A STRANGE PLACE
Koepka faces spotlight, historic task Curtis fell short of
WHEN Saturday’s third round was complete and we began to digest what we’d just been fed at Shinnecock Hills, it felt certain the 118th U.S. Open would forever be remembered for the calamity that took place — Phil Mickelson’s shenanigans on No. 13 and the USGA’s curious course setup that made the 13th and 15th greens as unplayable as trying to stop a putt on an undulating ice rink.
Thankfully, though, Brooks Koepka interceded in Sunday’s final round and delivered a piece of history by winning his second consecutive U.S. Open and becoming the first player to defend the title in 29 years.
So that — not Mickelson swatting a moving putt and or the USGA inexplicably putting itself in a similarly embarrassing predicament by flexing its course setup muscles — is what this U.S. Open will be remembered for.
I always felt badly for 2004 U.S. Open winner Retief Goosen. His win at Shinnecock has been overshadowed by the USGA completely losing the golf course by failing to apply enough water and creating a competitive imbalance by having to water the seventh green between groups on the final day.
Because this USGA screw-up was not as egregious as 2004 and, most importantly, because Koepka made history Sunday, this tournament will be remembered for him becoming only the second player in 67 years to win back-to-back U.S. Opens.
And in a delicious subplot to the day, the man who was following the KoepkaDustin Johnson pairing as the oncourse reporter for Fox’s TV broadcast was none other than Curtis Strange, the last player before Sunday to have won two consecutive U.S. Opens — 1988 and 1989.
After it was over, Strange was emotional — not because he was upset he no longer was the “last man’’ to do it, but because he knows how hard it is to do and he was happy for Koepka.
Strange, in fact, said he has no reason to believe Koepka cannot win a third in a row. It is something only Scotland’s Willie Anderson has ever done (1903-1905) and something Strange tried so badly to do but failed in 1990.
“I’m happy for him; I hope it means as much to him,” Strange said, underscoring how much it has meant to him. “Now he’s going to learn things about Willie Anderson that I learned about that I never thought I would.”
After Koepka hugged his caddie, father, stepmother and his girlfriend, Strange was right there on the 18th fairway to congratulate him.
Strange was conscious about not wanting to be a distraction to Koepka in the round, knowing he was the last player to accomplish what Keopka was trying to do.
“I didn’t even want him to know I was there,” he said. “I was just lucky to be out here to watch it. It was special.’’
When it was over, and Strange told him “hell of a job’’ on the air, Keopka called it “a pretty cool moment to have Curtis there.”
Asked if he’s disappointed he’ll no longer be referred to as the last player to accomplish that rare feat, Strange said, “Heck no. What are they going to do, take them away from me? I was only part of a group before.”
It’s a group of seven. Now Koepka will go to Pebble Beach for next year’s 119th U.S. Open with a chance to become a group of two, become the first since 1905 to win three in a row.
“I’ve played it once,” Koepka said of Pebble, where he finished tied for eighth in the 2016 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. “It’s an incredible golf course. I know it’s a year away, but I’ll be excited when we go play there. I’ll be raring to go to win another.’’ Can he do it? “Oh yeah, absolutely,’’ Strange said. “Anything’s possible. Hell, I came close.’’
Strange was two strokes off the lead heading into the final round in 1990 and finished 21st. He recalled the pressure being intensified as he tried to win a third in a row, but said Koepka “looks like water off a duck’s back, both times.’’
In order to repeat, Strange said, “You just have to be at the right place at the right time. You’re a year removed on a different golf course. So much happens between those 12 months. A lot’s happened to him [with the wrist injury that sidelined Koepka for four months this year].
“I’ve got to give him a lot of credit. He’s got a lot of guts to come back. He’s only played, what, this is his eight time this year? To come back and be this sharp? He’s something special.”