ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Any questions?
The moral to the 105th PGA Championship that played out to unparalleled drama this week at Oak Hill was this: Believe in Brooks.
There’s a conviction to the things Brooks Koepka has to say and it’s not wasted-breath, gas-bag chatter.
Koepka backs things up.
And on Sunday, on a glorious, sun-splashed afternoon one day after rain saturated the venerable Donald Ross-designed course that’s a veteran to seven men’s major championships and a Ryder Cup, Koepka not only backed up his words, he added an exclamation point as he made history.
Koepka staved off Viktor Hovland and Scottie Scheffler to win the PGA Championship for the record-tying third time in tournament history, finishing 9-under to Hovland and Scheffler’s 7-under on a final-round Sunday that served up as much drama as Mother Nature dropped rain the day before.
The other two players to win three PGA Championships?
Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.
“I was just told that I think only Tiger and Jack have won three, so that would be pretty special to be in a list or category with them,’’ Koepka said.
Believe in Brooks. Believe in his accomplishments.
This was Koepka’s fifth career major championship victory, making him only the 20th player in the history of the sport to win that many.
“This is incredible,” Koepka said. “This is wild. I look back to where we were two years ago, everything that’s gone on. I’m just so happy right now. I’ll be honest; I’m not sure I dreamed of it as a kid. I’m just happy to do it in front of these New York fans.”
This was Koepka’s third major victory in the state of New York, following his 2018 U.S. Open win at Shinnecock Hills and 2019 PGA win at Bethpage Black.
“We got three majors in New York, so New York has been a second home to me,’’ he said.
Koepka has battled various injuries in recent years, including a knee injury that slowed him, and winning again had him more emotional than he’d ever been after his first four majors.
“This is probably the sweetest one of them all because all the hard work that went into this one,’’ he said. “I think this one is probably the most meaningful of them all with everything that’s gone on, all the crazy stuff over the last few years.’’
Believe in Brooks. Believe what he has to say.
On Saturday night, after Koepka shot a second consecutive 66 to take a one-shot lead over Hovland and Corey Conners into the final round, he spoke about the lessons he’d learned from blowing a four-shot final-round lead to Jon Rahm at the Masters last month.
Koepka, in the strongest of words, vowed never again to make the same mistake, which he said was playing not to lose, playing prevent defense while protecting a four-shot lead, ending up shooting 75 in the most disappointing final round of his life.
“I won’t do it again the rest of my career,’’ he said. “I promise I won’t show up like that on Sunday, to never think the way I thought going into the final round. I definitely wouldn’t have, I don’t think, won today if that didn’t happen. I’ve always learned more from the four times I finished second than the five times I’ve won now.
“I think failure is how you learn. You get better from it. You realize what mistakes you’ve made. Each time I’ve kind of made an adjustment. It’s more mentality than it is anything. It’s not really golf swing or anything like that. You’re going to play how you play, but mentally you can kind of figure things out, and I’m always trying to get better. Just trying to find that different little edge just to poke and try inside my head.
“The big key is just being open and honest with yourself, and if you can do that, you’ll be miles ahead of everybody else.’’
Koepka said he “felt in control all day.’’
He never lost the lead, though Hovland very briefly tied him on No. 7 when Koepka bogeyed, but Hovland moments later bogeyed as well, leaving Koepka with a one-shot lead going to No. 8.
Koepka’s edge remained razor thin until he and Hovland reached the 16th hole, where he had a one-shot lead with three to play. That’s where everything changed. Hovland’s tee shot ended up in a fairway bunker and his second shot slammed into the grassy bank of the bunker and became embedded.
The 25-year-old who was trying to become the first player from Norway ever to win a major, had to take an unplayable penalty stroke and he took double bogey on the hole, which Koepka birdied.
As they walked to the 17th tee, Koepka was 10-under and a devastated and deflated Hovland 6-under.