With an eagle putt that looked as long as his golf journey around the world, Brooks Koepka surged into the lead and stayed there on Sunday with a 5-under 66 to capture the Phoenix Open for his first PGA Tour victory.
Lingering for most of the final round, Koepka holed a 50-foot eagle putt from the fringe on the 15th hole and didn't make any mistakes the rest of the way to claim victory by one shot.
The win ended a long, arduous road for the 24-year-old from Florida.
With no status in America, Koepka played the Challenge Tour in countries like Kazakhstan and Kenya, winning four times to earn his European Tour card and then validating his US PGA status as a rising star by winning last year's Turkish Open.
But winning at home brought the strongest validation.
"It feels amazing," Koepka said after beating home Hideki Matsuyama, Masters champion Bubba Watson and Ryan Palmer.
Of the five players who had a share of the lead in a wild final hour at the TPC Scottsdale, Matsuyama had the last chance to catch Koepka until his 18-foot birdie putt on the final hole missed well to the right.
Martin Laird, who had a three-shot lead going into the final round, was tied with Koepka going to the 17th until he sprayed it well right into the gallery on the short par-4 hole and made bogey, and then pulled his tee shot into the water on the 18th and made double bogey. He closed with a 72.
Palmer shared the lead with a birdie on the 15th, but he had to settle for pars the rest of the way for a 66. So did Watson, who reached the front of the 17th green only to three-putt from just over 100 feet and made par. He closed with a 65.
Matsuyama, who holed out from 129 yards for eagle on the first hole and was the first player to catch up to Laird, took the lead with a beautiful pitch behind the green on the par-5 13th. He went 44 consecutive holes without a bogey until Matsuyama three-putted on the 14th hole, and he never recovered. He shot 67.
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