Oliver Fisher becomes first player to shoot 59 on European Tour

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – A year ago, Brooks Koepka was at home, sidelined with an injured left wrist, while The Honda Classic was being played just a few miles away. His mood – and his diet – were both going through a dark period. “I was sitting on the couch, probably eating a bunch of food,â€� Koepka recalled. “I wasn’t doing a whole lot. I gained, I think, 15, 20 pounds. I was obviously upset. I just missed competition. It wasn’t fun for me.â€� The wrist injury kept him out for four months and prevented him from playing the Florida Swing in March. He didn’t return until the week before THE PLAYERS Championship in May. Of course, you know how the rest of the season turned out — two major victories and the PGA TOUR Player of the Year award. All’s well that end’s well, perhaps, but those four months of inactivity for a player who was obviously ready to take the next step was tough. “I didn’t watch any golf until Augusta, so I didn’t know what was going on,â€� Koepka said. “You make a lot of friendships, seeing a bunch of people out here, and you just don’t have that. You’re forgotten very quickly. That’s what it taught me.â€� Nobody’s forgetting Koepka now, of course. He’s now starting his heavy stretch, having made just two starts since the calendar flipped to 2019. The most recent was last week at the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship, where Koepka finished T-27. He’s among the favorites this week at PGA National, although his track record at this event is not something to celebrate – four starts, one missed cut, his best finish a T-27 in 2016. Before missing last year’s event, he missed the cut the year before. “I haven’t had the best memories here,â€� said Koepka, who was born in West Palm Beach and now lives in Jupiter, just a few miles north of PGA National. “I was going through a bunch of stuff off the golf course two years ago and then last year not being able to play, so I’ve tried to put that all in the past and tried to move on.â€� Despite the results, Koepka insists that PGA National is a course he likes. “I think it suits me really well, especially with the firm greens now. I think I’ve got a good chance.â€� That last sentence seems like an understatement – especially given the fact he’s won four times (three majors and THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES in Korea) since he last played The Honda Classic. “I always had the confidence,â€� Koepka said. “I wasn’t lacking that. I feel like I’m borderline cocky when it comes to that, but everybody out here should expect to win. Everybody out here is borderline confident to cocky. “Everytime you win, you’re going to build confidence, and if you’re on a nice little run like I was, you’re going to have a lot of it, and I feel like I’m still riding high on that. I’ve just been waiting for this Florida Swing for a while.â€�

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Old Westbury, New York – Brooks Koepka made three consecutive birdies on the back nine in a final-round 67 to win the U.S. Open at Erin Hills in Wisconsin by four shots yesterday. The win, the 27-year-old American’s second on the PGA TOUR, earned him 600 FedExCup points and moved him to fifth in the standings. Featuring do-or-die drama as the top 125 players in the FedExCup compete on a world stage, THE NORTHERN TRUST will be played at the prestigious Glen Oaks Club in Old Westbury, New York, from August 22-27, 2017. “That’s probably the most emotion I’ve ever showed coming down the stretch,â€� Koepka said following his win. “I mean, it feels amazing to get my name on this trophy with so many other great names. It’s truly an honor.â€� Koepka entered the final round one-shot off the lead held by Brian Harman, but tamed a windy day to tie Rory McIlroy’s U.S. Open record of 16 under par. In both of Koepka’s wins – his first coming at the 2015 Waste Management Phoenix Open – he came from behind to capture victory, from one back yesterday and from three behind in 2015. Since joining the PGA TOUR in 2014, Koepka has twice finished the season in the top 125 in the FedExCup, qualifying for THE NORTHERN TRUST. In 2015, he advanced to the season-ending TOUR Championship, where he finished 24th in the final FedExCup standings, and last year he advanced to the BMW Championship. His best finish at THE NORTHERN TRUST is a T70, which he recorded last year at Bethpage Black. Koepka is just the sixth American to win the U.S. Open in the last 14 years. He is also the third player in the last 30 years to shoot 67 or better in the final round and win the tournament (Hale Irwin/1990, Tiger Woods/2000). Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama played lights out on Sunday to improve his position in the FedExCup standings, recording a 6-under 66 to finish in a tie for second with American Brian Harman. Matsuyama’s finish moved him past Justin Thomas to second in the FedExCup, just 125 points behind leader Dustin Johnson, who missed the cut at Erin Hills. The fight for the top spot in the standings is heating up, with just 210 points separating Johnson and Thomas at first and third, respectively. Players still have 11 events left to position themselves to play in THE NORTHERN TRUST and, ultimately, to advance to the TOUR Championship. The two remaining major championships, the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale and the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club both offer 600 points to the winner, and the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational awards 550 points to the winner. Typically, PGA TOUR events offer 500 FedExCup points to the winner each week. THE NORTHERN TRUST, as well as the other of the first three events of the FedExCup Playoffs, awards 2,000 points to the winner. THE NORTHERN TRUST will kick off FedExCup Playoffs at the Glen Oaks Club in Old Westbury, New York, August 22-27, 2017. For more information and a behind-the-scenes look at the tournament, visit thenortherntrust.com or follow the tournament on Twitter and Instagram @TheNTGolf, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheNTGolf. To purchase tickets, please visit www.thenortherntrust.com or call 844-868-7465.

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