Brooks Koepka poses with his trophy at the PGA Championship on Aug. 12, 2018 in St Louis.
Much of the attention on the final day of the 100th PGA Championship was focused squarely on Tiger Woods. Meanwhile, Brooks Koepka quietly moved into elite company by winning his second major of the year.
Koepka was the leader by two strokes going into Sunday at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis. Throughout the final day of play, he held off Woods and Australia’s Adam Scott, shooting a final round 66 and finishing 16-under in his 100th career start.
Koepka became just the fifth player to win the U.S. Open and the PGA Championship in the same year, joining Woods in 2000, Jack Nicklaus in 1980, Ben Hogan in 1948 and Gene Sarazen in 1922. It is his third major victory in the last six major tournaments. Earlier this year, Koepka also become the first player since 1989 to win consecutive U.S. Opens.
Woods shot a final round 64 and finished in second place at 14-under. Scott, who birdied the 12th and 13th holes to tie Koepka for the lead before falling behind, shot a 67 and finished in third place at 13-under.
Woods was a story in and of himself. He started the day tied for sixth place and made an impressive run at what would have been his fifth PGA Championship win and his first major victory since 2008. Although he couldn’t quite catch Koepka, Woods fought his way up to a tie for second. He birdied 18 and gave a giant fist pump, finishing with a final round 64.
Koepka and Woods were among five Americans who finished in the top 10. Stewart Cink finished tied for fourth at 11-under. Justin Thomas, the defending champion, finished in sixth place at 10-under. Fellow American Gary Woodland also finished at 10-under.
Koepka is looking to make his second Ryder Cup team. He's ranked second in the Ryder Cup standings behind top-ranked Dustin Johnson. Players earn points in these standings based off money made in PGA Tour events and major championships. The top eight American players on the list will be named to the U.S. team.
If Koepka can hold his spot in the top eight, he will join a U.S. team looking to win its second consecutive Ryder Cup. This year’s tournament will be held Sept. 25-30 at LeGolf National in Paris, France.
Karen Price is a reporter from Pittsburgh who has covered Olympic sports for various publications. She is a freelance contributor to TeamUSA.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.