Brooks Koepka wins third PGA Championship title with thrilling victory at Oak Hill
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Brooks Koepka has made it back to the top of the mountain as the winner of the 2023 PGA Championship.
It was an eventful weekend at Oak Hill Country Club outside Rochester, New York as one of the giants in the game of the golf would get his name back on the Wanamaker Trophy, while an unknown name would become a household one in one of the great storylines in sport.
Koepka's brillance
When Brooks Koepka let a 54-hole lead at The Masters slip away last month, he vowed that he would learn his lesson from that disappointment.
On Sunday at Oak Hill, Koepka again had a 54-hole lead and those lessons seemed to be learned, indeed.
Koepka stormed out of the gate, making birdie after birdie, firing pin-seeking irons into the Donald Ross-designed greens, seemingly having his way with the course that had given so many fits over the 4-day tournament.
When all was said and done, it was Koepka lifting the Wanamaker Trophy for the third time in five years, having won his fifth overall major championship.
As CBS' Jim Nantz summed things up so eloquently, "Koepka's conquest has returned."
Michael Block's quick climb to stardom
While Brooks Koepka was making headlines as the winner of the tournament, another player by the name of Michael Block would become the talk of the town and of the entire golf and sports world over the weekend.
The 46-year-old head professional from the Arroya Trabuco Golf Club in Mission Viejo, California qualified for the tournament by finishing near the top of the leaderboard at the 2023 PGA Professional Championship -- but it didn't take long for Block to have the galleries at Oak Hill cheering him on.
After making the cut on Friday, Block would spend his weekend paired with Justin Rose and Rory McIlroy, something he couldn't believe was the reality in front of him.
On Sunday, Block made all of the headlines, first by dunking a 7-iron on the Par 3 15th for a hole-in-one. McIlroy seemed to have a blast playing alongside Block, even giving him a little hug informing him he had made the ace.
Following the round, Block and McIlroy would share a big hug on the 18th green compared to the usual handshakes you see between players. A very cool moment in sports.
The headlines would continue to be made when Block made an up-and-down par on the 18th hole to finish tied for 15th place, earning an exemption for next year's PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club.
Shortly after finishing his round on Sunday, Block would find out his hot streak wasn't over yet, as he was invited to play in next week's event at the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas on a sponsor's exemption.
Viktor Hovland comes up short again
The 25-year-old Norwegian sensation found himself, for the third straight major championship, in contention -- but again came up short of victory.
Paired with Koepka, Hovland was going toe-to-toe with the eventual champion before things derailed for him on the 16th hole.
Hovland's tee shot found a fairway bunker and his next shot would become plugged in the lip of the sand trap, costing him a penalty stroke with an unplayable lie.
The slip-up would give Koepka the breathing room he needed going into the final two holes.
Hovland would make a birdie on the 18th hole to finish tied for second place, his third straight Top 10 finish at a major.
Mother nature's moment
While Brooks Koepka and Donald Ross were making headlines for their play, Mother Nature was making headlines as well, as an early-morning frost led to delays on Thursday morning and torrential rain on Saturday made for miserable conditions on Saturday.
For some, the downpours led to a change in style, with numerous players sporting backwards hats to keep the rain from dripping in their face.
For others, like Thomas Pieters, the difficulty of the course was highlighted by single moments.
Pieters, who birdied four of the first six holes in the rainy conditions on Saturday, met his difficult moment on the 7th hole.
The relentless rain finally let up after the end of Saturday's round, with conditions drastically improving for Sunday's final round.
No repeat champion
Heading into the start of the tournament, all eyes were on Justin Thomas and wondering if he would be able to go back-to-back and win the PGA Championship for a third time.
Thomas would come up well short, finishing tied for 65th place with a score of +12, however.
When Thomas finished his final round on Sunday, he made one fan's whole world, though, when he gave away his 60-degree wedge as he walked off of the course.
What a cool moment.
Tom Kim becoming a meme
While Justin Thomas had a cool moment with a fan and Michael Block became an overnight star, Tom Kim certainly had his moment on Thursday, becoming a meme as the first day of play at Oak Hill wrapped up.
Darkness began setting in outside Rochester after the start of the opening round was delayed due to frost -- and unfortunately for Tom Kim, he ended up taking a mud bath while searching for his golf ball.
Kim's reaction to finding out that everyone in the golf world witnessed his muddy moment says it all.
Kim ultimately missed the cut, alongside names like Jason Day and Matt Fitzpatrick, who will be looking to regain his form as the defending champion at next month's U.S. Open.
Lefty's 100th made cut
Phil Mickelson made a headline for himself on Friday, making his 100th cut at a major championship.
Mickelson has now made the cut in 100 of the 119 major championships he has played in.
Up next
On the heels of the PGA Championship, it's expected to be a fun few weeks on the PGA Tour with the Charles Schwab Challenge, the Memorial Tournament, and the RBC Canadian Open.
After that, it's back to Southern California for the 123rd U.S. Open, hosted at the Los Angeles Country Club.
