U.S. Open 2017: Brooks Koepka makes history at Erin Hills

Brooks Koepka ran away with the 117th U.S. Open and made some history in the process.

Brooks Koepka tied the U.S. Open scoring record with a brilliant 67 in the final round of the 117th U.S. Open to finish at 16-under, tying the mark set by Rory McIlroy at Congressional in 2011.

Playing in the penultimate group alongside Tommy Fleetwood, the 27-year-old entered Sunday’s final round in a three-way tie for second at 11-under, one shot behind 54-hole leader Brian Harman, but was the only one in the final four that could get things going on a tough scoring day at Erin Hills.

Koepka got off to a hot start with a birdie at the first and followed it up with another at the par-4 second after hitting his short second shot to within three feet of the cup. He parred the next five holes before adding another birdie at the eighth to get to 14-under for the tournament. He went out in 33 after a par at the ninth but gave one back at the 10th, his first bogey on the back nine all week.

After pars at 11, 12 and 13, Brooks Koepka slammed the door on the rest of the field with a birdie on the 14th after a great third shot from the sand, another at the 15th after hitting his approach shot to about 10 feet and holed a beautiful right-to-left putt on 16 for his third consecutive birdie to get to 16-under. A par at 17 left him needing a birdie at the last to break McIlroy’s record and after striping a 379-yard drive down the fairway on the long par-5 finishing hole, he left a 3-wood just short of the green and his ensuing chip left him some 40 feet from the hole. He lagged up, tapped in for par and promptly pumped his fist, clinching his first major championship and tying the 72-hole scoring record at 16-under.

Hideki Matsuyama made a big charge up the leaderboard with eight birdies against two bogeys on the day to get to 12-under and he seemed to have a fighting chance until Koepka went on his birdie run. Third-round leader Brian Harman made just one birdie in his opening nine and while he made two more on the back side, bogeys at 12 and 13 killed any chance he had to win. Another bogey at the 18th gave him a tie for second with Matsuyama.

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Justin Thomas, who fired a record-breaking 63 on Saturday, got in trouble early with three bogeys in his first five holes and could never recover, finishing with a 3-over 75 to finish in a tie for ninth. Tommy Fleetwood played a solid, even-par round of 72 but he just couldn’t get the important putts to drop and fan favorite Rickie Fowler stumbled in the final round of a major yet again and will have to wait a month for another chance to shake the “best player without a major” moniker that’s plagued him for a few years now.

Scottie Scheffler took low-amateur honors, finishing in a tie for 27th at 1-under, one shot better than Cameron Champ.

The win for Brooks Koepka will move him up 12 spots from No. 22 to No. 10 in the Official World Golf Ranking.

Here’s the players who automatically qualified for the 2018 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills.

U.S. Open Top 10 and ties

1. Brooks Koepka (-16)
T2. Hideki Matsuyama (-12)
T2. Brian Harman (-12)
4. Tommy Fleetwood (-11)
T5. Xander Schuaffele (-10)
T5. Bill Haas (-10)
T5. Rickie Fowler (-10)
8. Charley Hoffman (-9)
T9. Trey Mullinax (-8)
T9. Brandt Snedeker (-8)
T9. Justin Thomas (-8)

Next: Top 10 clutch shots in U.S. Open history

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