Brooksie takes his fifth major and Block gets a pass

By Rahul Banerji

Brooks Koepka completed his return to the winner’s circle at the majors with his third PGA Championship title in Rochester, New York, on Sunday.

Overnight leader by a shot, Koepka was put under pressure by Viktor Hovland and Scottie Scheffler only once over the final 18 holes but speedily shrugged off the challenge before rolling in the winning putt in front of a jam-packed gallery.

It was a commanding performance on the Oak Hill Country Club East Course and one in which the 33-year-old set the tone early with three birdies over his first four holes after opening with a par.

Finding the water on six, and bogeying seven allowed Hovland to close to within a shot but Koepka (72-66-66-67) quickly shut the door again and was never headed till the finish line.

His 9 under par 271 was two shots better than Scheffler (67-68-73-65) and Hovland (68-67-70-68), and six in front of fellow LIV Golf League member Bryson DeChambeau (66-71-70-70), who took shared fourth place with two others.

The final result was also a vindication – if any was needed – of the LIV Golf fraternity who chalked up solid performances including the first, fourth and ninth places in the final standings.

These stats will now heighten the inevitable question: How will the “establishment” respond with the Ryder Cup looming in a few months time?

Two in a row

In fact, it was the second consecutive major of the season after the Masters where LIV Golf League personnel have had three finishers in the top 10.

There had been doubts in plenty, first with a knee injury that required surgery two years ago and then a terrible final round at the Masters in April where Koepka let slip a four-shot advantage on Sunday to finish second behind Jon Rahm.

Clearly, lessons had been learned on the hard road back to form and fitness and Sunday’s result put Koepka in a club of six who have won the PGA Championship three times or more, including Jack Nicklaus, Walter Hagen, and Tiger Woods.

“This is incredible,” Koepka said. “I look back at where we were two years ago, and just so happy right now, this is just the coolest thing.

“I don’t know how many guys have won five times, but to be with those groups of names is absolutely incredible and I’ll be honest I’m not even sure I dreamed of it as a kid.

“This is probably the sweetest one of them all because all the hard work that went into this one, this one is definitely special,” 

Koepka collected a winner’s cheque of $3.15 million from an enhanced prize fund of $17.5 million and then had his name engraved on the Wanamaker Trophy yet again.

Shared honours

Koepka, however, had to share the limelight with this year’s unlikely hero at Oak Hill, Michael Block, the only one of 20 teaching professionals in the field to make the cut this year.

Block continued to add to his fairytale run at the 105^th PGA Championship, first with a magical hole-in-one, and then a tied 15th-place finish. It guaranteed the 46-year-old a return ticket to the tournament next year at Valhalla.

The ace was the first at the Championship in three years, after 2020 when Korea’s Byeong Hun An achieved the feat also in the final round. Sunday’s performance also quickly opened more doors.

First up was an invitation from the Charles Schwab Challenge organisers in Fort Worth, Texas, later this week. Block had to take permission from his home club to accept the sponsor’s exemption slot at Colonial.

The RBC Canadian Open was next, tweeting, “Michael Block, we heard the hole-in-one roar from across Lake Ontario,

“Please join us at the RBC Canadian Open, June 6-11 at Oakdale Golf & Country Club in Toronto.”

“Michael stands up and hits this lovely little draw back into off the left wind, and the ball goes straight into the hole,” playing partner Rory McIlroy recalled later. “When it’s your week, it’s your week in a way.”

Solid record

Overall, it was Koepka’s fifth career major championship title and third PGA Championship victory (2018, 2019, 2023) besides four titles on the PGA Tour.

It was the fourth time he had converted a 54-hole lead into a victory, the only exception being at the Masters in April.

In winning a fifth major, Koepka joined names like Spanish legend Seve Ballesteros, and inaugural Indian Open winner Peter Thomson of Australia, while his third Championship made him only the sixth to have won it three times or more.

For joint runner-up Scheffler there was some solace as he returned to the top of the rankings that he had relinquished to eventual winner Jon Rahm at Augusta National.

Also read: The amazing story of Michael Block and the PGA Championship