Last year when Brooks Koepka won the first of his back to back U.S. Opens he took his whole crew to Las Vegas to celebrate. It looks like his gang of supporters can start making this a yearly trip.
Koepka out-dueled the field and a fickle Shinnecock on Sunday to cement his place among this generation of powerful major champions. Long and somewhat straight is his game but his second major was claimed with a superb short game and a deadly putter. 
Extremely confident about his game and his ability to score no matter what the setup he was proud to dispel the label of being just a bomber. This week at the U.S. Open proved he can win in any number of ways. He’s a proud and deserving champion and is already looking forward to Pebble Beach to win three in a row for a U.S. Open triple.
Here is a sampling of some of the excellent reporting on Koepka and the Open.
Brian Wacker of Golf Digest says Koepka is “more than just a bomber.”
Can a back to back U.S. Open Champion be underappreciated? Alan Shipnuck thinks Koepka has shaken that label.
Ryan Lavner says he “didn’t get the credit he deserved after winning a U.S. Open with low numbers at a non-traditional venue. But now, there’s nothing but respect.”
John Feinstein says it was a bad week for Phil Mickelson and a worse one for the USGA.
Amy Mickelson defends her man’s indefensible actions.
Ian O’Connor states that Koepka is that new kind of golfer…an athlete first and a golfer second.
Randall Mell takes the USGA to task for it’s “heavy hand” that makes it all about them.
There is no obvious leadership heading the USGA claims Brandel Chamblee.
Geoff Shackelford calls out the USGA for not executing the lessons learned from 2004’s disaster at Shinnecock.
Michael Bamberger says Phil “demeaned the game and and revealed more of himself than he ever intended.” And not in a good way.
Tommy Fleetwood’s 63 was great but as John Huggan reports he knew it could have been just a little but better.
The setup at Shinnecock once again was controversial and not just Saturday’s debacle. Many complained that Sunday’s was too easy and Mike O’Malley details the setups and says that Sunday’s greens were a foot slower than Saturdays.
And here’s the final payout for all the boys that survived the USGA’s Hampton’s Party. Koepka cashes a check for over two million, Byeong Hun An got $23,470 as the last man in and Mickelson stole a little under 30k for his embarrassing showing.
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