SINGAPORE – Ahead of his PGA Championship title defence in a fortnight, Brooks Koepka received an encouraging sign that his preparations are on track as he emerged LIV Golf Singapore’s champion on May 5.
The American, who was the overnight leader going into the final round at Sentosa Golf Club’s Serapong Course, kept his place at the top of the leaderboard after closing with a three-under 68 to sign for a 15-under 198 total.
In the process, he became the first to claim four individual titles on the LIV Golf tour as he held off a late charge by Australians Cameron Smith (64) and Marc Leishman (66), who finished joint-second on 200.
Koepka said: “I feel a lot better than I did last week (in Australia). It was rounding the corner for me.
“It was improving, but the results weren’t there. It’s nice to see some results and the hard work paying off.”
In stark contrast to the showers that delayed play the day before, the sun was scorching as the fight for the title heated up on the final day.
Koepka, who held a three-shot lead after rounds of 66 and 64, fired birdies on the fourth and fifth holes, before three-putting for a bogey on No. 9.
As Smith and Leishman climbed the leaderboard, Koepka held his nerve, adding another two birdies on the 10th and 15th holes.
Throughout the round, Koepka barely displayed any emotion, with the exception of an occasional wave or nod to acknowledge the crowd as they cheered him on.
Even as he tapped in his final putt to seal his title, the five-time Major winner simply waved to the crowd that had gathered around the 18th hole.
But he finally cracked a smile when he was greeted by his wife Jena Sims, who was carrying their baby son Crew, on the final green.
Koepka said: “It’s great to have him (Crew) out. It’s been kind of disappointing because he’s watched me finish 45th (at the Masters), which is kind of embarrassing.
“Something I’ve always dreamt of is having Jena and Crew there when I win. To have them here is super special and something I’ll never forget.”
Koepka had said earlier that the Masters in April was a “good wake-up call” and he has improved steadily since.
At the April 26-28 LIV Adelaide event, he finished tied-ninth, before tasting success in Sentosa for his first title since winning the league’s Jeddah tournament in October 2023.
Next up for Koepka is the ambitious task of retaining his PGA Championship crown at the May 16-19 tournament at Valhalla, but it is not something foreign to him.
The former world No. 1 had claimed the 2017 and 2018 US Open titles, before winning back-to-back PGA Championships in 2018 and 2019.
Last season, he became the first LIV golfer to win a Major by clinching his third PGA Championship title at Oak Hill.
While he would be heading into his title defence on a winning note, Koepka was careful not to get ahead of himself.
He said: “One result doesn’t mean anything really in the scheme of things.
“For two weeks, a lot can change. I’ve seen guys miss cuts and then go win and then win and then not compete the week after. It’s all ebbs and flows.”
While Smith and Leishman fell short of the individual title, their efforts were enough to earn their team Ripper GC their second consecutive team victory, following their play-off triumph in Adelaide.
Ripper finished top with a 32-under 678 total, three strokes ahead of joint runners-up Fireballs GC and Cleeks GC.
Smith said: “I really wanted the team to win, but at the same time I got so close that it was hard not to think about that as well.”
