Brooks Koepka carded superb final-round 65 to secure victory at the Waste Management Phoenix Open in Arizona.
The four-time major winner made two eagles, three birdies and one bogey in his six-under-par round as the 30-year-old American finished on 19 under at TPC Scottsdale to claim his second Phoenix Open title.
Jordan Spieth and Xander Schauffele were tied for the lead after the third round, and were three clear of the chasing pack at the start of the final day’s play, but both struggled from the outset on Sunday and found themselves three behind as early as the eighth hole after fellow American James Hahn surged to six under for the day at the 10th.
Koepka found himself tied for the lead after birdies at 13, 14 and 15, and he then hit the front in style when he holed a 70-yard pitch for an eagle-two at the par-4 17th that lifted him into the outright lead. A par at the last set the clubhouse target at 19 under.
Schauffele got to within one when he knocked a wedge to seven feet at the 16th and converted the chance for only his third birdie of the day, but he and Spieth then pulled their drives into the water at the penultimate hole, and Schauffele’s bogey left him needing to hole his second shot at the last to force a playoff with Koepka, which he failed to do. That left him tied for second with South Korea’s Kyoung-Hoon Lee, who shot a closing 68, while Speieth followed up his Saturday 61 with a level-par 72 to finish fourth, his best finish on the PGA Tour for over 18 months.
Koepka, who arrived at TPC Scottsdale on the back of three consecutive missed cuts, after battling a knee injury for most of 2020, said: “”I’m very pleased, very happy. It’s been a wild ride for the last year-and-a-half and also very frustrating. I’ve had moments where I didn’t know if I was going to be the same, if I could even come back. A lot of hard work has gone into this, and I’m actually really proud of myself.”
He added: “I like the way I finished it off. To hit shots like I did down the stretch, especially when the pressure is on, is a good feeling.”
Rory McIlroy, who once again turned down huge appearance fees to play in Saudi International, finished six shots behind Koepka in tied 13th after a final-round 64.