Brooks Koepka secures maiden major with US Open win
Brooks Koepka continued the run of maiden major winners with an impressive four-stroke victory at the US Open.
The world No 22 birdied three of his final five holes to shoot a five-under 67 at Erin Hills to pull clear of overnight leader Brian Harman and the chasing pack.
Koepka finished the week on 16 under, equalling the lowest 72-hole total in the tournament’s history set by Rory McIlroy in 2011, with Hideki Matsuyama firing a round-of-the-day 66 to grab a share of second spot.
A final-hole bogey saw Harman join Matsuyama on 12 under, with Tommy Fleetwood in fourth spot after a level-par 72.
Koepka began the day a shot off the pace but moved up the leaderboard with a two-putt birdie at the first, before rolling in from four feet at the next to grab the outright advantage.
Rickie Fowler holed a 20-foot gain at the first and missed from close range at the next, as Harman holed a 30-footer at the third to grab a share of the lead.
Three bogeys in a four-hole stretch from Justin Thomas saw him slip out of contention and Fleetwood dropped a shot after running off the sixth green, putting Koepka and Harman three clear.
Koepka drained a 35-footer at the eighth but missed from eight feet to save par at the 10th, giving Harman a share of the lead until he posted back-to-back bogeys from the 12th.
Matsuyama surged into contention after making three gains in four holes from the 10th, before cancelling out a blemish at the 15th with birdies at the 16th and 18th to set the target at 12 under.
Koepka responded by birdieing the 14th and converting from 10 feet at the next, before extending his cushion to four shots by posting a third consecutive gain from 15 feet.
Harman picked up a shot at the 14th and left himself a tap-in gain at the 16th to get within three, while Fleetwood birdied the 14th but was unable to make any further inroads along the closing stretch.
That left the stage set for Koepka, who completed the 17th in regulation and nudged home a two-putt par at the last to become the seventh consecutive maiden major winner.
A final-hole birdie saw Fowler card a level-par 72 and share fifth with Xander Schauffele and Bill Haas, with one-time challenger Charley Hoffman a further shot back following a triple-bogey earlier in his round.
Patrick Reed finished with a closing 74 and Eddie Pepperell ended the week on five under, with Masters champion Sergio Garcia carding a level-par 72.
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