Gary Woodland denies Brooks Koepka history and wins the U.S. Open

Gary Woodland’s clutch shots on the back-nine help him hold off Brooks Koepka and win his first major championship at the U.S. Open

Standing on the 14th fairway at Pebble Beach during the final round of the 119th U.S. Open, Gary Woodland had a decision to make: go for the green on the par-five from 264 yards out or lay up and try to make birdie from the fairway.

The 35-year-old Kansas native, though, didn’t get to this point, 11-under and with the lead on the back-nine looking for his first major championship, by playing it safe. He took out his 3-wood and pounded it, the ball barely clearing the bunker at the front of the green and settling on the hill just to the left of the pin. From there he had an easy up-and-in for birdie to get to 12-under and could let out a sigh of relief that what might be the shot of his life just brought him closer to the U.S. Open title.

Woodland finished with a round of two-under 69 on Sunday, ending the tournament at 13-under, a Pebble Beach record, to win by three over two-time defending champion Brooks Koepka. His total was one shot better than Tiger Woods when he won by 15 shots in 2000, and he set a U.S. Open record by making only four bogeys the entire week.

Woodland, the 25th ranked player in the world, came into the final round with a one-shot lead but was surrounded on the leaderboard by some of the world’s best. Justin Rose, No. 4 in the world, was in second. Rory McIlroy, the third-ranked player, was five behind. Then there was World No. 1 Koepka, who was looking to become the first three-peat U.S. Open champion in 114 years.

Add to that the fact that Woodland was 0-7 in his career converting 54-hole leads. But he showed early he wasn’t daunted by the challenge awaiting him on Sunday at Pebble Beach. After Rose opened with a birdie to tie the lead, Woodland responded by making birdie on two of his first three holes. He dropped a shot at the ninth, but still held a two-shot lead making the turn.

Koepka, meanwhile, began his charge up the leaderboard. He birdied the first, then ran off three birdies in a row from holes three to five. Suddenly he was just two behind Woodland, his third U.S. Open title within sight.

If Woodland became nervous watching Koepka move up, he didn’t show it. On the 11th hole, his tee shot went well right into thick rough, but he managed to muscle out a wedge to 13 feet and saved par. Then there was the birdie on the 14th, the same hole he made a miraculous par on Saturday.

The 17th hole, a long par-three, has been the scene of some of the most iconic moments in Pebble Beach history. It was there that Jack Nicklaus hit his 1-iron in 1972, and where Tom Watson chipped in from the rough to beat Jack ten years later. Woodland stepped to the tee there on Sunday and hit a shot that looked like it would put his lead in jeopardy. His approach went too far to the right, on the fringe 90 feet away from the hole. Forced to chip because of the ridge dividing the green, Woodland came up with a superb shot to two feet and tapped in for par.

When Koepka failed to birdie the par-five 18th, Woodland now only needed to avoid double bogey in order to win the championship. This time he did play safe, hitting iron off the tee and laying up on his second shot into the fairway. His third shot was safely 30 feet to the right of the flag. He then put a capstone on his victory by holing the putt, raising both his arms in the air before letting out a big fist pump and looking up into the heavens.

The taste of victory is sweet for Woodland because he knows what loss feels like. Two years ago he was about to become a father for the first time to twins. The week of the Dell Technologies-Match Play event, however, he pulled out of the event and later revealed the sad news: one of the babies had miscarried. Son Jaxson was born 10 weeks early but survived. Woodland and his wife, Gabby, are now expecting twin girls this summer, and the proud father now gets to celebrate Father’s Day by bringing home a trophy to his son.

Koepka gave Woodland his best shot on Sunday, but his quest for the three-peat came up three shots short. He finished in solo second place at 10-under after a round of 68 and is now the only golfer in U.S. Open history to shoot five straight rounds in the 60s. Rose struggled and shot 74, finishing in a tie for third place at seven-under with Jon Rahm, Xander Schauffele and Chez Reavie.

But this U.S. Open belongs to Woodland, who held the lead every step of the way since Friday. This weekend he held off challenges from the best players in the world but showed the poise needed to become a major champion. He’s now part of the pantheon of golfers to win at Pebble Beach, joining Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Tom Kite, Tiger Woods and Graeme McDowell. He earned every bit of it on Sunday.