Brooks Koepka won his second PGA Championship, and fourth major, by two strokes ahead of runner-up Dustin Johnson. By doing so he became first player to successfully defend both the PGA Championship and the U.S. Open in a career, and became fourth player to successfully defend two different majors in a career. At age 29 he became the only player currently under 30 to win at least four majors, and he returned to being ranked number one in the world. Johnson became the eighth player to have runner-ups in all four majors.[3][4]
Koepka hit a joint record PGA Championship low score of 63 in the first round, and a 65 in the second, to have the lowest 36-hole score in major history, and the largest 36-hole PGA Championship lead (7 strokes) in PGA Championship history. He hit a level par 70 in the third round, to retain a 7 stroke lead going into the final day. He held a healthy lead until a late charge from Johnson brought him within one stroke, but a four over par 74 was enough to get Koepka over the line.[3]
Given his recent win in the Masters, and his 2002 U.S. Open win at Bethpage, Tiger Woods had a lot of media attention leading into the tournament, but missed the cut. Given the length of the course, long hitters were expected to do well, and Koepka and Johnson were among the favorites. Rory McIlroy was also among the favorites but finished tied for eighth.[5] After struggling recently for form, Jordan Spieth finished tied for third in his attempt to complete the career grand slam.[3]
The leading PGA Club Pro, and winner of his second Crystal Bowl, was Rob Labritz. He finished tied for 60th at 10-over-par.[3]
The following qualification criteria were used to select the field. Each player is listed according to the first category by which he qualified with additional categories in which he qualified shown in parentheses. Dates when a qualifying category will be completely determined are indicated in italics.[7][8]
Due to the change in the date of the PGA Championship, which moves the PGA Championship prior to the same year's Senior PGA Championship (specifically the week before), this exemption was not used in 2019.
Thursday: Partly cloudy and breezy. High of 68 °F/20 °C. Wind NW 10–15 mph.
Friday: Partly cloudy with showers. High of 65 °F/18 °C. Winds SSW 10–15 mph, with gusts to 25 mph.
Saturday: Mostly sunny. High of 71 °F/22 °C. Wind NNW 5–10 mph.
Sunday: Mostly cloudy. High of 68 °F/20 °C. Wind S 12–18 mph, with gusts to 25 mph.[3]
Round summaries
First round
Thursday, May 16, 2019
Defending champion Brooks Koepka led after the first round with a bogey-free course-record 63.[13] It was the second time Koepka had scored 63 in a major championship; the first being in the second round when winning in 2018.[14] World number 119, Danny Lee was a stroke behind after a round of 64 which included eight birdies and two bogeys. Tommy Fleetwood was in third place, four behind Koepka. 16 players broke the par of 70, including world number-one Dustin Johnson. Masters champion Tiger Woods scored 72, a round that contained an eagle, three birdies, three bogeys and two double-bogeys.[15]
Brooks Koepka shot a second round 65 which included seven birdies and two bogeys. He set a new record for the lowest 36-hole score in a major championship and his seven stroke lead over Adam Scott and Jordan Spieth also set a 36-hole PGA Championship record and was the largest at the halfway point of any major championship since Henry Cotton led by nine in the 1934 Open Championship.[17] Scott was the only player to score lower than Koepka, with a round of 64 than included seven birdies in the first 14 holes and a bogey at the 17th. Danny Lee, in second place after the first round, dropped six shots in his first seven holes and finished with a round of 74.[18]
Brooks Koepka maintained his seven stroke lead after a level-par 70, a round that included three birdies and three bogeys. His seven shot lead after three rounds was a record for the PGA Championship, although he failed to break the 54-hole scoring record of 196 held by David Toms in the 2001 championship.[20]Jazz Janewattananond and Harold Varner III had the best rounds of the day, both scoring 67 and moving into a tie for second place. Also tied for second were Dustin Johnson and Luke List. Adam Scott and Jordan Spieth both scored 72, dropping from second place into a tie for eighth.[21]
Defending champion Brooks Koepka won the championship with an 8-under-par score of 272. Leading by seven shots at the start of the day, he had five bogeys in the last eight holes but held on to win, two strokes ahead of runner-up Dustin Johnson. With three holes to play, world number one Johnson had closed to within a stroke of Koepka, but dropped strokes at the 16th and 17th holes. Patrick Cantlay, Jordan Spieth, and Matt Wallace finished tied for third place, six shots behind Koepka. Jazz Janewattananond started the day in a tie for second place but dropped seven strokes in the last seven holes and finished out of the top 10. Only six players broke the par of 280.[22]
Rob Labritz won the crystal bowl as the leading PGA club professional at 290 (+10), tied for sixtieth place.[16][23]
