ROCHESTER, New York: Brooks Koepka outdueled Viktor Hovland and Scottie Scheffler in a back-nine battle Sunday to win the PGA Championship for his fifth major title, giving Saudi-backed LIV Golf a milestone major triumph.

The 33-year-old American captured his third PGA Championship and became the first player to win a major since joining LIV, firing a three-under par 67 to finish 72 holes at Oak Hill on nine-under 271.
“It’s incredible,” said Koepka, only the 20th player to win five or more majors. “I’m not sure I even dreamed when I was a kid I would win this many.”
Norway’s 11th-ranked Hovland, chasing his first major title, and American Scheffler, last year’s Masters winner and the new world number one, shared second on 273.
“I put up a good fight. I played great today,” Scheffler said. “I gave the guys on top of the leaderboard something to think about and I made a little bit much a move.
“But Brooks just played some fantastic golf this week. He played too good this weekend for me to catch up to him.”

There were a smattering of boos for Koepka as he walked onto the 18th green to make the concluding putts for the title, a sign of the bitter acrimony that has engulfed golf since the launch of the LIV circuit last year.
But Koepka calmly finished off an impressive romp, his first major win since 2021 knee surgery sidelined him for most of the past two seasons.
“I look back at where we were two years ago,” Koepka said. “I’m so happy right now. I’m at a loss for words. But this is the coolest thing.”
Australia’s Cam Davis and American Kurt Kitayama shared fourth on 277 with another LIV player, American Bryson DeChambeau.
Four-time major winner Rory McIlroy shared seventh on 278 with Austrian Sepp Straka.
Koepka was among the stars who jumped from the PGA Tour to breakaway LIV Golf, which offered record $25 million purses for 54-hole events, despite concern over Saudi Arabia’s human rights record.
The PGA banned LIV talent from its events, with a legal fight between them due in court next May. In the meantime, the majors have provided the only outlet for competition between players from the rival tours.
In all, there were six major winners from LIV in the field of 156 with a combined 15 major crowns, none of them won since joining the upstart circuit, including Australian Cam Smith’s British Open title last July.

Koepka led entering the final round at last month’s Masters but, in his words, “choked” away the green jacket to Spain’s Jon Rahm.
After sharing second at Augusta National with LIV’s Phil Mickelson, Koepka’s three PGA wins puts him behind only Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Walter Hagen.
In the closing drama, Hovland sank a birdie putt from just inside eight feet at 14 but Koepka matched him from just inside four feet to reach nine-under and stay one ahead of the 11th-ranked Norwegian with Scheffler three back.
Hovland was undone by a 9-iron shot from a fairway bunker at 16, where he embedded his ball into the bunker wall and went on to make double bogey.
Koepka sank a birdie putt at 16 from just inside five feet to reach 10-under and lead by four.
“I thought I handled myself pretty well,” Hovland said. “Pretty unfortunate on 16 but I don’t feel like I gave it away.
“Brooks deserved to win. He hit a lot of great putts and a lot of great shots.”
Scheffler birdied 18 from just inside 16 feet and Koepka took bogey at 17 after finding the right rough off the tee, sending Koepka to the final hole two up on the American.
Koepka dropped his approach inside 10 feet and two-putted for victory.

World number three McIlroy from Northern Ireland was trying to win his first major title since 2014.
McIlroy’s playing partner, US club professional Michael Block, aced the 151-yard par-3 15th on the fly with a 7-iron and was cheered all the way along his walk to the hole. It was the first hole-in-one by a club pro in the PGA since 1999.
Block shot 71 to share 15th on 281, earning a spot in next year’s PGA field.
 

ROCHESTER, New York: Scottie Scheffler, Viktor Hovland and Corey Conners delivered clutch birdies and grinded out par saves to share the lead after Friday’s second round of the PGA Championship as rivals stumbled at rainy Oak Hill.

Second-ranked American Scheffler, last year’s Masters champion, and Canada’s Conners, chasing his first major title, each fired 2-under par 68 to finish 36 holes level at the top on five-under 135.

“Felt like I grinded it out pretty well,” Scheffler said. “Didn’t hit as many fairways as I would hope to but to shoot two-under was good, solid golf.”

Conners, who won his second PGA Tour title at last month’s Texas Open, worked magic with his putter when needed.

“Very pleased,” Conners said. “The conditions were tricky out there, faced some wind, some rain. I made a bunch of key putts to keep momentum going, and that was really the key to the day.”

Norway’s 11th-ranked Hovland, also seeking a first major crown, sank a five-foot birdie putt at the 18th hole to shoot 67 and make it three at the top.

“The score has been great but the way I’ve plodded my way around here, very pleased with that,” he said. “I was trying to give myself the most stress-free pars and a couple birdie looks as well.”

Bryson DeChambeau, the 2020 US Open champion, closed with a bogey to share fourth with fellow American Justin Suh on 137.

“It has been a few years, but it doesn’t mean I don’t know how to do it,” DeChambeau said of winning. “I’m definitely trending in the right direction finally.”

Four-time major winner Brooks Koepka and England’s Callum Tarren were on 138 and England’s Justin Rose and Canadian Taylor Pendrith on 139 as only nine players stood under par.

Scheffler, who would return to world number one with a victory, had two sets of back-to-back birdies but closed with a bogey.

“I was just trying to grind,” he said. “I’m in a good position going into the weekend.”

Conners consistently made putts from nine to 12 feet for pars and birdies.

“Definitely was a challenging day,” he said. “But I felt like I played really solid.”

Hovland adopted a patient and conservative philosophy and will stick with it.

“It’s nice to have a chance, but we’ve got a lot of golf left,” Hovland said. “I just have to keep being patient and hitting middle of the greens and let the pieces fall wherever they fall.”

Koepka birdied three of the last four holes to shoot 66.

“Knew I needed a good round,” said Koepka. “Happy to shoot under par and get back in the race.”

Rose, the 2013 US Open and 2016 Rio Olympic champion, won in February at Pebble Beach for his first triumph since 2019. He could be the first Englishman to win a PGA Championship since Jim Barnes in 1916 and 1919.

Four-time major winner Rory McIlroy, chasing his first major victory since 2014, fired a 69 to stand on level par 140. He found water and made bogeys at six and seven but birdied nine from 44 feet and 18 from 16 feet.

“It was a bit of a grind again,” McIlroy said. “I had to score as best as I could. Rode my luck a little bit. Pretty erratic off the tee, Need to tighten it up over the weekend.”

American Michael Block shared 10th on 140, the best 36-hole spot for a club professional since 1988.

World No. 1 Jon Rahm, the reigning Masters champion, made the cut by shooting 68 to stand on 144.

After going over the cut line with a bogey at 12, Rahm made three consecutive birdies.

“Knowing those next three holes were doable, I tried to be a little bit more aggressive and go after it,” Rahm said. “Hit the shots I needed to and made the birdies I needed to.”

Reigning US Open champion Matthew Fitzpatrick of England closed with back-to-back bogeys to miss the cut at 145 by one.

Jordan Spieth, a three-time major winner trying to complete a career Grand Slam by winning this week, shot 72 to make the cut on the number despite a left wrist injury.

“Wrist is holding up nicely considering,” Spieth said.

Defending champion Justin Thomas also made the cut on the number.