Winner’s Bag: U.S. Open, Brooks Koepka

FORT WORTH, Texas — Kevin Kisner birdied the first three holes on the back nine to take the lead and held on to win at DEAN & DELUCA despite a Sunday charge by defending champion Jordan Spieth. Kisner shot a 4-under 66 to finish at 10-under 270, including a clutch par save on the 18th hole after a wayward tee shot and an approach that was off the back side of the green and well below the hole. He finished a stroke ahead of Spieth, Sean O’Hair and Jon Rahm. Spieth shot a bogey-free 65, and was standing on a chair to see over the crowd at the 18th green when Kisner putted up the mound to 5 feet of the cup and then made the winning putt. That came right after Rahm’s 10-foot birdie chance skirted just to the left of the hole. The 33-year-old Kisner got his second PGA TOUR victory in 148 starts since his debut in 2011, and a check for just more than $1.2 million. He was a runner-up twice this year, and six times over past three seasons. Kisner had a three-stroke lead at the turn on the final day of the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March before finishing a stroke behind Marc Leishman. Kisner made a nearly 95-foot chip-in for eagle to get him and fellow Aiken, South Carolina, resident Scott Brown into playoff at the Zurich Classic’s new team format before losing to the Australian duo of Cameron Smith and Jonas Blixt on the fourth extra hole. After a 14-foot birdie at the 420-yard 15th hole at Hogan’s Alley, Kisner had a two-stroke lead. That at the same hole where Spieth, playing two groups ahead of him, punctuated an 11-foot birdie putt with a fist pump. But about the same time Kisner made a bogey at the par-3 16th, Spieth was hitting his drive way right at the 18th hole and went on to save par after a chip to 5 feet. Kisner hit a similar drive, and also saved par. Spieth, who had missed consecutive cuts at THE PLAYERS Championship and the AT&T Byron Nelson, was trying to become the only player other than Ben Hogan to win consecutive Colonials. Hogan won five times, including the first two in 1946 and 1947, along with consecutive wins again in 1952 and 1953. O’Hair and Rahm, who the last two years won the Ben Hogan Award as the nation’s top college player, both shot 66. There were several near misses for Spieth, who started the day five strokes behind 54-hole leader Webb Simpson. Spieth had birdies on the first two holes before a nearly 20-footer lipped out at the 453-yard No. 3 hole. He also just missed a 12-footer at No. 9, and a 25-footer at the 446-yard 12th hole rolled over the left edge of the cup. Simpson, the 2012 U.S. Open winner, was the 54-hole leader by two strokes, but started the final round with an unusual bogey at the par-5 first hole. His only birdie came at No. 9, and he bogeyed the 18th when he drove into the left rough after Kisner had already posted his final putt. Simpson had a 71 finish fifth at 8 under. Steve Stricker, the 2009 Colonial winner who turned 50 this year, shot a 63 to move from a tie for 32nd to a tie for seventh for 6 under. He had eight birdies his first 14 holes Sunday, on track to challenge the Colonial course record of 61 and maybe even a 59, before a bogey and three closing pars.

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OVERVIEW It seems every year we expect more from Rickie Fowler. The standards we hold for him are far and above many others but the reality is a body of work that has four PGA TOUR titles — including THE PLAYERS Championship — along with four additional worldwide wins is nothing to sneeze at. We can also judge Fowler away from the course where he is clearly a class above most. Always at the forefront of how to treat fans and charities, Fowler has been nothing but great for the game of golf. So if we are to expect more from Fowler, where will it come from? Consistency? Well, he’s made the FedExCup Playoffs in all nine of his PGA TOUR seasons, with 43rd his worst finish. He’s made the TOUR Championship five times. The majors? Perhaps this is what we crave given Fowler has nine top 10s (13 top 14s) in the majors during his career without a win. He was runner-up last year at the Masters where he’s had four top-12 finishes in the last five seasons … perhaps this will be the year. Now 30, Fowler has hit the meat of his career. He is no longer part of the youth brigade on TOUR. We expect it will kick start another impressive chapter for the former young gun – much like what was seen from Adam Scott. Scott spent his 20s winning tournaments, including the PLAYERS, but when the new decade hit, his intensity lifted and a major win and trip to world no.1 followed. Last season, Fowler was winless on the TOUR (albeit he did win the 2017 Hero World Challenge) but did have two runner-ups and he had to deal with an oblique injury. The fall series provided decent results in Las Vegas (T4) and Mexico (T16) and he was fifth in his title defense in the Bahamas, meaning he hits the new year with some form. — By Ben Everill Click here to see who else made the Top 30 list. BY THE NUMBERS FEDEXCUP UPDATE Current 2018-19 position: 39th Playoff appearances: 9 TOUR Championship appearances: 5 Best FedExCup result: 4th in the 2014-15 season SHOTLINK FUN FACT Rickie Fowler has recorded two rounds of 63 in his last 24 rounds played — after recording two rounds of 63 or better in his first 730 rounds played on the PGA TOUR. INSIDER INSIGHTS PGATOUR.COM’s Insiders offer their expert views on what to expect from Rickie Fowler in 2019. TOUR INSIDER: Plenty of players would kill for Fowler’s resume but yet still we constantly expect more from this prodigious talent. Now in his 30s, the time has come for a renewed focus on the big events. With comfort in his life, he needs to feel some discomfort with his results and double down on his commitment. We expect he will. — By Ben Everill FANTASY INSIDER: He’s so fine, he blows our minds. Every draft leaguer would salivate if he fell to this position in his or her draft. The knocks are obvious – “only” four PGA TOUR victories and still without a title in a major – but let the mainstream narrative criticize him for that. You know better. You understand that he’s going to antagonize the top of the leaderboard often enough to warrant one plunge after another. His consistently strong record speaks for itself and he’s been bettered in the all-around ranking by only four golfers in the last two completed seasons combined. — By Rob Bolton EQUIPMENT INSIDER: Fowler recently made equipment headlines by putting a game-improvement long iron into play at the 2018 Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, where he finished T4. The 4-iron is Cobra’s new King F9 Speedback iron, made for maximum forgiveness and distance. Fowler says he uses the iron as a weapon off the tee. As for the rest of his irons, Fowler employs a custom set of King MB Forged irons with tungsten weights added to the sole and toe of the club; his custom irons are so popular that Cobra recently released a retail version of the irons in a mixed set of CB/MB irons. Fowler also has switched into the new King F9 Speedback driver; he plays it at 43.5 inches, with a Graphite Design Tour AD-IZ shaft. — By Andrew Tursky STYLE INSIDER: Nobody can shake up the golf fashion scene quite like Fowler. He has the unique ability to go outside the box with fresh and creative looks while also possessing the thoughtfulness to respect the traditions of the game. He continues to use his style and modern take on golf apparel to bring a new generation of players to the fairways. At this point, we should expect the unexpected from Fowler. Let’s sit back and enjoy his fashion statements in the new year. — By Greg Monteforte

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