Brooks Koepka won his third PGA Championship on Sunday and brought the first Grand Slam category victory to the LIV Golf circuit, financed by Saudi Arabia. The American finished with a cumulative 271 strokes (nine under par) and a two-stroke lead over the runners-up, Norway’s Viktor Hovland and Scottie Scheffler, who, by sharing second place, snatched the world number one spot from Jon Rahm.
Koepka, who has a total of five majors wins, was one of the leading figures to leave the PGA last year to join LIV Golf and the first to lift a Grand Slam trophy as a member of the criticized Saudi circuit. “It’s incredible, I’m not even sure I dreamed as a kid that I would win this many,” Koepka congratulated himself.
The 33-year-old American thus returned to the top after a four-year Grand Slam trophy drought and a series of injuries. “I look back at where we were two years ago. I’m so happy right now. I have no words. But this is the coolest thing,” he said.
After two fierce days of rain and wind, the sun returned to the fearsome Oak Hill course on Sunday to light up the battle for the second major of the year. Koepka had started the final day as the lone leader with a one-stroke lead over Hovland and Canadian Corey Conners.
The stocky Florida golfer got off to a formidable start with three birdies in the first four holes, but then stumbled with two straight bogeys and found himself back in a one-stroke lead over Hovland to start the second half of the round.
Unlike the last Masters of Augusta, in April, where he succumbed in the final stretch to Rahm, Koepka kept his composure this time and imposed his experience against Hovland, one of the most promising golfers but who has not yet won a major. The Norwegian fell out of contention for the title with a double bogey on the 16th hole, which allowed Scheffler, the world number two, to catch him in second place.
The scenario most feared by the PGA materialized on Sunday in Rochester with the triumph of one of the players who “defected” to join LIV Golf, the new circuit that was launched in 2022. The PGA vetoed from its events all players recruited by LIV Golf, which convinced some of the biggest names in the sport with guaranteed contracts, the largest prize purses in golf history and shorter tournaments, 54 holes instead of the traditional 72.
This format had generated suspicions that its members might suffer from a lack of competitiveness when competing in the Grand Slams.
Critics of LIV Golf see this competition as an attempt by the Riyadh government to launder its regime’s international image and cover up accusations of human rights violations through sport. Thus, with the PGA and LIV Golf locked in a legal battle, the Grand Slam tournaments are their only arena of sporting competition.
At the Augusta Masters there were already three representatives of the Saudi circuit in the top six. Koepka, second on that occasion behind Rahm, redeemed himself on Sunday at Oak Hill by winning the third PGA Championship of his career, following triumphs in 2018 and 2019.
Only Tiger Woods, the great absentee of this edition due to a new operation on his right leg, Jack Nicklaus and Walter Hagen surpass Koepka in the list of winners of this event, whose last non-American winner was the Australian Jason Day in 2015.
Before the candidates appeared on the course, Rahm, number one in world golf at the beginning of the tournament, closed his participation with another disappointing round of 71 strokes (+1) for a final total of 287 (+7), which placed him in 50th place.
Rahm narrowly missed the cut on Friday and never had a chance to fight for Spain’s first PGA Championship win. “This is a terrible stage and exposes a lot of your weaknesses. In other tournaments we played throughout the year I think I could have had a good finish. But not here,” Rahm lamented.
Apart from the fight for the title, this PGA Championship will also be remembered for the extraordinary participation of the American Michael Block, who teaches golf at a public club in Mission Viejo (California) Block, 46, entered the tournament by invitation and as the days went by he became the great sensation at Oak Hill, where he comfortably made the cut and reached the top-10. This Sunday he finished in 15th place, well ahead of number one Rahm, and earned the invitation to return to the tournament in 2024.
The Professor capped his lesson on Sunday with a spectacular ‘ace’ (hole-in-one) with a 138-yard drive on the 15th hole. “No, it can’t be. Rory, did it go in?” asked a stunned Block to former world number one Rory McIlroy, his round partner, amid the jubilation of the fans at Oak Hill.
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