (Oak Hill; NY), he’s now ripped off five straight top-15 finishes, including three top 5s, and betters a T4 in 2016 (Baltusrol; NJ).
Koepka at the PGA:
Starts: 6
Cuts Made: 6
Top 25s: 5 (five straight)
Top 10s: 3
Top 5s: 3
Wins: 1
Overall, this was Koepka’s 14th top 25 in 20 majors, eighth top 10 and third win. After missing his first two cuts at the 2012 U.S. Open and 2013 Open, he’s now made 18 cuts in a row and claims his third major in the last seven majors played and third in the last six that he’s played in. Koepka becomes the fifth American to win 3+ majors before age 29, joining Woods (8), Nicklaus (7), Watson, T (3) and Spieth (3).
The scary part is he proved – once again – that he can win majors in any fashion.
Koepka won last year’s U.S. Open by four (Erin Hills; WI) with a record-tying-score (to par) at 16-under (272). He slugged it out at this year’s U.S. Open, closing with an inconsequential bogey-5 for a one-shot win on 1-OVER 281, becoming the first winner on TOUR with an over-par, 72-hole score since 2013 U.S. Open winner Justin Rose, who also finished 1-over (Merion; PA).
Koepka’s Major Career:
Starts: 20
Cuts Made: 18
Consecutive Cuts Made: 18
Top 25s: 14
Top 10s: 8
Wins: 3
Major Form: 1-39-1-13-6-1
Koepka’s 2018 Majors:
Masters: DNP (wrist)
U.S. Open: Won
The Open: T39
PGA: Won
Koepka won two of the three majors he played in this season. Remarkable. Astonishing really, considering he missed nearly four months (15 weeks) with injury.
He first reported the wrist injury in December at the Hero World Challenge (Tiger’s non-official tourney) where he finished 18th (LAST). Five weeks later, he gave it a go at the Sentry TOC and finished 34th (LAST). Two weeks later on January 19th, the week of the CareerBuilder, he revealed a torn wrist tendon.
As a result, Koepka couldn’t play the Masters and didn’t make his next start until the end of April at the Zurich, where he missed the cut teamed with Marc Turnesa.
Koepka finished 11th at THE PLAYERS, 2nd at Fort Worth, won the U.S. Open as defending champ, finished 39th at The Open, and 5th at last week’s WGC-Bridgestone.
Season Form: 1-5-MC-39-19-1-30-2-11-42-MC(team)-34-18-2
24
24 (of 42) winners this season had a top-25 finish the start prior (57.1%):
Koepka? Yes: 5th (WGC-BI)
14
14 (of 42) winners this season had a top-10 finish the start prior (33.3%)
Koepka? Yes: 5th (WGC-BI)
FUN FACT: Koepka is the 32nd straight winner this season with either 0 or 1 week off prior to their wins. In total, 38 (of 42) non-team event winners fall into this category. #NoLongLayoffsPlease
With the two wins, Koepka becomes the season’s eighth multiple champion, joining 3-time winners Bubba Watson, Dustin Johnson and Justin Thomas, and 2-time champs Patton Kizzire, Jason Day, Justin Rose and Francesco Molinari.
Unless something dramatic happens during the FedExCup Playoffs, Koepka is a near-shoe-in for Player of the Year honors. You’re not expected to win two majors in a year, especially after being injured, and Koepka is just the 33rd player all time to do it. Jordan Spieth had been the most recent, claiming the 2015 Masters and U.S. Open en route to POY, and later won the TOUR Championship and the FedExCup.
With 600 FEC points earned, Koepka jumps nine spots to a career-high 3rd in the standings and with a Strength of Field rating of 912, banks 100.00 world-ranking points and bumps two places to a career-high 2nd in OWGR, just 0.3068 average points behind No. 1 Dustin Johnson.
FEC: 3rd (UP nine); career high
OWGR: 2nd (UP two); career high
Ryder Cup: 1st (UP one)
Koepka’s Season:
Season Starts: 13
Cuts Made: 11
Top 25s: 7
Top 10s: 5
Top 3s: 4
Wins: 2
Koepka’s Career:
Starts: 100 (99 pro)
Cuts Made: 82
Top 25s: 50
Top 10s: 29
Top 3s: 13
Wins: 4
Wins by Season:
2018: 2 (PGA; U.S. Open)
2017: 1 (U.S. Open)
2016: 0
2015: 1 (WM Phoenix Open)
2014: 0 (Special Temporary Member)
Field Scoring Average:
This was the 100th PGA, second at Bellerive. Nick Price (1992) won the first edition on 6-under 278 when it played as a par 71:
Scorecard Yardage: 7,316
Par: 70 (35-35)
Cumulative scoring averages:
R1: 71.38
R2: 69.59 (contested over two days)
R3: 69.50
R4: 69.34
Total: 70.13
Koepka: 69-63-66-66 for 15.809 SG: Total
Note: Due to inclement weather, 77 players (PM wave) had to complete their second rounds on Saturday morning, Koepka not included, who was LATE/early.
Draw:
A total of 80 players (79 and 1 club pro) from a field of 156 players (136 and 20 club pros) made the 36-hole cut of even-par 140:
40 (of 77) EARLY/late; 1 WD (HaoTong Li)
40 (of 78) LATE/early
11 players finished in the top 10:
EARLY/late (4):
Tiger Woods (2nd); Stewart Cink (T4); Justin Thomas (T6); Rafa Cabrera Bello (T10)
LATE/early (7):
Brooks Koepka (Won); Adam Scott (3rd); Jon Rahm (T4); Thomas Pieters (T6); Francesco Molinari (T6); Gary Woodland (T6); Tyrrell Hatton (T10)
31
31 (of 42 non-team) tourneys this season with a traditional draw:
Winners:
EARLY/late: 15
LATE/early: 16 (Koepka)
FUN FACT: Koepka is the first LATE/early winner of the PGA since Rory McIlroy in 2014.
Field Breakdown & Top-10 Finishes:
OWGR field average: 339
Finished in the Top 10: 11 players
OWGR average of Top-10 finishers: 38
24 of the Top 25 in OWGR were in the field
5 finished in the top 10
No. 2 Justin Thomas (T6); defender
No. 4 Brooks Koepka (Won); reigning U.S. Open champ
No. 6 Francesco Molinari (T6); reigning Open champ
No. 7 Jon Rahm (T4)
No. 25 Tyrrell Hatton (T10)
49 of the Top 50 OWGR
7 finished in the top 10
No. 30 Rafa Cabrera Bello (T10)
No. 44 Gary Woodland (T6)
Other Top-10 Finishers:
No. 51 Tiger Woods (2nd)
No. 71 Thomas Pieters (T6)
No. 76 Adam Scott (3rd)
No. 99 Stewart Cink (T4)
Other Notables:
No. 1 Dustin Johnson (T27)
No. 3 Justin Rose (T19)
No. 5 Rory McIlroy (T50)
No. 8 Jordan Spieth (T12)
No. 9 Rickie Fowler (T12)
No. 10 Jason Day (T19)
No. 11 Tommy Fleetwood (T35)
No. 12 Patrick Reed (CUT); reigning Masters champ
Low Rounds:
R1: 64: Gary Woodland
R2: 63: Brooks Koepka, Charl Schwartzel
R3: 65: Adam Scott
R4: 64: Tiger Woods, Rafa Cabrera Bello; Tyrrell Hatton
Bogey-free Rounds:
R1: (4): Pat Perez (67); Hideki Matsuyama (68); Keegan Bradley (69); Emiliano Grillo (69)
R2: (8): Brooks Koepka (63); Shane Lowry (64); Russell Henley (65); Thomas Pieters (66); Jordan Spieth (66); Rory McIlroy (67); Jon Rahm 67); Alexander Levy (67-MC)
R3: (3): Jon Rahm (66); Daniel Berger (66); Ben Kern – CP (67)
R4: (3): Rafa Cabrera Bello (64); Tyrrell Hatton (64); Francesco Molinari (67)
Multiple Bogey-free Rounds (1 player):
Rahm (x2)
Player Spotlights:
Adam Scott, World No. 76: playing with a heavy heart due to countryman Jacob Lyle’s recent passing, the 38-year-old, in on a special invite from the PGA of America, began solo 2nd, the first time he’s been in the top 10 thru 54 holes since 7th at the 2017 Masters (27 starts ago). He records just his second top 10 of the season in 18 starts (T9, Byron Nelson) and first top 10 in a major since T9 at the 2017 Masters seven major starts ago. The Aussie’s major record this season: 3rd, T17 (The Open); CUT (U.S. Open); T32 (Masters).
Season Form: 3-57-17-MC-35-52-9
FEC: 70th (UP 49)
OWGR: 45th (UP 31)
Gary Woodland, World No. 44: first- and second-round leader, his first lead/co-leads of the season other than T1 after R4 at the WM Phoenix, which he won in extra time. Began T3, three back, after progressively worse laps of 64-66-71. First time in the top 10 thru 54 holes since T8 at the WMPO (16 starts ago). Records his sixth top 25 in 28 majors and first top 10.
Season Form: 6-17-22-67-53-36-23-MC-MC-MC-MC
Major Form: 6-67-36-MC
FEC: 32nd (UP five)
OWGR: 39th (UP five)
Tiger Woods, World No. 51: four-time past champ and last back-to-back PGA winner (’06 & ’07), began T3, four back. Searching for first TOUR win since the 2013 WGC-Bridgestone (38 starts ago) and his first major title since the 2008 U.S. Open (28 major starts ago), settled for his ninth top 25 of the season in 14 starts, fifth top 10 and fourth top 5. Fresh in our memory was Woods charging to a share of the lead Sunday at The Open and then was the sole-leader after 10 holes before fading to T6. He records his first back-to-back top 10s in majors since three in a row at the 2009 PGA (2nd), the 2010 Masters (T4), and the 2010 U.S. Open (T4).
Season Form: 2-31-6-4-MC-23-11
Major Form: 2-6-MC-32
FEC: 20th (UP 47)
OWGR: 26th (UP 25)
Ryder Cup: 11th (UP nine)
Odds Favorite(s) Outright:
Dating to the beginning of the 2016-17 season (136 events), the pre-tourney fave/co-fave has won 10 times.
This Season:
42 (non-team) tournaments
4 pre-tourney fave/co-faves won:
Dustin Johnson: 11/2 (Canadian Open)
Dustin Johnson: 6/1 (St. Jude)
Jon Rahm: 8/1 (CareerBuilder)
Justin Thomas: 15/2 (CJ CUP)
Johnson, the pre-tourney 8/1 fave, was T5 thru 36 holes, three back, but fell to T21, seven back, with a R3 72 that needed three birdies in his final four holes. He didn’t make a birdie on Moving Day until his 15th hole. The 34-year-old, who checked off a 3-1 run, couldn’t get anything going on Sunday, wrapping with an up-and-down 69 (5 birdies, 4 bogeys) for T27, 10 adrift.
Season Form: 27-3-1-MC-3-1-8-17-16-10-59-7-16-2-1-2
Major Form: 27-MC-3-10
FEC: 1st (no change)
OWGR: 1st (no change)
Ryder Cup: 2nd (DOWN 1)
Koepka’s Weekly Stats (ranking of 80 players):
Birdies: 22 (3rd)
Bogeys: 4 (T2)
Double Bogeys: 1 (T36)
Par-3 Scoring: 2.94 (T20)
Par-4 Scoring: 3.81 (T1)
Par-5 Scoring: 4.25 (T3)
Driving Distance (all drives): 307.0 yards (1st)
Driving Accuracy: 41/56 (T14) at 73.21%
GIR: 54/72 (T15) at 75.00%
Proximity to Hole: 30’6” (16th)
Putts per GIR: 1.630 (3rd)
Total Putts: 109 (T3)
Putts by Round: 31-25-25-28
Scrambling: 14/18 (T2) at 77.78%
All Around: 1st
SG: Off-the-Tee: 5.879 (2nd)
SG: Approach-the-Green: 5.889 (9th)
SG: Around-the-Green: -0.019 (44th)
SG: Putting: 4.061 (18th)
SG: Tee-to-Green: 11.749 (2nd)
