Brooks Koepka Wins the U.S. Open for His First Major Title

The U.S. Open Championship was contested for the first time ever in the state of Wisconsin, so it was only appropriate that Erin Hills would produce a first time major champion!  Brooks Koepka held off the likes of recent regular season winners Hideki Matsuyama and Brian Harman, up-and-coming Brit Tommy Fleetwood, as well as proven veterans Bill Haas and Rickie Fowler (amongst others) to win the Jack Nicklaus Medal as champion of the 117^th U.S. Open!

Even though Erin Hills became the longest course in U.S. Open history, and the first par-72 setup for the championship in over 25 years, there were some incredibly low scores posted.  An unusual week of weather (almost every day had some rain) and very little wind until Sunday allowed for calm conditions, soft greens and welcoming fairways.  These circumstanced lead to an US Open-record 31 players finishing under par for the championship, a feat made even more astounding when taking into consideration that only 12 players have done the same at the US Open in the last 4 years combined!  Justin Thomas tied the US Open record by firing a 63 on Saturday, but it wasn’t enough as Koepka finished with a 16-under-par 272 total.

The U.S. Open comes back to New York for the first time in almost a decade, at storied Shinnecock Hills G.C. in Southampton next June.  The links-style course has hosted four (4) US Opens over the course of 3 different centuries and will once again be providing an incredibly difficult test for those who make it to Long Island next summer.