Dustin Johnson was supposed to walk away with it. Tommy Fleetwood shot a near-record in the final round.
But it was Brooks Koepka who took the win at the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, becoming the first consecutive winner since Curtis Strange accomplished it in 1988 and 1989.
A U.S. Open champion once again.@BKoepka is the first player to successfully defend the #USOpen title since 1988-89.#LiveUnderPar pic.twitter.com/dRWIM9kq80
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 17, 2018
When asked if he knew what it meant to win his second U.S. Open, Koepka was almost speechless.
“I don’t, to be honest with you,” Koepka told Strange, now working as an announcer. “It hasn’t sunk in yet.”
Koepka wasn’t perfect in the final round—but he did what needed to be done, shooting 2-under par to finish 1-over for the tournament, one shot better than Fleetwood, and two ahead of Johnson.
Tommy Fleetwood put the most pressure on the leaders with a near-record round of 63. The Englishman had a shot at 62 with a birdie putt on 18 that narrowly missed. With softer conditions than the almost-ridiculous Saturday round, Tommy Fleetwood attacked the course with incredible precision. He had eight birdies on the day and a lone bogey, enough to finish in solo second.
“I honestly never really thought I was out of it,” Fleetwood said following his round. “I just needed a good start. You never know what’s going to happen.”
Johnson, who won the U.S Open at Oakmont, appeared in command until stumbling on Saturday. Unfortunately, he traded birdies with bogeys, to finish the day at even, and 3-over for the week.
That left the big-hitting Koepka, who started with three birdies in his first five holes, with the opportunity to defend his U.S. Open title. Koepka won last year at Erin Hills with a score of 16-under, but this year, with tough conditions at Shinnecock Hills, was a different story.
“The U.S. Open just takes so much discipline,” Koepka said. “You have got to be a great putter and just kind of let things roll off your back. That is something we do pretty well. I enjoy the test. I enjoy being pushed to the limit. Sometimes you feel like you are about to break mentally, but that’s what I enjoy. I enjoy hard golf courses. I enjoy playing about the toughest in golf you are ever going to play.”
And this week, at least, there’s no question that Koepka was one of the rare few who occasionally got the better of Shinnecock Hills, becoming a two-time U.S. Open winner in the process.
Patrick Reed came closer than anyone expected. The Masters winner was remarkably consistent this week, and closed with a 68, two shots back of Koepka.
Of course, a chance at the Grand Slam was on his mind, but it wasn’t to be.
“You know, I mean, honestly, to me, that was really the last thing on my mind,” he said. “It was go out, play some solid golf, try to post a number and see if you can get the job done. I had a chance.”
Inside the Winner’s Bag
Since leaving Nike, Koepka has played a wide array of clubs, with different options from different companies.
Driver: TaylorMade M3 460
Fairway: TaylorMade M2 Tour HL (16.5 degrees)
Irons: Nike Vapor Fly Pro 3-iron; 4-PW, Mizuno JPX-900 Tour
Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM7 Raw (52, 56) and SM7 Raw TVD (60)
Putter: Scotty Cameron T10 Select Newport 2 prototype
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x