Prior to last week, Brooks Koepka’s success on golf’s biggest stages was undeniable, highlighted by U.S. Open victories in 2017 and 2018 and PGA Championship wins in 2018 and 2019. Koepka’s win at Oak Hill Country Club this past weekend elevates him to even more historic status, as he is now one of only 20 golfers to ever win five major championships, placing him among the best players of all time.
In winning his third PGA Championship title on Sunday, the 33-year-old Koepka becomes the seventh male golfer since 1950 to win five majors before the age of 34. The previous six are in the World Golf Hall of Fame – Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Tom Watson, Seve Ballesteros, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. He is also the first player born after 1975 to win five majors and the third player to win three or more PGA Championships in the stroke play era. He is the first LIV Golf player to hoist a major trophy since joining the league.
“Brooks, congratulations on a commanding win that cements your place among the greatest to ever play this game,” said Greg Norman, LIV Golf Commissioner and CEO. “You have showcased a rare combination of strength, resolve, skill, belief and a relentless will to win that few possess, and you rise to the occasion when it matters most. Your impact on the sport is unquestioned as the champion of this era.”
The golf world reacted swiftly with fellow players and members of the media marking the significance of Koepka’s accomplishment:
“Brooks dominated this day. Guy knows how to play in majors, incredibly impressive! Congrats to Brooks and his team on another trophy” – Justin Thomas, two-time PGA Championship winner
“Brooks is a great player, and now he has five majors. I mean, that’s a hell of a record right there. It’s not easy going toe to toe with a guy like that. He is not going to give you anything.” – Viktor Hovland, 2023 PGA Championship runner-up (T-2)
“Greatest player in Majors in the last 15 years! Congrats to @BKoepka on his 5th Major! Awesome job buddy!” – Billy Horschel
“He’s a generational talent. He’s not like everyone else… He’s a franchise quarterback in the NFL. He’s a starting pitcher who just threw another no-hitter, won another World Series and another Cy Young Award.” – Coach Claude Harmon III (via Alan Shipnuck / The Fire Pit Collective)
“Five majors says something about a player that goes beyond how he hits the 14 clubs in his bag. Five is a window into his head and heart. A player who wins five majors has the rarest combination of mental toughness and emotional stability, and Koepka might be the best example in golf history of that.” – Michael Rosenberg, Sports Illustrated
“Plenty will tell their friends and their kids and perhaps their grandkids about watching Brooks Koepka walk. From one hole to another. From one major to the next. He broke a four-major tie with [Rory] McIlroy on Sunday and now stands as the clear-cut generational major champion. In doing so, he walked right into history Sunday.” – Kyle Porter, CBS Sports
“He is, without question, one of the finest players in modern golf history. This victory in Rochester makes him just the third golfer to reach five major victories in the 21st century. The others are Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, two others who know what it looks like to go to the brink and back.” – Brendan Quinn, The Athletic
“The moral to the 105th PGA Championship that played out to unparalleled drama this week at Oak Hill was this: Believe in Brooks. There’s a conviction to the things Brooks Koepka has to say and it’s not hot-air, gas-bag chatter. Koepka backs things up.” – Mark Cannizzaro, The New York Post
“Brooks Koepka may live in Florida, but he absolutely owns the state of New York when it comes to major championship golf… His two-shot victory at Oak Hill was his third major win in the Empire State. That makes him the first player ever to win majors at three different venues in the same state. How’s that for a trifecta?” – Alex Myers, Golf Digest
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