Defending PGA champion let golden opportunity slip away

In fact, the 31-year-old Kiwi marked his career-best major finish on Monday (NZT) at the US PGA Championship in St Louis, Missouri by bolting pretty much straight for the airport, and the start of the long journey back to New Zealand for a well-deserved three-week hiatus. “It was the first time Tiger has been in contention and I’ve been in contention at the same time, so the fans definitely let you know what he was doing”.

In stark contrast, the tee was moved forward to make the par-five 17th play 550 yards and that led to three eagles, 42 birdies and just four bogeys from the 80-man field. I didn’t have a golf swing.

Asked what impresses him most about Koepka, Thomas answered: “Just how well he plays when the lights shine on him”.

Woods still had a shot at birdie, but this is where he was unlucky.

He also set off a series of deafening roars at Bellerive, none louder than the one at the ninth, where he got in trouble left, hooked a 9-iron out of the crowd to just inside 11 feet, and made the putt. I just got a bit complacent with my second shot on 17 and it was nearly too easy. His major finishes this year: 32nd at the Masters, cut in the U.S. Open, tied for sixth at the British, and, now, second at the PGA. I would have laughed at you and told you there was no way, no chance, and to do it is really incredible.

Jim Furyk will have to decide whether Tiger Wood is worthy of making his Ryder Cup team. “But probably now as we get some time off and get to go home and be with our family, we’ll be able to celebrate him a little bit more”.

The old adage that nobody remembers who finishes second is nearly always born out in reality, but you get the sense that this will be far from the case when the story of the 100th PGA Championship is told.

Facing the most important drive of the day on the par-5 17th, Woods sent it sailing to the right and it embedded in a hazard along the banks of a creek.

“You want guys that are in good form, say, from the summertime on”, said Furyk, who is set to announce three at-large picks September 3, with the fourth and last name to be revealed September 9.

While Woods and Scott were mounting charges on the way home, Koepka, who has only one other victory on the PGA Tour at Phoenix in 2015, stalled with five consecutive pars. “I had to keep making birdies”, he said. “So I had to figure this out on my own and it has been really hard, a lot harder than people think”. That deep into a tournament, those are the holes that you start to think could come back and hurt. Koepka won two of the three majors he played this year, and three of his last six.

Scott, the 2013 Masters champion, missed a short birdie putt at the par-5 17th and made bogey 18 to finish third but was pleased with his overall effort.

Already an assistant Ryder Cup captain, as he was two years ago, Woods claimed shortly after his round Sunday that, this time, he yearns to do more than cheer on his countrymen.

“Even if I make birdie there and give myself a chance on the last”. “I didn’t play the last two holes very well”.