Watch Highlights: Brooks Koepka Wins U.S. Open For First Major Championship

Brooks Koepka entered the 2017 U.S. Open with only one career title on the PGA Tour; on Sunday, he secured his first major championship by shooting a five-under 67 in the final round of the Open in Erin Hills, Wisconsin.

Brooks Koepka Finishes 16-under 272 to tie Rory McIlroy’s U.S. Open Record

The 27-year-old Floridian finished at 16-under 272 after 72 holes on Sunday to match Rory McIlroy’s U.S. Open record for the lowest score under par.

Koepka — who turned professional in 2012 following a strong playing career at Florida State— also continued a trend of first-time major champions with the victory:

Of those seven consecutive first-time major winners, Koepka is the youngest by less than a year.

Koepka recorded a bogey on Hole No. 10 to tie Brian Harman, who held a one-stroke lead over the eventual champion, Justin Thomas and Tommy Fleetwood at the start of Round 4 on Sunday. Koepka then bogeyed again on the 12th and 13th holes, and hit birdies on the following three holes. Here are highlights of his birdies on the par-5 14th, the par-4 15th and the par-3 16th:

After hitting par on the 18th, Koepka was excited, even though it may not have initially looked like it.

“Did you see that fist pump on 18?” Koepka said.

Koepka joined the European tour in 2013 and won the Turkish Airlines Open on year afterward. He earned his first-ever PGA Tour title at the 2015 Phoenix Open.

Harman ended up tying for second with Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama, who entered the last round on Sunday six strokes behind. Both finished four strokes behind Koepka.

Matsuyama’s birdie on the par-5 18th gave him a fantastic score of six-under 66 after starting off the tournament terribly, according to ESPN Stats & Info:

Fowler and Fleetwood finished with 72s, while the best three players in the world — Dustin Johnson, McIlroy and Jason Day — all missed the cut.

Jordan Spieth played his finest round of the Open on Sunday by posting a three-under 69, his best round of the week by two strokes. The 23-year-old 2015 U.S. Open winner knocked himself well out of contention after hitting a four-over 76 on Saturday, and finished one-over par at Erin Hills on Sunday.

Reigning Masters champion Sergio Garcia, meanwhile, never made a charge on Sunday despite finishing under par in each of the first three rounds. He remained at four-under par for the Open with an even 72.

Koepka, like many other golfers in his 20s, cited Tiger Woods as his inspiration.

“It was pretty cool to watch Tiger win; I’m not going to lie,” Koepka said. He added, “That’s kind of why I’m playing.”

Woods recently fell into disgrace after he was arrested for driving under the influence earlier this month.

Koepka’s statement is particularly surprising given what he revealed in a 2015 interview with Golf Digest. 

“To be honest, I’m not a big golf nerd,” Koepka confessed in 2015. “Golf is kind of boring, not much action. I come from a baseball family, and it’s in my blood.”

Two years ago, the youngster earned $3.5 million playing on the PGA Tour, excluding all sponsorship deals. Despite all this financial success, Koepka insisted in 2015 he wished he had pursued a career in baseball.

“If I could do it over again, I’d play baseball—100 percent, no doubt,” Koepka said.

Koepka went home with $2.1 million on Sunday after winning the U.S. Open.

There was also a mishap following the end of the tournament at Erin Hills Golf Course on Sunday, when FOX Sports announcer Joe Buck incorrectly named Koepka’s girlfriend.

Koepka’s girlfriend, Jena Sims, gave him a kiss and a hug after his major victory, and Buck identified her as soccer player Becky Edwards, who is Koepka’s ex-girlfriend.

Buck’s partner in the booth, Brad Faxon, stepped in to correct the mistake and name Sims.

“Joe, that’s actually his new girlfriend, that’s Jena Sims,” Faxon stated. “Brooks told me secretively that they were together last week.”

Faxon said he lives close to Koepka and Sims.

Koepka and Edwards, 29, split sometime after December 2016. Sims, 28, is a former teenage beauty queen who represented her home state of Georgia in Miss Teen USA 2007. Her on-screen credits include guest appearances on “One Tree Hill,” “The Vampire Diaries” and “Dexter.”

The 2018 U.S. Open will be held in Shinnecock Hills in the Hamptons.

HARTFORD, WI – JUNE 17: Brooks Koepka of the United States plays his shot from the fourth tee during the third round of the 2017 U.S. Open at Erin Hills on June 17, 2017 in Hartford, Wisconsin. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Article by Pablo Mena