PGA Championship: Brooks Koepka 'one of golf's greats' after claiming fifth major title at Oak Hill
Brooks Koepka claimed a third PGA Championship victory and fifth major title with a two-stroke win at Oak Hill on Sunday; former world No 1 also moves inside the projected standings for Team USA's Ryder Cup team and becomes just the 20th male to reach five majors
Wednesday 24 May 2023 06:12, UK
Brooks Koepka enjoyed a return to the major winner's circle with a third PGA Championship victory, but where does he now rank when compared to golf's all-time greats?
Koepka's two-shot victory over Scottie Scheffler and Viktor Hovland at Oak Hill makes him just the 20th male in history to reach five major titles, and he also joins Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods in the stroke-play era as the only three-time winners of the Wanamaker Trophy.
The latest success completes a remarkable comeback for Koepka, who dominated the majors in 2018 and 2019 before seeing his career hampered by injury ahead of his switch to the LIV circuit.
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"I look at the reason why he went to LIV as his confidence being shaken," former major champion Rich Beem told Sky Sports.
"I think he went there thinking, 'I may never be at my very best again, so I might as well take this contract to make sure I secure my future. If I happen to get back to winning tournaments and major championships again, then those are the most important things in my life anyway, outside of family'.
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"I hate to say 'panic button' but I think he thought his body wouldn't be able to handle the rigours of trying to play in 20-25 events per year. The LIV tour is just three days a week, a lot more relaxed and I think, at the end of the day, it has really helped him."
Koepka has previously admitted to doubts over his golfing future, although he has two LIV victories since joining last summer and threatened a major triumph at The Masters ahead of his win at the PGA Championship.
"The process of what he had to do to get back in the game and get back to his absolute best is impressive," Beem added. "I think when you get injured such as he did and you are not able to play at the highest level, it eats at you and your game starts deteriorating.
"You hit a panic button a little bit and you don't know if you are going to be able to get back where you once were. I think we see in that Netflix special (Full Swing), he wasn't sure if he was ever going to get it back. Then, all of a sudden, small things start happening.
"He wins on LIV and gets emotional about that. He finds himself with a two-stroke lead at Augusta and doesn't get that done. He found himself in a similar position and he was a completely different animal than he was at Augusta.
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"He was like he was in 2017, '18 and '19. He was the alpha male out there and built up that lead, and, although he got challenged, he got the victory at the end of the day. It was quite the performance".
Brooks back to his best?
Koepka took a one-shot lead into the final day and never lost top spot during his three-under 67, with the win - alongside the runner-up finish at Augusta National last month - lifting him from outside the world's top 100 to world No 13.
"This was a man who was regularly winning major championships," former Ryder Cup player Andrew Coltart told Sky Sports. "He played for the majors and raised his game every time he entered them.
"But he fell away, he almost disappeared off the planet, and his confidence ebbed away. It almost came back a little bit at The Masters, but he just didn't really know how to get the job done again over the final 18 holes.
"This is huge. These players measure themselves, their careers, their legacies on major championships. He has five of them now; Rory McIlroy has four. Brooks is absolutely one of golf's greats, at this particular time. It's an incredible collection.
"Success breeds success. Make no bones about it, this is going to encourage all of those players on the LIV series to perform and try to claim more major championships."
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