Brooks Koepka hails ‘sweetest’ major of his career after ending four-year drought

Brooks Koepka called his fifth major title the “sweetest” of his career after capping off his astonishing revival with a PGA Championship win on Sunday.

The American, once feared as golf’s most efficient big game hunter since Tiger Woods, appeared to be slipping away from relevance after a string of serious knee injuries between 2019 and 2021.

But after taking second place at the Masters last month, Koepka went one better at Oak Hill to become one of 20 golfers to win five majors and his first in four years.

“It’s amazing, it’s crazy,” said Koepka, who clocked a 67th final round to beat Viktor Hovland and Scottie Scheffler by two strokes.

“When I think back to where we were two years ago, I’m so happy right now. I’m a bit at a loss for words. It’s the coolest thing.

Koepka was delighted on the 18th green after sealing a two-stroke win over his closest rivals

‘This one is definitely much sweeter. There’s a lot of blood, sweat, and tears that went into this one. Life has changed a lot for me but this one is super rewarding for me.

The win will move Koepka up from 44th to 13th in the updated World Rankings and also put him in the automatic qualifying spots for the USA Ryder Cup team.

With the top six going straight into Zach Johnson’s squad of 12, Koepka is expected to sit in second place, but unable to secure any further points until next month’s US Open as his LIV circuit is currently deemed ineligible. by the official world golf ranking body.

“I don’t know how many guys have won five times, but to be with those names is amazing,” Koepka added. “I’m not sure I was a kid, I even dreamed of doing it.

“I’m not trying to prove to anyone that I can still play. I can still do that and I like the way things are starting to fall into place. I think when I’m healthy, I think I’m back to where I was during that good time.

Koepka had to wait four years between major wins but has now taken his tally to a brilliant five

Norway’s Viktor Hovland said it was ‘suck’ to fail but he’s happy with his progress

Hovland, who finished fourth, seventh and second in the last three majors, said: “It sucks right now, but it’s really cool to see things going in the right direction.”

The Norwegian added: “If I keep minding my own business and keep working on what I’m doing, I think we’ll have one soon.”

“Brooks is a great player and now he has five majors. I mean, that’s a hell of a record right there. It’s not easy to face a guy like that.

“So I feel like I belong here, I just need to improve a bit and hopefully it will be like that next time.”

Meanwhile, Rory McIlroy shot a third straight 69 to finish two under. He cut a hopelessly subdued figure this week, with his game far from his usual standards.

Rory McIlroy was off the pace and had to fight hard to crack the top seven at Oak Hill

That he finished in the top seven was due to his fighting spirit, although that left a number of technical issues to be resolved in just three weeks before the US Open, including a two-way miss from the tee.

He said: “Honestly, I didn’t feel like I had a chance to win this week.

“I feel a bit close but also so far away at the same time. It is difficult to explain. I feel like sometimes it was the worst I could have played, but at the same time it felt like the best I could have done. It’s a weird feeling.

“It just doesn’t seem quite where it needs to be, so I just need to go home and work on some stuff and try to figure it out.”