Ewan Murray's report from Bethpage
So an unexpectedly dramatic, intense, brilliant day’s golf ends in a fourth major championship for Brooks Koepka. He came through the wringer there; the experience will almost certainly make him an even better player. He’s got everything. Congratulations to Brooks, commiserations to Dustin, and thanks to you all for reading our hole-by-hole reports this week. Hope to see you again for the US Open at Pebble Beach next month, when a certain Brooks Koepka defends a major championship again. See you here for that. Nighty night!
-8: Koepka
-6: D Johnson
-2: Spieth, Cantlay, Wallace
-1: List
E: Kang
+1: Woodland, Kuchar, McIlroy, Lowry, van Rooyen, Scott
+2: Reavie, Janewattananond
The runner-up Dustin Johnson, disappointed but philosophical. “I played really good, the course was playing really difficult. I knew when I made the birdie on 15 that if I could do something on the next three holes, I’d have a chance. I hit two really good shots on 16 but ended up in not a very good spot. But I’m pleased with the way I played. Obviously I’d like to have a couple of swings back there on the last few holes. But that’s how it goes, this golf course is hard if you don’t hit it in the fairway.”
And now it’s time for Brooks Koepka, the 2019 PGA Champion, to lift the Wanamaker Trophy! Again! “I’m just glad we didn’t have to play any more holes. That was a stressful round of golf. The wind was up. DJ played awesome, congrats to him, he put the pressure on. But I’m glad to have this thing back in my hands.” Did he know what Dustin was doing up ahead? “How could you not, with the DJ chants and everything?” Answered with a warm smile, it should be said. “He did an unbelievable job putting pressure on me, making me played some solid golf at the end. I don’t even know if I’ve dreamed of this, it’s so cool. I’m still in shock, it’s awesome!”
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The prize-giving ceremony. And first Rob Labritz of Glenarbor GC in Bedford Hills, New York, is named the low PGA club professional for the 2019 PGA Championship. Fine rounds of 75, 69, 74 and 72 allow him to hoist a lovely crystal bowl into the air. Congratulations to Rob!
Hats off to Dustin for making a go of that. In testing conditions, on this super-tough course, getting to three under for his round today through 15 was some effort. But he was the one who wilted right at the business end. Koepka sure has some moxie to go along with his prestigious talent. Four majors at 29! Only three players have ever gathered more before their 30th birthday: Bobby Jones, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.
He’s the first back-to-back PGA champion since Tiger Woods retained his title in 2007. It’s his fourth major in his last eight starts. He’s the fifth wire-to-wire PGA champion, having led this tournament since 9.30am on Thursday morning! And he’s the new world number one. Not a bad week, huh?
That’s an outstanding week’s work by Koepka. So it wasn’t a procession after all, and he needed nearly all of the shots he’d saved up in reserve. But he made it over the line. Dustin Johnson pushed him all the way, and it really looked like Koepka was gone as he staggered around the 14th green, almost in a daze. But he regrouped wonderfully, grinding his way home under extreme pressure, not wanting to be the first person to give up a seven-shot 54-hole lead in the majors. What pressure was applied. Sure, he wavered. But he simply refused to buckle. No wonder he’s got four majors on his CV. This is one special player.
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Brooks Koepka wins the 2019 PGA Championship!
Koepka doesn’t like faffing about, and he quickly knocks his par putt into the cup. He retains the Wanamaker Trophy! He punches the air with much feeling. Sure, he’d have preferred an easy amble home ... but he had to fight like hell for that and came through, and the champagne will taste even sweeter as a result!
-8: Koepka
-6: D Johnson
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First up, Harold Varner III finishes off his round by nearly draining a 50-footer for birdie from the back of the green. A hellish 81 on a terribly disappointing day. He’s +6. And then ...
Koepka walks up to the green to survey the situation before playing his approach. As he reaches it, the gallery gives him a warm ovation. Nice to see and hear, given the stick he’s occasionally taken as runaway leader this week. Then he goes back ... and sends a delicious wedge screeching to a halt six feet from the cup! He’ll have two putts for the title!
Koepka’s in a bunker, but he’s on a downslope. He makes the sensible play, and wedges back onto the fairway. Shades of Justin Thomas coming down the last at Quail Hollow in 2017, when he took his medicine instead of going for the glory shot and closed things out.
Kopeka’s stumbling towards the line here! He hooks his drive into deep filth down the left of 18! Much will depend on the lie. If he’s in sand, he should be fine. If he’s in the tangled rubbish, it won’t be quite so cut and dried. What happened to our procession? We were promised a procession!
-8: Koepka (17)
-6: D Johnson (F)
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But this isn’t over quite yet! Koepka leaves his 35-foot putt on 17 four feet short, then shoves the short par putt wide right! Another bogey, and a two-shot lead going down the last doesn’t look quite so certain as a three-shot advantage, does it? However there have only been seven doubles on this hole all week, so the odds are firmly in favour of Koepka closing this out ... after a fashion.
DJ curls in his par putt, and signs for a 69. He made a brilliant run at Koepka, but it all went wrong from the centre of the 16th fairway. Those two late bogeys have almost certainly cost him dear. If this ends as it looks likely to end, he’ll have finished as runner-up in all four majors. At least his 2016 US Open victory will keep him warm at night.
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Koepka finds the meat of the 17th green, while Dustin chips to five feet from his position in the middle of the 18th gallery. DJ will need to make his putt for par, and hope Koepka hits another patch of severe turbulence. But the latter doesn’t look likely; the reigning champ has gathered himself well, as the challenger buckled over the closing stretch.
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Matt Wallace finishes the week with a 72. A disappointing end, after a bogey at 17, but the high finish guarantees him invites to the next set of majors. What a brilliant week for the 29-year-old Londoner.
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Dustin’s in the bunker. From which he sends a huge hook into the gallery to the left of the green. Meanwhile on 16, Koepka takes two putts from 50 feet for par and ... phew ... it was looking dicey for a while back there, wasn’t it?!
-9: Koepka (16)
-6: D Johnson (17)
Dustin on 18. He needs a birdie here. But his tee shot is heading way right. If he finds the bunker, he might have a route into the green. If he’s in the thick stuff, that’ll be a pipe dream. Meanwhile back on 16, Koepka’s 7-iron finds the heart of the green. No need to go for the flag; just don’t make any mistakes. But he was saying that on 11, 12, 13 and 14, too, and look what happened there. Nothing’s over quite yet, though the momentum has firmly swung back to Koepka.
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Dustin Johnson is making mistakes at exactly the wrong time. His chip from the back of 17 is well short, and very nearly topples back down a ridge running across the green and even further from the flag. He’s left with a 17-footer for his par. You feel he needs to make this, although Koepka’s got to play all these holes in testing conditions as well, of course. But the pressure on Koepka has suddenly eased a little - a little - and he crashes a big drive down the middle of 16.
-9: Koepka (15)
-6: D Johnson (17)
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A very tentative 30-foot birdie effort by Koepka on 15. He leaves it three feet short. Not what he wants to face right now. But in goes the par saver, and that’s arrested the four-hole run of bogeys. Up on 17, DJ sends his tee shot over the back. Now it’s his turn to look a little nervous, and he’s got a very tricky up and down from where he’s left himself.
Just the six players under par now, you’ll have noted. That’s because Jazz Janewattananond has bogeyed 14 and 15, five shots gone in four holes. A steep learning curve on one of the hardest courses in the world, in the white heat of the business end of a major. This brilliant young man will be back stronger.
DJ’s par putt breaks off to the right on its last turn. It doesn’t drop. That’s a bogey. The 16th hole is the hardest on the course, but having done the difficult bit by splitting the fairway with his drive, he made a huge mistake with his approach. The wind is toying with everyone, mind. Meanwhile back on 15, Koepka wedges into the heart of the green, though he’s not particularly close. But he’s got a two-shot lead once again.
-9: Koepka (14)
-7: D Johnson (16)
-3: Wallace (16)
-2: Spieth (F), Cantlay (17)
-1: List (15)
This is quite brilliant from Koepka, who must be screaming inside. He belts a drive straight down 15. On 16, DJ flips a gentle wedge to six feet, a marvellous effort from where he was, snagged up at the back, with not much green to work with. But it’ll be a big putt for par coming back. Meanwhile up on 18, a par for Jordan Spieth and he signs for a final round of 71. He ends the week at -2, one of a select band under par, and while there’s to be no career slam completed this year, he’s back, baby! He’s back!
Major championships. They’re not easy to win, are they?
Koepka takes his putter from the fringe and sends his ball six feet past. That’s not a gimme for bogey. But he makes it. In the circumstances, that took moxie. But it’s four shots gone in four holes. Just the one shot in it! But better news for the leader up on 16, as from the centre of the fairway Johnson slam-dunks his approach into the thick stuff at the back of the green! He’ll have a job getting up and down from there. The wind causing the leaders all manner of bother! This is quite amazing. Stunning, in the literal sense. Has the last hour sent you reeling too? What’s just happened?
-9: Koepka (14)
-8: D Johnson (15)
Koepka looks worried now. A furrowed brow. Wide eyes. The crowd are giving it plenty of “DJ! DJ! DJ!” as well. They’ve suddenly got a scrap on their hands! What has Koepka got in reserve? He’s got a decent enough lie at the back. He flings the ball up into the air ... but it’s too strong and rolls off the other side of the green! He’s in the fringe, 15 feet from the flag. His mind must be addled. And the crowd must be getting on his nerves, because they’re making their preference well known. “DJ! DJ! DJ!”
Koepka, having just made his third bogey in a row, is forced to wait on the 14th tee as Jazz Janewattananond and Luke List finish the hole. As he’s hanging about, DJ makes his birdie putt at 15! The pressure on, and the wind swirling, he flies his tee shot over the green and into the thick stuff at the back! This is astonishing! Koepka is seriously rocking here. This was supposed to be a procession!
-10: Koepka (13)
-8: D Johnson (15)
Koepka putts from off the 13th green. He judges the length well from 90 feet, but leaves it six feet wide right. His par putt lips out on the right, and suddenly there’s only three in it! It’s the first time he’s made three consecutive bogeys since last August. What a time to do it. Meanwhile on 15, Dustin sends a beautiful second from 110 yards to 11 feet, the camber to the left side of the green gathering his ball towards the hole. If that drops ... dear me.
-10: Koepka (13)
-7: D Johnson (14)
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In the group ahead of Koepka, Jazz Janewattananond bogeyed 15. Couple that with Jordan Spieth’s bogey at 16, and England’s Matt Wallace now has third spot to himself. There are now only seven players under par. Bethpage Black, everyone!
-11: Koepka (12)
-7: D Johnson (14)
-3: Wallace (15)
-2: Spieth (17), Cantlay (16), Janewattananond (13)
-1: List (13)
Koepka’s in the thick stuff just to the left of the fairway. The wind’s right in his face. He pops his ball towards the green, but the strong wind holds it up. It doesn’t reach. He’s in pretty much the same spot Dustin Johnson was a few minutes ago. DJ putted up to close range from 90 feet. What’s Koepka’s play going to be? And can he get up and down in two like his nearest challenger?
Koepka lashes a short iron towards the fairway. He makes good contact. No nearby trees getting in the road. But where’s his ball landed? No pictures of it yet! Meanwhile on 15, DJ’s drive lands in the first cut on the right. But it looks like he’s got a decent lie.
A two-putt par for Dustin on 14. His 25-foot birdie effort was inches wide left. He stays at -7. Meanwhile back on 13, shades of Jordan Spieth at Birkdale, as Koepka stands atop a grassy knoll surveying his position. He’s not got the worst lie, the spectators having trodden down a lot of the taller grass. But it’s still not the easiest shot back into the fairway, and there are bunkers coming into play if he makes a mistake with yardage or contact. Big moment coming up here!
Some serious trouble perhaps for Koepka here. He sends a big hook into the trees down the left of the par-five 13th. He looks as cool as he always does, but his heart must be going like the clappers. He’s still in pole position here. Of course he is. But something could be hammering away at the back of his mind: he’s not going to suffer the biggest final-round collapse in major championship history, is he? A big test of his mental strength coming up.
Koepka’s so unlucky, tickling a lovely putt down the green that is one dimple away from dropping. Not sure how it didn’t turn right at the last for his par. But that’s another bogey, and his lead, seven at the start of the round, is down to four. Still enough, surely, though DJ’s just sent his tee shot at the par-three 14th to 25 feet. If that birdie putt goes in ... well.
-11: Koepka (12)
-7: D Johnson (13)
-3: Spieth (15), Wallace (14), Janewattananond (12)
-2: Cantlay (15)
From off the front of the 13th green, Dustin lags a 90-foot monster putt to kick-in distance. That is quite wonderful. He remains at -7. Koepka meanwhile takes his medicine and punches out of the cabbage at 12, then wedges into the heart of the green. But he’s left himself a 17-foot par putt, downhill on a lightning-fast green. If he misses it, and makes back-to-back bogeys, this isn’t quite over yet.
Danny Willett signs for a 77 today. At +7 he’ll most likely end up in the top 40. Not a great day, but look at the conditions,k and overall it’s been a good week as he pieces his major-championship mojo back together.
And trouble for Jazz Janewattananond at 12. Having lashed his tee shot into the thick hay down the right of the hole, he can only advance his ball 30 feet. It leads to a double bogey, and he slips to -3. The good news: he’s still got a share of third, with Jordan Spieth (15) and Matt Wallace (13).
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Though it’s not totally settled the leader’s nerves. He sends his tee shot at 12 into very thick grass down the right. Though we’ve seen him power close from tighter spots than this. Up on the par-five 13th, DJ drives into rough and is forced to bash out. His approach is held up by the wind, and doesn’t reach the green. Trouble for the pair of them.
A stupendous bogey putt by Brooks Koepka! He rolled it straight into the cup, never missing. He slips to -12, but that won’t hurt too much. In fact, a smile threatens to creep onto his face. He knows that was huge. A double bogey would have planted a seed of doubt in his mind and given Dustin Johnson hope. But that’s kept him at arm’s length. The length of that arm measuring five precious shots.
-12: Koepka (11)
-7: Johnson (12)
-5: Janewattananond (11)
Koepka has shots to use up. It’s just as well, because having taken his medicine at 11 and chipped back onto the fairway, he leaves his wedge short, the ball only just finding the front of the green and toppling back off the false front. He races a long putt eight feet past, and he’ll have that coming back for bogey. Par meanwhile for DJ at 12.
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Koepka drives into sand at 11. But it shouldn’t matter, because something very strange would have to happen now for him to give this advantage up. Meanwhile Jazz Janewattananond has third place all to himself right now, because Matt Wallace double-bogeys 12, the penalty for driving into the thickest of thick rough.
-13: Koepka (10)
-7: D Johnson (11)
-5: Janewattananond (10)
-3: Spieth (13), Wallace (12), List (10)
Hole in one!
Hole in one for Lucas Bjerregaard at 17! He takes a 6-iron at the 206-yard par three. One swish, one bounce two feet before the cup, and it silently disappears into the hole! As clean as a whistle! The Dane allows a huge smile to play across his face, as well he might. The gallery go ballistic. And if that wasn’t exciting enough, his partner Lucas Glover - who won the 2009 US Open here - holes out from a bunker at the back for birdie! The pair high five and embrace as the crowd continue to make some noise. They’re both laughing hysterically. And no wonder! The pair have just played that hole in three shots between them! Lovely scenes. For the record, Bjerregaard is now+2, Glover +3.
Koepka turns the screw on 10 with a wondrous wedge straight at the flag to 18 inches. That’s going to be a birdie. And it is. He’s -13. Johnson meanwhile does extremely well to splash out of the sand at 11 to 12 feet, but that was the best he could do, and the par putt coming back dies on the right. A bogey. He’s -7 and the big man knows his faint hopes of snaring Koepka from afar are pretty much gone. He tilts his head back, opens his mouth, and lets out a cry of anguish. A bit like Dermot O’Hare here:
News of his partner Harold Varner III, having averted our eyes in the wake of those early double bogeys. Further bogeys at 7 and 9, and he hit the turn in 41. He’s back at +1. But he still appears to be enjoying the experience nonetheless, chatting away to a member of the NYPD as they stride down the fairway together, discussing their mutual love of Drake. “What’s your favourite song?” Varner III asks. The director cuts away, so we’ll never know.
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Koepka spanks his driver down the centre of 10. A beauty. He’s beginning to reassert his dominance after DJ closed the gap a little. And the pressure of the chase is getting to Dustin, whose tee shot at 11 flies left. His second is hoicked into a bunker to the right of the green. He’s shortsided. A big few minutes coming up.
Not a particularly good birdie effort from DJ on 10. A bit timid. But it’s a par, and a difficult hole’s out of the way. Meanwhile back on 9, Koepka’s approach is dreadful by his own standards. It’s on the green, but away to the left with the flag out right. He’s 53 feet and eight inches away. But he’s never bad for long, and rolls the monster putt, with plenty of left to right break, 53 feet and seven inches towards the hole. That was so nearly a stunning birdie that would have surely taken the wind out of Dustin’s sail and put this one to bed. Not that Koepka still isn’t a very strong favourite. He remains four in front, having hit the turn in level par today.
-12: Koepka (9)
-8: D Johnson (10)
The New York galleries love Jazz Janewattananond. He nearly holes a 50-foot birdie tramliner on 9, but it lips out and the crowd sigh as one. They applaud him warmly as he taps in for par and turns in level-par 35. He’s in a tie for third at -5, and whatever happens on the back nine, he’s won a lot of fans and made a name for himself this week. And on the subject of his name, if he finally gets round to winning one of the big four tournaments in his career, he’d have the longest surname of any major champion in history. The 15 letters of Janewattananond would easily beat the current record of 12, held jointly by 1893 Open winner Willie Auchterlonie, 1902 US Open champion Laurie Auchterlonie and 1989 Open champ Mark Calcavecchia. Don’t say we never bombard you with pointless trivia.
Koepka smashes a big drive down the centre of the 9th fairway. Up on 10, DJ wedges pin high to 15 feet, and will have another look at birdie. Meanwhile Shane Lowry signs for a final round of 69. He ends the week at the very respectable mark of +1. Another fine finish at the PGA - he tied for 12th last year - awaits.
So for all the low scoring earlier in the week, Bethpage Black has salvaged its fearsome reputation this weekend. Especially today. There are now only ten players under par.
-12: Koepka (8)
-8: D Johnson (9)
-5: Wallace (9), Janewattananond (8)
-4: Spieth (11)
-3: Cantlay (11)
-2: Scott (10), Schauffele (10), List (8)
-1: Matsuyama (9)
Dustin gives it everything on 10. A leave-nothing-behind blooter straight down the fairway. He’s clearly decided to throw the kitchen sink at a run up the leader board, and to hell with the consequences. Can you blame him? The tactic’s working so far. Back on 8, Koepka cradles another fine long putt to tap-in distance. That’s exquisitely judged, given the huge left-to-right bend it had. Par.
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So having said that, here’s DJ from the middle of the 9th fairway. He fires a 7-iron straight at the flag. It lands six feet in front of the cup, and rolls forward to two feet! Sensational! One of the shots of the day, and his third birdie of the day. He’s -8, only the second player after Koepka to reach that mark this week. Meanwhile back on 8, Koepka plays it safe into the heart of the green. He’ll have a look at birdie from 35 feet.
Koepka’s turn to ensure he takes advantage of his lucky break. He sends his second into 7 to 45 feet, then lags up wonderfully to kick-in distance. He remains at -12, five clear of second-placed Dustin. The leader just needs to keep grinding out the pars, taking as few risks as possible. It’ll be more than enough. It’s extremely unlikely his nearest challengers will make a run of birdies, because the wind is really picking up now, and the greens are getting firmer and firmer.
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Dustin doesn’t look the gift horse in the mouth. He chips up to six feet - not ideal - but rolls in the missable par putt. He remains at -7. Matt Wallace nearly drains a 40-footer on 9 for birdie; a par and he’s out in 34. He’s -5. And Jordan Spieth, who was out in 35 after nine pars, finally makes a birdie, at the difficult 10th, and rises to -4. He’ll not be completing his career slam this year, but a high finish is within reach nevertheless. That’ll give him succour ahead of the US Open and Open after a barren spell.
A huge break for Brooks Koepka, who sends a dreadful drive towards the trees down the right of 7. That’s whistling into all sorts of bother ... but then his ball hits a trunk flush, and ricochets back onto the fairway! That levels out DJ’s wood-related good fortune at 8. Who’ll take advantage?
So much for Danny Willett’s good start, and hopes of a top-ten finish. Two errant drives lead to a triple at 9, a double at 11. He clatters all the way down the standings to +3, just inside the top 25. And up on 18, Rory McIlroy signs for his second 69 of the weekend, and ends his week at +1. He’s currently tied for 13th; he might end up in the top ten the way the scoring’s going, because Bethpage Black is living up to its reputation this afternoon. The ground is hard and the wind’s picked up.
Big Dustin hits an awful tee shot at the par-three 8th. He hits an overhanging branch from the right and is very fortunate his ball doesn’t ping back into the only water on this course. He’ll still have work to do to get up and down for par, but that could have been worse.
Yep, in it goes. Par for DJ. He remains at -7. Back on 6, Koepka lags up well from 40 feet. He’ll make his par: -12. News meanwhile of Tommy Fleetwood, who never recovered today from slicing his tee shot at the par-three 3rd into arrant nonsense down a bank to the right. A double there, and he was making another at 6. He’s currently seven over for his round today through 14, and +7 overall.
Koepka’s drive at 6 dribbles into the first cut on the left. But he’s got a decent enough lie, and is able to bash his second onto the green. He’s not close, but he’ll have taken that. Pars are all he needs. DJ meanwhile is on 7 in regulation, though not particularly close. He doesn’t hit the 30-footer across the green, and will be knocking a three footer in for his par. Surely.
DJ rolls his putt at 6 straight into the cup. Never missing. His second birdie of the day. He closes the gap at the top to five. Meanwhile on the 5th, Koepka powers his second, from the first cut and behind a tree, over the back of the green. But only just. It’s a good result from where he was. A dainty chip to a couple of feet, and he’s scrambled par. He did this a lot yesterday, after some wild drives. It’s a good habit to get into. He remains at -12. Meanwhile it’s bogey for Varner III. No bogeys in 37 holes, then two doubles and a bogey in three. Ladies and gentlemen, please put your hands together for golf!
-12: Kopeka (5)
-7: D Johnson (6)
-5: Wallace (7), Janewattananond (5)
-4: Cantlay (8)
-3: Kang (9), Spieth (8), List (5)
-2: Schauffele (7)
-1: Scott (8), Matsuyama (6), Varner III (5)
E: van Rooyen (8)
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Varner III’s head must be spinning. He hooks off the third tee-box in a row, this time at 5, and his ball disappears into more thick grass. Koepka is in the first cut. Meanwhile up on 6, DJ wedges from 130 yards to ten feet. A chance to close the gap at the top. He’ll need to make a few putts if he’s to unsettle the leader, starting now. “I’ve got a feeling,” croons Paul McCartney Hubert O’Hearn. “I believe we are going to have a golf tournament. I just have one of those funny gut feelings that Brooks is going to shoot a completely respectable 72, but there’s a 64-65 out there for one of the lads.” If you’re to be proved right, everybody in the chasing pack needs to pull their socks up and put their foot down.
Koepka sends his fairly straight eagle putt at 4 on line, but fails to hit it. It’ll be a birdie, though, and he’s back to level par for his round. Varner III however suffers Double Bogey II. He sends his approach into the centre of the green, but doesn’t hit the 12-footer he leaves himself and that’s a 7. Four shots gone in two holes. That opening-hole birdie seems a long time ago now. He’s -2.
-12: Koepka (4)
-6: D Johnson (5)
-5: Cantlay (6), Wallace (6), Janewattananond (4)
While Koepka is busy playing his second - arrowing his second onto the green, setting up a 25-foot look at eagle - Varner III goes off to look for his ball. A tactical error, because the clock starts ticking when he starts searching. That means Koepka won’t be helping for the whole three minutes. By the time he gets over from the other side of the fairway, half the allowed search time is gone. The ball’s lost, and Varner III has to drop back in the thick rough and wedge out. He’ll be playing five into the green. In the group ahead, Jazz had birdied to move back to -5. And on the 5th, it’s a double bogey for Matsuyama, who clatters down to -2.
Oh no. Poor Varner III is in meltdown mode. He tries to batter his ball out of the thick stuff. The long grass grabs the hosel, turns the face of his club, and sends his ball straight left. That’s into the forest, and he’ll do well to find that. He’s got three minutes - the new rules - to find it. The last thing you need coming off a double bogey.
Matt Wallace seriously overcooks a 12-foot par saver on 5. He’s lucky the hole got in the way, because that was flying 12 feet the other side. He remains at -5. The leader Brooks Koepka splits the par-five 4th fairway with a 3-wood, but his rattled partner Harold Varner III tugs his tee shot into the sort of thick waist-high hay only Theresa May could enjoy running through.
Varner III whips high over sand and towards the green, his ball landing gently and stopping immediately. Dead on line but eight feet short. He can’t make the par saver, leaving it high on the right. Then he pushes the tiddler coming back. That’s the end of a run of 37 bogey-free holes for Varner III, and in careless style. A double. Two putts for Koepka for his par. Meanwhile birdie for DJ on 4. He’s not out of this yet.
-11: Koepka (3)
-6: D Johnson (4)
-5: Cantlay (5), Wallace (4)
-4: Matsuyama (4), Janewattananond (3), Varner III (3)
A poor tee shot by Varner III at the par-three 3rd. He hooks it well left of the green, and he’ll have a tricky up and down from thick nonsense. Koepka sees a little chink of light, and sends a high draw into the green, ramping up the pressure. Up on 5, Cantlay creams an approach to three feet, and that’s back-to-back birdies. He’s -5.
Bogey for Matsuyama at 3. He slips back to where he started, -4, alongside Patrick Cantlay, who has birdied 1 and 4, dropping a single shot at 3. Shane Lowry is going along nicely, having birdied 4 and 7; he’s two under for his round through 11 holes today and level par for the tournament.
Varner III finds his ball sitting down in thick grass. He does well to pop it out to four feet. Par. Meanwhile Koepka misreads his 15-foot birdie putt, always high on the right. And it goes a good three feet past. But he knocks the one coming back into the hole without too much fuss. And quickly, too. Par for him as well. A vocal critic of slow play, Koepka practices what he preaches.
Harold Varner III has already won the PGA Championship. The Australian PGA Championship, that is. That win, back in 2016, is the 28-year-old Ohioan’s only professional victory. This is very much his breakthrough event. He sends an iron down the middle of 2, and then his second onto the green. But it spins back off the front into the fringe. Koepka is on in regulation. In the group ahead, Jazz made par, but Luke List bogeyed to slip back to -4.
But he can’t. The make percentage of the putt was only 34%. He nearly holes it, but it shaves the high side on the right. An opening bogey for Koepka. Varner III taps in for his birdie, and there’s early hope for the distant chasing pack.
-11: Koepka (1)
-6: Varner III (1)
-5: Wallace (3), D Johnson (2), Matsuyama (2), List (1)
-4: Janewattananond (1)
Now then. Koepka’s showing some early nerves too. He hits his second at 1, from the rough on the left, fat. His ball doesn’t get green high, sinking into more thick stuff front left. This is a test. He lobs up pin high to ten feet, but he’s got to make that to save his par. And his partner Varner III wedges his second to three feet! It’s possible the lead could be down from seven to five in short order, unless Koepka can knock this one in.
Poor Jazz. He tries to be too delicate with his chip from the fringe at the back of 1, and his ball only just squirts apologetically onto the green. The young man’s nerves betraying him there. The wily old New Yorker Jack Miller, who works in a local supermarket as well as caddying here, and is on Janewattananond’s bag this week, has a word. Jazz sends a decent 20-foot putt to 18 inches, a calm response to an early setback, but that’s an opening bogey for the 23-year-old Thai prodigy.
Is it a Tiger? Is it a Golden Bear? No, it’s SuperBrooks! The almost superhuman 2017 and 2018 US Open champion and reigning PGA champion Brooks Koepka has the honour in the final match of the 101st PGA Championship. His opening drive is uncharacteristically shaky, and creeps into the longer grass down the left. His partner Harold Varner III - best finish at a major, a tie for 66th in the Open at Troon in 2016 - shows no nerves whatsoever, though, and splits the track.
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The 2016 Masters champion Danny Willett has steadily improved all week: 71, 10, 69. He’s going along very nicely today, with birdies at 2, 3 and now 5. The only blemish a bogey at 3. He’s -2, and just outside the top ten. Here’s to a high finish for Willett, which should help him get his major-championship career back on course.
DJ was indeed deep in the dirt and he can only punch his shot to the fringe of the green. A par looked a victory at that point but he almost made birdie with a dink that just evaded the lip of the hole. That’s a good par, but he needs more, even if he wants to claim the sums on offer for second and third. Hideki Matsuyama also takes par on the first, having failed to sink his birdie. Jazz Janewattananond and Luke List get their shows under way, and List is in the semi-rough.
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Wallace’s attempt to climb to -5 ends with a birdie putt that dies short of the first cup. Elsewhere, Rory’s Seve-style madcap tour continues with a shot out of the bluegrass on the 11th, and straight into the sand. How long can he putting these wasted days down to experience? His sand wedge ends up over-hitting the ball as there wasn’t much sand to play through. A fine saver from Rory for par, but he stays at +2. Dustin Johnson drives off the first and ends up on the edge of where the spectators are. No harm done to anyone, but that doesn’t look like a good lie for one of the players who might - *might* - be able to make Koepka quake with a charge.
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Spieth takes his tee shot at the second and almost hits the pin with it. That’s better but his putt, from ten yards or so, misses. Par it is. Matt Wallace, the leading Brit on -4, takes his tee shot off the first to the left of the fairway. That evil pin position on the edge of the green tempts him into going for it. He lands OK, but birdie seems unlikely.
Brooks is riding high, to invoke Paulie Walnuts, and he’s on the practice range, working through the driver, his weapon of mass destruction of the rest of the field. It looks a little windier than it has been in the previous three days. He’s last on the range, psyching himself up to defend his title. He also backed up the US Open so is on for history. The place money on offer is decent enough for the rest of the lads not to bother betting the farm on putting him under pressure.
Making his way into the clubhouse...#PGAChamp @BKoepka pic.twitter.com/qZXO4s95Nv
— PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 19, 2019
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Jordan Spieth off the first. Can he be the Faldo? His hopeless weekend form of this year showed up a little in yesterday’s round and, sadly, in the hook he walloped into the semi-rough. His second shot is not much better and goes off the back of the green. Erik van Rooyen, playing with Spieth, follows up with a howitzer of a drive, which also heads to the rough. Up ahead of that pair, Rickie Fowler misses birdie on the first. And then his par putt. His third is no tiddler, either. The four-putt beckons, horribly, but he sinks for a bogey. The wait will go on for Rickie, who is at even par.
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An hour to go now until Koepka takes to the stage. He has that record seven-shot lead. We need a Greg Norman 1996 Masters collapse to make a night of this and a Nick Faldo to come from out of the gloom. That seems highly unlikely looking at the toiling out in Farmingdale. The home crowd are whooping and hollering it up but it sounds like they will have to make their own entertainment. Good news for the bar take, perhaps, but there will be no record ratings like those that followed the Masters. Koepka is yet to capture the imagination when there’s a possibility he might be a bona fide great.
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Rory plays an eight-iron on the eighth and it’s a beauty but follows that with a muffed putt for birdie. Tommy Fleetwood makes double bogey on the third and looks dog-tired while doing so. The Brits have not been coming this week. Justin Rose is dropping down the order, too, after a bogey six at the fourth. They’ve all been victims of Hurricane Brooks. This course has been fiendishly difficult for everyone but one man.
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Is there such a thing as a bounceback bogey? A ricochet bogey? I don’t know. It’s been a long week. Anyway, point is, having bounced back from bogey at 1 with a bounceback birdie at 2, Justin Rose has been bounced back to where he bounced back from with a bounceback/ricochet bogey at 3. Erm. Anyway, he’s +1 again. Meanwhile bogey for Kuchar at 7; he’s back to level par.
And with that, I’ll hand you over to our old pal John Brewin. See you in a bit for the procession!
A bounceback birdie for Justin Rose at 2. He’s level par for the week again. Tommy Fleetwood shaves the hole at 1 with a 12-foot birdie putt, but he stays at level par. He’s missed a lot of short putts this week, and seen quite a few medium-length ones slip millimetres past. The flat stick’s not quite worked for Tommy. Meanwhile his playing partner Chez Reavie, having blootered a drive down the middle, screeches a glorious wedge from 112 yards to seven inches. The perfect start. He’s -1.
Rob Labritz, the club pro at Pound Ridge, New York, is going to win the crystal for Low Club Professional. He shot 72 today and ends his week at the very respectable mark of +10, the only slight disappointment his bogey-bogey-bogey finish. But let’s not nitpick. Marty Jertson, the Ping club designer, has already finished with his second 79 of the weekend to end at +19, you’ll remember. Ryan Vermeer, from Happy Hollow in Omaha, Nebraska, is still out there, so it’s not technically over yet, but he’s +14 with three holes to play, so come on. He’s had a miserable time since the turn, with double bogeys at 10 and 12 and further dropped shots at 11 and 15. Labritz will be the deserved winner, the only one of the trio who did what you have to do at a major championship: perform on Sunday. All three have been brilliant all week, of course, but it’s congratulations to Rob!
Speaking of Phil, he’s through the back of 18 in two. Can he trundle in a chip for birdie, a parting shot for the New York gallery that loves him so? Nope. Close, though. But not close enough that he doesn’t yip the par putt. He’s ended with three bogeys in a row, and that’s consecutive 76s at the weekend. He finishes +12, and the 49-year-old needs to seriously rest and regroup before the big heave for that elusive US Open next month. His partner Paul Casey meanwhile closes with a par, but having bogeyed 16 and 17 will have to settle for a final round of 69. He ends the week at +5. No Mickelsonesque escape for Rose at 1, by the way; his chip ends up a foot shy, and that’s an opening bogey. He’s +1.
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Rose lobs a wedge over the trees and straight at the flag. It’s a lovely shot, but he couldn’t impart any spin, and the ball bounces into the rough at the back of the green. Not far from the pin, though. He’s not going to chip in for par, is he? It’d be Mickelsonesque if he did.
Justin Rose’s opening drive sails way right and clatters hard into one of the big trees. He tries to fire a low one back onto the fairway through a gap, but hits more wood and his ball catapults 90 degrees even further right. Not the start the 2013 US Open champ was looking for. Meanwhile nearly a hole-in-one on 8 for the erstwhile FedEx Cup winner Billy Horschel, a gorgeous iron that rolls past the hole an inch to the right. Just a par and he’s +2. And birdie for Rory McIlroy at 4. He’s +1.
Aaron Wise has flown out of the blocks today. Birdies at 1, 4 and now 5. The 22-year-old, born in South Africa but resident in Vegas, won his first PGA Tour event last year at the Byron Nelson, and now he’s started to make his mark in the majors. A top-20 finish at last month’s Masters on debut, and now a fine showing at his second PGA Championship. He’s -1. As is the aforementioned Matt Kuchar, who picks up another shot at 6. Both players are three under for their round in short order: if Brooks Koepka is to come under any sort of pressure at all this afternoon, the players going out just before him will need to send out a message with a similarly blistering start.
Phil continues to thrill. He slices his drive at 16 more than 100 yards to the left of the fairway. He’s in obnoxious filth, and requires a fairway wood to lash his ball back to the fairway. A wood just to take your medicine! But that’s the Phil we know and love. And sure enough he lands his third shot from 77 yards right by the pin, the ball spinning back to six feet. Sadly he pulls the par saver to the right, so no fairytale. Bah. Still, what a performer. He’s +10.
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A busy start to the round for financial adviser, fair-play ambassador and PR expert Matt Kuchar. Having opened with a birdie, he handed the shot back at the 2nd, but has just carded back-to-back birdies at 3 and 4. He’s level par for the tournament, and that’s a calm response to a setback from a famously laid-back player. Jack Nicklaus always used to maintain his mental equilibrium by humming a relaxing ditty to himself, usually Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head. I wonder what tune Kuchar thinks of when he needs to go to his happy place?
Having come within an inch of making it four birdies in a row at 6, Bronson Burgoon immediately whistles his drive into thick oomska down the right to 7. The inevitable result is bogey, and he slips back to +1. Isn’t it so often the way. Golf, ladies and gentlemen.
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Rory McIlroy, still looking for that elusive fifth major, starts with a par. A decent result, seeing he’d sent his opening tee shot into the lush stuff down the left. He’s +2, never a factor this week. Meanwhile Phil Mickelson, who has five majors and will be chasing that elusive US Open next month at Pebble Beach, is currently three over for his round today through 14, as a disappointing weekend (76 yesterday) draws to its close. He’s +9. But it’s not been all bad news for Lefty. Click below for a masterclass in comic timing.
Shattered the record. Not the round I wanted. Game is closer than my score. I’m putting all I have into tomorrow’s round. Thank you NY for all your support. ❤️👍 pic.twitter.com/A0w9O6YXCs
— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) May 18, 2019
The 2002 champion Rich Beem has had an up-and-down week. More ups than down on balance, considering he hardly ever plays competitive golf, other than when he accepts his invite to this tournament as a former winner. An opening day 75, followed by a second-day 69, coming back in best-of-week 30 to make the cut by one. After shooting a tired 79 yesterday, he’s made another 69 today, signing off with birdies at 17 and 18! Wonderful. He ends the week at +15, one off the bottom spot occupied by PGA pro Marty Jertson (+19) who ended his week with a second consecutive 79.
Burgoon’s an inch away from draining a long putt on 6 and making it four birdies in four! Elsewhere, Gary Woodland is putting together quite an eventful round. Birdies at 2, 4 and 5, the latest a reward for clacking an iron from 160 yards to a couple of feet. But he took four putts from 65 feet at the par-three 3rd for an ugly double bogey. He’s +2 overall.
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Positivity news! The 31-year-old Texan Bronson Burgoon hasn’t done much in the majors in a distinctly average career: an appearance here at the 2009 US Open, when he missed the cut, and a go at the Open last year at Carnoustie, when he also failed to make the weekend. But having taken former champ Davis Love III’s place this week as an alternate, he’s finally made it through to the weekend of a big one, thanks to a 66 on Friday. Yesterday’s 74 was a little disappointing, but he’s making up for that today with three early birdies on the bounce, at 3, 4, and 5. He’s level par for the tournament.
Daniel Berger is another hopeful whose weekend went to pot. The 26-year-old from Florida has a major in him, but his chances of this being his breakthrough week went south yesterday. Going out in the second-to-last group, he ran up a 78 to tumble way out of contention (if there’s such a thing this week with the way Koepka’s been carrying on). Today is no better: he’s four over today and +8 overall, the low point this morning being a double bogey at 2, the result of a wayward drive into the deep stuff down the left.
Kelly Kraft is only here this week because the 2017 champion Justin Thomas withdrew with an injured wrist. For a while, the 30-year-old Texan would have been dreaming of a similar reserve’s fairytale story to John Daly’s 1991 adventure, having shot 65 on day two. But he collapsed to a 78 yesterday afternoon, and things aren’t going particularly well today either: bogey at 1 followed by a double at the par-three 3rd, having hooked his tee shot down the jungle-covered bank to the left of the hole. He’s now +7 for the tournament through 7.
Three PGA pros made it through to the weekend, the most since 2005. The best-placed survivor after 72 holes will be crowned Low Club Professional champion, and presented with a lovely bit of crystal at the closing prize ceremony. We can say for sure that Marty Jertson won’t be the one: the vice-president of fitting and performance at Ping shot 79 yesterday and will be carding 78 soon providing he pars the last. He’s propping up the entire field at +18. A shame, because his first two rounds of 72 and 69 were an amazing advertisement for the Ping 410 driver he’s been using ... and had a hand in designing. Hey, they still are. (Other clubs are available.) So it’ll be a tussle between Rob Labritz of Pound Ridge, New York and Ryan Vermeer of Happy Hollow in Omaha, who are both currently at +8. Labritz has played 13 holes, Vermeer just 8. You decide who’s got the advantage there. More anon.
There are only two other early starters better than one under for their round so far. Paul Casey, who never really recovered from a ludicrous double-bogey faff around the 13th green on Thursday, went out in 33. He’s currently +4 overall after 10. Also two under for his round today: Thorbjorn Olesen, the big Dane opening with birdies at 1 and 2. He’s +2 alongside G-Mac.
The hottest player currently out on the course: the 2010 US Open champion Graeme McDowell. He’s three under for his round after birdies at 2, 4, and 5. That’s whistled him up the standings to +2. Good to see G-Mac back in some form, having recently won for the first time on the PGA Tour for four years in the Dominican Republic. His game’s back together just in time for the big push to qualify for this year’s Open at his home course of Portrush. Here’s hoping he makes it. It won’t be quite right if he doesn’t tee it up on the Antrim Coast in July alongside Darren Clarke and Wee-Mac.
Here we go, then! The business end of the procession. It’s a slightly overcast but humid day in Farmingdale, NY, USA. A bit of a breeze, but nothing anyone needs to worry about. Expect scoring similar to yesterday, as Bethpage Black continues to dry out from the rain that came down early in the week, the course getting ever harder, less and less receptive. A stern test.
Preamble
“So, Brooks. Is there any doubt whatsoever in your mind that you’re going to win tomorrow?” “No. I feel confident. I feel good. I feel excited.” Well that’s that, then.
Brooks Koepka has been playing a different sport to everyone else this week. A new sport: Big Golf. Huge accurate drives that enable him to attack from angles no other players can find, at distances few other players can reach. Laser-guided approach play. Chipping that’s either crisp and delicate from the short stuff, powerful yet perfectly weighted from the thicker grass. A flat stick that rarely lets him down. Scrambling skills par excellence. And the mental strength to keep it all on track during the rare pocket of turbulence. Irritatingly handsome too. Is it a Tiger? Is it a Golden Bear? No, it’s SuperBrooks!
SuperBrooks goes into the final day of the 101st PGA Championship almost certain to retain the Wanamaker Trophy. He’s got a seven-shot lead going into today’s fourth round. Big Golf is taking him to dizzy heights. It’ll be his third major in five attempts, his fourth in eight, the sort of run that’s only ever previously been achieved by Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. He’ll become the first player in history to hold back-to-back majors in two titles at the same time, having won the 2017 and 2018 US Opens. And he’ll become the world number one. “I’ll approach tomorrow like any other day on the golf course. Hit the ball on the fairway, hit it on the green, make the birdie putt.” No biggie.
The good news for those in the pack tied for second? Someone has won the PGA Championship from seven shots back in the past, John Mahaffey overhauling Tom Watson in 1978. But he came from the pack; Watson was only five in the lead at the 54-hole mark. The bad news is: no player has ever failed to win a major after holding such a margin as Koepka’s. So if at the end of the day we see Dustin Johnson, Jazz Janewattananond, Luke List or Harold Varner III lifting the huge pot, we’ll have witnessed an unprecedented collapse. One way or another, then, we’ll be witnessing a slice of history ... though chances are, that’ll be the dawn of a new era, as SuperBrooks IV announces himself as the dominant figure of the Big Golf. It’s on!
We’ll get going at 4pm BST. Meanwhile here’s how the leaders stand at the 54-hole mark ...
-12: Koepka
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[tumbleweed, accompanied by haunting slide guitar]
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-5: Varner III, Janewattananond, List, D Johnson
-4: Matsuyama, Wallace
-3: Schauffele, Cantlay, Scott, Spieth
-2: van Rooyen, Kang
-1: Fowler, Lee
E: Willett, Glover, Bjerregaard, Reavie, Fleetwood, Rose
... and here are the tee-times. All local, just add five hours for BST.
7.35am: David Lipsky, Rich Beem
7.45am: Max Homa, Joos Luiten
7.55am: Corey Conners, Marty Jertson
8.05am: Kevin Tway, Kurt Kitayama
8.15am: Ross Fisher, Andrew Putnam
8.25am: Rafa Cabrera Bello, Beau Hossler
8.35am: Pat Perez, Rob Labritz
8.45am: Charley Hoffman, Henrik Stenson
8.55am: Justin Harding, Cameron Smith
9.05am: Matt Fitzpatrick, Lucas Herbert
9.15am: Paul Casey, Phil Mickelson
9.25am: Cameron Champ, Alex Noren
9.35am: Graeme McDowell, Ryan Vermeer
9.45am: J.T. Poston, Thomas Pieters
9.55am: Kelly Kraft, Daniel Berger
10.05am: Brandt Snedeker, Mike Lorenzo-Vera
10.15am: Thorbjorn Olesen, Jason Kokrak
10.35am: Bronson Burgoon, J.J. Spaun
10.45am: Gary Woodland, Keegan Bradley
10.55am: Francesco Molinari, Zach Johnson
11.05am: Billy Horschel, Webb Simpson
11.15am: Emiliano Grillo, Joel Dahmen
11.25am: Matt Kuchar, Charles Howell III
11.35am: Aaron Wise, Tyrell Hatton
11.45am: Haotong Li, Adam Hadwin
11.55am: Rory McIlroy, Tony Finau
12.05pm: Abraham Ancer, Jason Day
12.15pm: Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Adam Long
12.25pm: Louis Oosthuizen, Shane Lowry
12.35pm: Jimmy Walker, Scott Piercy
12.45pm: Justin Rose, Sam Burns
12.55pm: Chez Reavie, Tommy Fleetwood
1.05pm: Lucas Glover, Lucas Bjerregaard
1.25pm: Danny Lee, Danny Willett
1.35pm: Sung Kang, Rickie Fowler
1.45pm: Jordan Spieth, Erik van Rooyen
1.55pm: Patrick Cantlay, Adam Scott
2.05pm: Matt Wallace, Xander Schauffele
2.15pm: Dustin Johnson, Hideki Matsuyama
2.25pm: Jazz Janewattananond, Luke List
2.35pm: Brooks Koepka, Harold Varner III
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