Koepka seizes US Open trophy

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One of golf's biggest hitters, the 27-year-old also demonstrated a killer instinct along with a deft touch with the putter, rolling in a monster 41-foot birdie putt at the eighth.

"It was a fantastic round of golf, given what we were dealing with to start the day", Spieth said.

Matsuyama has now posted top 10 finishes in each of the four majors and says this week's experience will help as he prepares to take a crack at the Open Championship next month and the PGA Championship in August.

The city is home to 2016 U.S. Open champion Dustin Johnson, four-time major victor Rory McIlroy, 2014 Open runner-up Rickie Fowler and, of course, Tiger Woods.

Koepka moved away from the field with successive birdies at the 14, 15 and 16 holes, and it meant that he could play the 17 and 18 safe in the knowledge that nobody was going to catch him. Though his face did not show it, he was excited, really.

The muscular American, who started the day one back of overnight leader Brian Harman, was on the charge out of the gate collecting birdies on the opening two holes at a windswept Erin Hills. "For us, it was like two minutes". Johnson reminded him to stay patient and not to get ahead of himself.

This week he received pep talks from swing coach Claude Harmon III, master short game coach Pete Cowen and from world number one Johnson, last year's victor.

He added: "I look at those and my win on the PGA Tour". Prior to Sunday, his only PGA Tour victory was in the 2015 Waste Management Open in Phoenix.

Erratic off the tee at times and unlucky at others, Thomas' hopes of winning his first major championship never took root Sunday when he shot a 3-over 75 to finish 8-under, a distant eight shots behind the victor, Brooks Koepka.

"It was bombs away for me", said the champion.

Ireland's star is now preparing for a busy month and a half on Tour and he admits the confidence is high as he aims to end nearly two years without picking up a trophy. "Hopefully they'll want me to be a part of the Walker Cup, but you've got to play good". "And I just couldn't stand the fact that I'd only won once". Ricky Elliott, the new US Open champion's caddie, realised from the moment he met his now long-time boss that the prospect of a special relationship was real.

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But Erin Hills in Wisconsin was a completely different story.

A total of 68 competitors will play the final 36 holes. They spanned the globe from the United States to South Korea.

Harman, who was playing in the final group just behind Koepka, had lost all his energy as he approached the 18th hole, where a par would have given him sole possession of second place.

And none of those top 16 had won a major.

You can drink boring out of U.S. Open trophies. On Sunday, after three days of benign playing conditions, the wind kicked up and turned the almost 8,000-yard layout into a bucking mule. His tee time proved to be as much an obstacle as the 25-mph wind on Sunday. He finished at 1-over par. He shot under par in all four rounds at Erin Hills golf course. But he said the wind wreaked havoc with his putts, blowing them off line and putting him in spots where "getting kind of the right gust at the right time was kind of key".

After a third-round 63, Justin Thomas was tied with Koepka, and facing the unenviable task of trying to follow one great round with another.

He did it. Now, his journey includes a victory in Wisconsin - in the U.S. Open, no less.

Thomas, 24 and already a three-time tour victor this season, could not avoid a similar letdown. Lingmerth finished in a tie for 21st at four-under-par, while Reavie and Wiesberger were one better at -5. Exhausted of travelling. I just wanted to be home, even though I think I had the lead at that point and was about to win. "So I think that was kind of the changing point of the round for me".

To Claude Harmon, drafting off Johnson's winning ways gives Koepka an enormous intangible edge.

Stricker had already seen enough this past week to feel good about where the game is headed. "And it's fun to watch".

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