With 3rd major, Brooks Koepka can’t be ignored any longer

While the crowd was cheering on Tiger Woods, it was Brooks Koepka who walked away with the Wanamaker Trophy and his third major championship.

If the large crowd at Bellerive Country Club on Sunday wanted to see a player overpower the golf course, they were following the wrong group.

Tiger Woods attracted the crowds, but Brooks Koepka got the trophy. The 28-year-old held off challenges from both Woods and playing partner Adam Scott to win the PGA Championship by two shots for his third major championship and second this season.

Koepka came into the final round with a two-shot advantage over Scott and four ahead of Woods, but it would not be an easy path to the win. Two early bogeys and he fell into a tie for the lead with defending champion Justin Thomas. Scott birdied both 12 and 13 to tie for the lead. Woods, meanwhile, was back to his former self, birding the ninth from the trees before getting within one after another birdie at the 13th.

As Woods was making his Sunday charge the crowds followed, rooting him on for every shot. Two groups behind Woods, Koepka played in what seemed like total anonymity. Koepka couldn’t be blamed for having a chip on his rather massive shoulders. After all, Woods hasn’t won a major in 10 years; Koepka’s last major was two months ago, at the U.S. Open.

But he was never rattled, continuing to push along as challengers rose and then fell. After being caught by Thomas, he birdied three holes in a row starting on the seventh, including a great approach from a fairway bunker on nine. When Scott caught up, Koepka hit his second shot to 10 feet on the 15th for a birdie to retake sole possession of the lead, then rifled an approach to the long par-three 16th to six feet for another birdie.

That gave him a two-shot lead with just two holes to play. Still, with that lead going to the 18th, Koepka wasn’t about to let up with his long drives now. A massive 325-yard drive down the fairway erased any hope Scott and Woods had.

Koepka finished with a four-under round of 66 and a new PGA Championship record 264, 16-under for the tournament.

He understands the fascination of the fans with Woods. After all, the 14-time major winner is trying to win his first tournament since back injuries threatened to end his career. But Koepka admits that hearing the roars from the gallery every time Woods made a putt forced him to play better himself, knowing that Woods was right behind him.

“I think other than me, my team, everybody was rooting for Tiger. I mean, as they should,” Koepka said at his post-victory press conference. “He’s probably the greatest player to play the game. To have the comeback he’s having is incredible. Even when you’re playing, it’s still pretty neat. It kind of pushes you to step up your game. You have to, because you know he’s right there if you fall.”

Koepka is crafting his own comeback story as well. A wrist injury sidelined him for four months earlier this season and forced him to miss the Masters. With now two majors in the past 56 days, even he can’t believe what he has accomplished this year.

“When I look at what I’ve done in the past two months, it’s incredible,” he said. “Looking where I was, sitting on my couch watching the Masters, and to think I would do this, I would have laughed at you and told you there was no way, no chance.”

Koepka isn’t one of the bigger stars on tour, at least not until this week. He’s used to being overshadowed by his peers. On Saturday, he was working out with frequent exercise partner Dustin Johnson and saw how people approached Johnson while leaving him alone. This despite the fact Koepka has three majors to Johnson’s one.

“Everybody wanted a picture with Dustin. They were talking about him as we left and I was just standing there laughing. They were like, did you see that No. 1 player in the world was here,” Koepka said, via Newsday.

If Koepka keeps winning majors at this pace, he won’t be ignored much longer. He is now only the fifth American with three majors by the age of 28 since 1945, joining Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Jordan Spieth and Woods. He is the first player since Woods in 2000 to win both the U.S. Open and PGA Championship in the same season. His two majors on the year make it almost a certainty he will win PGA Player of the Year honors.

Koepka isn’t thinking about where this third major puts him in terms of golf’s echelon, however. When asked if this win makes him one of the top players, his answer was short and to the point: “Hope so.”

By the time Koepka tapped in on 18, his win already ensured, the crowd was largely subdued. They had spent most of the past few hours cheering on Woods. Their adoration for Woods is based on what he has done in the past. Koepka’s dominance is happening right now, and surely well into the future.