Phoenix Open 2021: Brooks Koepka Earns 1-Stroke Victory After Late Surge

Brooks Koepka earned his first PGA Tour win of the year with a first-place finish at the 2021 Waste Management Phoenix Open.

The American shot 65 in the final round Sunday to finish 19 strokes under par for the tournament, one stroke ahead of Kyoung-Hoon Lee and Xander Schauffele in second place. 

Though there was a jumbled leaderboard as the round closed, Koepka went five under in his final six holes, including a clutch chip-in on 17:

A par on 18 was then enough to seal the win, overcoming a five-stroke deficit entering Round 4 behind co-leaders Schauffele and Jordan Spieth.

In a tournament with Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Justin Thomas also finishing inside the top 15, it was an impressive win for Koepka at TPC Scottsdale.

Final Leaderboard

1. Brooks Koepka (-19)

T2. Kyoung-Hoon Lee (-18)

T2. Xander Schauffele (-18)

T4. Carlos Ortiz (-17)

T4. Steve Stricker (-17)

T4. Jordan Spieth (-17)

T7. Andrew Putnam (-16)

T7. Matthew NeSmith (-16)

T7. Scottie Scheffler (-16)

10. James Hahn (-15)

Full leaderboard and stats of PGATour.com.

Spieth was the hottest in the field entering Sunday after shooting 61 in Round 3, but it didn't guarantee any success on the final day.

The three-time major champion instead got off to a slow start early and left the door open for numerous other competitors to stay in contention.

James Hahn took control for a good portion of the round, carding six birdies in his first 10 holes to give himself a solid cushion early:

This didn't last as some bogeys brought him back to earth, including a wild 13th hole:

With Schauffele also struggling to find birdies, it left a wide-open back nine with double-digit competitors within one stroke of the lead at one point.

Carlos Ortiz put up the score to beat early on by getting into the clubhouse at 17 under, going four under in his final four holes.

Steve Stricker, Kyoung-Hoon Lee and Scottie Scheffler also put themselves in the running by hitting this mark.

However, it was Koepka who pulled away thanks to his incredible hole-out from 97 feet:

It was his second eagle of the day after also carding one on No. 3.

Pars on his next nine holes put him out of mind compared to the other surging players, but he was apparently just lying in wait until his red-hot finish.

Even if his putting could have been better overall, he was consistent with 16 greens in regulation in each of his final three rounds.

Lee and Schauffele each had a chance to catch the leader on the final hole but fell short, giving Koepka's his first win since July of 2019.

After some injury-filled seasons, the 30-year-old appears back on track as one of the best in the sport.