Koepka’s Major Season
In a word, the PGA championship was AMAZING. The haters will say that the course was too soft and the greens were too slow, but the championship did not disappoint. Sunday saw a bevy of the biggest names in golf vying for the Wanamaker Trophy - Adam Scott, Brooks Koepka, Rickie Fowler, and the. Invest name of all, Tiger Woods.
As Sunday afternoon unfolded, the leaderboard saw players get closer to contention as Koepka sure deter his 3 stroke lead down to a single stroke. But Koepka continues with his brilliant display of golf this summer and held off Scott and Woods down the stretch to capture his second major championship this season and third of his career.
So let’s unpack all of this starting with the winner. Koepka is now a 3-time major golf champion in what is a very young career matching Jordan Spieth. Koepka is arguable the least covered star on the Tour. Sure he has that Michelob ad, but compared to Fowler, Spieth and Thomas his name is hardly ever mentioned. Perhaps that stems from Koepka’s self-admitted second-tiered interest in the game of golf. Koepka would rather play baseball or basketball which makes him different from his contemporaries who love and breathe the game. Nonetheless, Koepka’s stellar play in the majors this year cannot deny his status in the game. He is an elite superstar. Consider this, in the modern era, no golfer with 3 major championships has been left out of the World Golf Hall of Fame. On Sunday, Koepka likely punched his own ticket to St. Augustine.
The other big story, and probably the biggest story of the week, was Tiger Woods’ second place finish. The galleries were absolutely massive for Woods and the Sunday roars that his fans were accustomed to back in his heyday returned in St. Louis. It is remarkable to think that 11 months ago, was sitting in a broadcast booth unsure if he would be able to return to competitive golf. On Sunday he shot a remarkable 64 and lost the PGA by 2 shots. If there was any doubt about Woods’ ability to compete at this stage in his career, those have been resoundingly answered. It is hard to imagine that Woods won’t win at least one more major in his storied career. April and Augusta cannot come soon enough.
As Sunday afternoon unfolded, the leaderboard saw players get closer to contention as Koepka sure deter his 3 stroke lead down to a single stroke. But Koepka continues with his brilliant display of golf this summer and held off Scott and Woods down the stretch to capture his second major championship this season and third of his career.
So let’s unpack all of this starting with the winner. Koepka is now a 3-time major golf champion in what is a very young career matching Jordan Spieth. Koepka is arguable the least covered star on the Tour. Sure he has that Michelob ad, but compared to Fowler, Spieth and Thomas his name is hardly ever mentioned. Perhaps that stems from Koepka’s self-admitted second-tiered interest in the game of golf. Koepka would rather play baseball or basketball which makes him different from his contemporaries who love and breathe the game. Nonetheless, Koepka’s stellar play in the majors this year cannot deny his status in the game. He is an elite superstar. Consider this, in the modern era, no golfer with 3 major championships has been left out of the World Golf Hall of Fame. On Sunday, Koepka likely punched his own ticket to St. Augustine.
The other big story, and probably the biggest story of the week, was Tiger Woods’ second place finish. The galleries were absolutely massive for Woods and the Sunday roars that his fans were accustomed to back in his heyday returned in St. Louis. It is remarkable to think that 11 months ago, was sitting in a broadcast booth unsure if he would be able to return to competitive golf. On Sunday he shot a remarkable 64 and lost the PGA by 2 shots. If there was any doubt about Woods’ ability to compete at this stage in his career, those have been resoundingly answered. It is hard to imagine that Woods won’t win at least one more major in his storied career. April and Augusta cannot come soon enough.
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