Brooks Koepka: By the numbers

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. – Brooks Koepka had a few heart palpitations late, but ultimately finished off his inevitable victory at the PGA Championship on Sunday. It was major championship number four in his last eight major starts. Here’s some more notes and numbers to help put his incredible play in perspective.

First, let’s look at the traditional statistics:

Fairways hit: 32 of 56 (T44)
Driving distance: 304.9 yards (3rd)
Greens hit: 53 of 72 (1st)
Proximity to the hole: 30’, 1” (2nd)

And now, the Strokes Gained statistics:

Tee-to-Green: +17.354 (1st)
Off-the-Tee: +6.694 (2nd)
Approach: +9.533 (1st)
Around-the-Green: +1.128 (31st)
Putting: +1.148 (46th)
Total: +18.502 (1st)

He moves to second in the FedExCup and Wyndham Rewards Top 10 standings and returns to world No. 1.

These notes should help put Koepka’s performance in perspective:

• Is the seventh different player (Tiger Woods twice) to successfully defend the PGA Championship, the first since Woods did so in 2007.
• Just the fifth wire-to-wire winner of the PGA Championship (no ties) with Bobby Nichol (1964), Jack Nicklaus (1971), Raymond Floyd (1982) and Hal Sutton (1983).
• His 36-hole score of 128 is the lowest 36-hole score ever shot in a major championship. The previous record was 130.
• He now holds the PGA Championship’s 18-, 36- and 72-hole scoring records. Koepka set the 18- and 36-hole records this week. He established the 72-hole mark in last year’s victory at Bellerive.
• His seven-shot lead through 54 holes was the largest in PGA Championship history.
• Koepka’s seven-shot 36-hole lead was the largest in a major since World War II. The largest 36-hole lead in PGA Championship history was five strokes by Nick Price in 1994.
• His 65 on Friday was the lowest second-round score from a player who opened a major with 63. The previous record was 69.
• His 63 was the 37th round of 63 or lower in a major. Branden Grace (2017 Open) is the only player to fire 62 in a major.
• It was the ninth first-round 63 in a major. He joins Raymond Floyd (1982 PGA) and Jack Nicklaus (1980 U.S. Open) as the only players to go on to win from that point.
• Koepka’s opening round was the lowest in a major at Bethpage Black. The previous record was 64, set by Lucas Glover and Mike Weir in the 2009 U.S. Open.

This continues his incredible recent play in majors, as well:

• Is the first player to defend both the PGA Championship and U.S. Open in a career.
• Is the seventh player to win multiple titles at both the PGA Championship and the U.S. Open joining Walter Hagen, Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino and Tiger Woods.
• The PGA Championship is Koepka’s fourth victory in his last eight majors. The last person to do that was Tiger Woods in 2005-2006.
• Is the 29th player to win four or more majors – the first since Rory McIlroy at the 2014 PGA Championship.
• He has held at least a share of the lead after 10 of the past 20 rounds in the U.S. Open and PGA Championship.
• He’s held at least a share of the lead after 13 of his last 35 rounds in majors.
• He didn’t record his first bogey until his 28th hole this week. That ended a streak of 41 bogey-free holes in the PGA Championship and 51 holes without a bogey on the PGA TOUR.
• He totaled 11 consecutive under-par rounds in a major (through the second round) and seven consecutive rounds in the 60s at the PGA Championship.
• Now has six PGA TOUR wins, four of which are majors. Also has one European Tour win and two Japan Tour wins plus four European Challenge Tour wins.
• Koepka is one of three players in the last 30 years to win three majors before the age of 30. The others are Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy. He is just the fifth American to do it all-time with Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen.
• Koepka’s 15 top-20s in majors since the 2014 U.S. Open are the most on TOUR, two ahead of Jason Day.
• Koepka had a 69.98 scoring average in majors since the 2014 U.S. Open, the lowest in that span (minimum 40 rounds played).
• Koepka is the third player to shoot multiple 63s in majors, joining Greg Norman and Vijay Singh. Koepka is the first player to shoot two 63s in the same major, and the first to do so in consecutive years.