US Open: Brooks Koepka holds off Tommy Fleetwood to defend title
By Ali Stafford at Shinnecock Hills
Last Updated: 18/06/18 10:11am
Brooks Koepka held off a stunning final-round challenge from Tommy Fleetwood to defend his US Open title with a one-shot victory at Shinnecock Hills.
Final leaderboard
Koepka fired a two-under 68 in friendlier scoring conditions to become the first player to claim back-to-back US Open titles since Curtis Strange in 1989, as Fleetwood took second spot after making major history with his round-of-the-week 63.
Fleetwood matched the lowest round ever recorded in the US Open and missed a birdie putt at the last to fall one short of Branden Grace's all-time major record of 62, ending the week on two over.
World No 1 Dustin Johnson birdied the last to grab third place, with Masters champion Patrick Reed three strokes off the pace in fourth place ahead of Tony Finau after a final-round 68.
Reed had birdied his first three holes to move into a share of the lead by the time the final groups teed off, only for Koepka to drain a 20-footer at the second and hole from close range at the next to open up a two-shot cushion.
Fleetwood made his surge up the leaderboard by following a front-nine 32 with four straight birdies from the 12th, as Reed birdied the fourth and fifth to join the Englishman one off the pace.
A two-putt birdie at the fifth from Koepka was cancelled out with a blemish at the next, which briefly moved Reed joint top of the leaderboard after the Masters champion holed from 12 feet at the seventh.
Fleetwood closed his blemish-free back nine to set the clubhouse target at two over and Reed missed from six feet to save par at the ninth to reach the turn one back from Koepka, who kicked off his back nine with a seven-foot birdie to double his advantage.
Reed suffered back-to-back blemishes from the 11th, where Johnson three-putted from the front of the green, as Koepka got up-and-down from the rough to save par at the 12th and holed a 10-footer for par at the 14th.
Johnson walked in an eight-foot birdie at the 15th but slipped back to two behind when Koepka nudged in from close-range at the par-five next, before the world No 1 saw his challenge ended by a bogey at the par-three 17th.
Taking a two-shot lead to the last, Koepka got a fortunate break off the 18th grandstand but pitched to 15 feet and posted a two-putt bogey for victory.
Henrik Stenson and Tyrrell Hatton were part of the group of four players on six over, while Justin Rose finished tied-10th alongside Webb Simpson after carding a three-over 73.
