Brooks Koepka Makes Golfing History with Third PGA Championship Win and Fifth Major Title
Brooks Koepka has secured his place in golfing history with his victory at the 2023 PGA Championship, his third win at the event and fifth major title overall.[0] Koepka's victory at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York, saw him hold off challenges from Viktor Hovland and Scottie Scheffler to win by two strokes. The win also saw him become just the third player to win three or more PGA Championships in the stroke play era, joining Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. Koepka is also one of just five players in history to win the PGA three or more times and the U.S. Open more than once, joining Walter Hagen, Gene Sarazen, Nicklaus and Woods in that exclusive club.
Koepka's victory was not without drama, as Hovland threatened to take the lead at the par-4 16th, only to hit his tee shot into a fairway bunker on the right.[0] The previous day, leader Corey Conners had done the same thing and made double bogey, losing the lead for good.[0] Hovland's second shot from the bunker then embedded in the lip, leading to a double bogey, while Koepka calmly birdied the hole to take a four-stroke lead.[0]
Koepka's win sees him join an elite group of golfers who have won five or more majors, a list that includes Nicklaus, Woods, and Arnold Palmer, among others. It also cements his status as one of the best golfers of his generation, with nine top-two finishes in majors since 2017.
The win was particularly sweet for Koepka, who had narrowly missed out on victory at the Masters just six weeks earlier. It also marks a return to form for the golfer, who had struggled with injuries and a loss of form in recent years. Koepka's victory at the PGA Championship is sure to be seen as a sign that he is back to his best, and will make him one of the favorites for future major championships.
0. “LIV golfers sound off after Brooks Koepka wins PGA Championship – ESPN” ESPN, 22 May. 2023, https://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/37704106/liv-golfers-sound-brooks-koepka-wins-pga-championship
