Brooks Koepka beat Scotty Scheffler and Victor Hovland to claim his third title at the US PGA Championship in Oak Hill, New York.
Koepka, 33, served papers with a three-under 67 to win his fifth major with a nine-under, two points clear of Scheffler and Hofland.
Scheffler, who returned to world number one, hit 65 to close to seventh, while Hovland – who had a double-bogey 16th – hit a two-under 68.
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland finished seventh in the two.
There was also a magical moment when Southern California pro Michael Block once again lit up the East Course with a single hole in 151 yards from triple 15.
The 46-year-old was one of only 20 club pros in the Championship to pull it off and he has delighted fans all week with his carefree style.
They broke out again to celebrate the ace, although Block was only aware of his achievement after his playing partner McIlroy asked, “Rory, are you in?” before the two shared a warm embrace.
His ace block is his first in this tournament since 2020 and helped him finish a joint 15th, earning him an exemption for next year’s tournament in Valhalla.
However, even he couldn’t distract from the moment of redemption for fellow American Kopka, who took a four-shot lead at the Masters in April before eventually finishing runner-up to John Rahm.
It’s the third time in five years that Koepka has played a major in New York state and finished top.
Which is all the more remarkable considering it comes only two years away He is undergoing extensive knee surgery And after moving to the LIV Golf lineup supported by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Koepka collects the Wanamaker Trophy and a whopping $3.15 million check [£2.53m]. He also became just the sixth player to win the tournament on three or more occasions – joining Walter Hagen, Jack Nicklaus (five), Tiger Woods (four), Gene Sarazen and Sam Snead (three).
Koepka is back to his terrific best
Koepka was booed by fans on Saturday’s first tee due to his involvement with LIV Golf.
However, his consistent brilliance through the third round and again on Sunday ensured he earned the adulation of opponents as he tapped the winning putt.
On the face of it, his success may provide a huge boost to those marketing the Saudi-funded circuit, but for the emotional Koepka, a player whose career was in jeopardy not so long ago, he seemed to strike a more personal chord.
Koepka has spent recent weeks contemplating “suffocation” at the Masters, vowing never to simply try to hold on to the lead again after faltering badly on the defensive at Augusta National.
And true to his word as he went on a birdie attack through the second, third and fourth holes to open up a four-shot lead before his Norwegian partner, Hovland, responded.
It was an inevitable opener. Ian Baker-Finch, the last 54-hole leader in a major to go three-under or better in the first four holes of the final round, was on his way to victory in the 1991 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.
But Koepka saw his one-shot lead after finding water from the tee on the hard sixth hole, while he and Hovland dropped putts on the seventh.
Both players then plunged into a great duel that eventually fizzled out on the 16th hole when Hovland hit his second putt against a fairway bunker – just as Corey Conners did in the third round. The Norwegian got a free kick – but in an awful lie in the open – and could only make a double bogey from there.
At that point, Scheffler, who had bowled a late birdie putt on the back nine, looked poised to finish just under second, but Hovland rolled in the final time to join the American at seven under.
Kupka, who missed the 17th, dropped two 15-foot putts for an impressive victory.
More to track.
