Koepka wins third major PGA Championship

American Brooks Koepka won the Wanamaker Cup for the third time with a score of -9 at the 2023 PGA Championship.

With this latest victory, Koepka has five major titles at the age of 33, after 11 years of playing professional golf. His previous four victories were divided equally between the PGA Championship and the US Open in the 2017-2019 period.

With his recent achievements, New York is a good land in Koepka's career. Because this is also where the American golfer won the 2018 US Open and the 2019 PGA Championship.

Koepka lifted the Wanamaker Cup at Oak Hill this morning, May 22, Hanoi time. Photo: PGA Tour — Koepka lifted the Wanamaker Cup at Oak Hill this morning, May 22, Hanoi time. Photo: *PGA Tour*

"I love New York. This area has given me a lot of benefits," Koepka said at the ceremony to receive the Wanamaker Cup and 3.15 million USD this morning, Hanoi time. The American golfer won the title after a points race with Viktor Hovland - a Swiss star on the PGA Tour.

Entering the final round on the par-70 East Course at Oak Hill Country Club in New York, Koepka was at -6, one stroke ahead of Hovland. At the ninth hole, Koepka maintained that advantage.

On hole 12, Koepka birdied to increase the gap to two strokes, up to -8 while his opponent kept par. On hole 13, the result was the opposite, and Hovland narrowed the disadvantage to a narrow level. After hole 15, the situation remained the same. But right at hole 16, Hovland "collapsed", and Koepka birdied again.

On that hole, Hovland hit into the bunker, used a 9-iron to escape but failed, and later recorded a double bogey. It was Hovland's first double bogey since the beginning of the tournament and a costly mistake.

It left him at -6, with only a slim hope of winning his first major as Koepka moved up to -10 after birdieing the 16th hole.

On the remaining two holes, Koepka bogey-pared to secure a -9 win, while Hovland birdied to finish T2 (-7) with Scottie Scheffler. This player won the co-runner-up title, receiving $1.54 million thanks to the deepest negative finish on the course and the entire tournament, at -5.

After the 2023 PGA Championship, Scheffler regained the top spot in the world men's professional golf rankings (OWGR), after six weeks of "giving way" to Jon Rahm, while Hovland moved up five places to sixth. At the last major, Rahm finished T50 (+7).

The tournament was run by the Professional Golfers Association of America from 1916, and was played in a match format until switching to stroke play in 1958. This event combines the Masters, US Open and The Open into a quartet of men's majors.

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