Brooks Koepka claimed a third PGA Championship victory and fifth major title with a two-stroke win at Oak Hill on Sunday.
Brooks Koepka enjoyed a return to the major winner’s circle with a third PGA Championship victory.
With his win at the PGA Championship, Koepka moved into exclusive company by becoming only the 20th golfer with five or more major titles. And his three Wanamaker Trophies puts him only behind Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods,and Walter Hagen. But now Koepka can claim something that even those legends can’t.
Koepka’s two-shot victory over Scottie Scheffler and Viktor Hovland at Oak Hill makes him just the 20th male in history to reach five major titles, and he also joins Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods in the stroke-play era as the only three-time winners of the Wanamaker Trophy.
The latest success completes a remarkable comeback for Koepka, who dominated the majors in 2018 and 2019 before seeing his career hampered by injury ahead of his switch to the LIV circuit.
Aside from all that, Koepka moved past everyone in the post-Tiger era in terms of total majors with No. 5, passing Rory McIlroy. This despite the fact that McIlroy won his fourth major nearly three years before Koepka won his first.
Injuries curtailed Koepka’s major championship assault the past couple years, and he has hinted that those struggles were a big reason why he left the PGA Tour for LIV. But this year he has clearly returned to full strength, grabbing the 54-hole lead at the Masters last month before closing the deal in his latest New York conquest on Sunday.
It remains to be seen whether Koepka will be allowed to play in the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black, but barring an injury he’ll be back in the Big Apple in 2026 when the U.S. Open returns to Shinnecock.
Plenty was up for grabs at the 2023 PGA Championship beyond the Wanamaker Trophy awarded to Brooks Koepka, winner of this year’s tournament. The PGA of America announced Saturday that the purse for its signature event totaled $17.5 million, marking a new tournament high and the second-largest prize fund ever awarded to players at a major championship.
This year’s PGA Championship purse was a $2.5 million increase from the $15 million handed out in 2022. Koepka will take home $3.15 million, signifying the largest year-over-year increase in tournament history. A solo runner-up would have claimed $1.89 million, though a birdie at the 18th for Viktor Hovland tied him with Scottie Scheffler with the golfers instead receiving $1.54 million each.
The huge payouts trickle down through the field as everyone who at least made the weekend will not be left empty handed. Beyond the top three each bringing home seven figures, golfers who finished inside the top 20 rake in $200,000 or more, and the top 32 golfers each earned at least six-figure paydays.
My Goat Sports 