Brooks Koepka hoists the Wannamaker after winning at Bellerive

St.Louis - Brooks Koepka once again showed his peers and the rest

of the golfing world that he is the real deal. Despite the lack of credit

and adulation, Koepka just keeps showing up at the biggest events -

winning his second major championship in the span of 56 days (Brooks

also won the U.S Open at Shinnecock Hills in June) at the 100th PGA

Championship at Bellerive in St.Louis. Koepka's final round 66 was

good enough for 16 under par (264 total) and a two-stroke victory

over a resurgent Tiger Woods and a star-studded leaderboard that

included Justin Thomas, Adam Scott, Rickie Fowler and Jason Day.

It was Woods who got the midwest faithful energized early on, and

capped off his final round 64 with a 20 footer at the last that sent the

masses into a frenzy. Woods finished at 14 under par.

Woods will likely get the bulk of the attention for the vintage performance,

but it was Brooks Koepka who keeps wracking up the hardware at the

majors - he becomes just the fifth player to win both the U.S Open and

PGA in the same year. He didn't see it coming earlier this spring when

he was dealing with a possible career ending wrist injury. "It was tough

watching the Masters from my couch," Koepka said. "My doctors and

physios did such a great job getting me back to where I could compete

again." When asked in the media center if he realized that with 3 majors

he could go on to become an all-time great if he keeps up his current

form - He said, "I really haven't thought about that, but it feels really

good right now."

The epic Sunday was all decided in a two hole sequence. Koepka's

laser 4 iron from 246 yards on the par 3 sixteenth to 6 feet looked like

the kill shot, but Adam Scott who started the day just two shots back,

had a chance to get the deficit to one when he missed his birdie putt

on the par-5 seventeenth. Scott bogeyed the last to finish with a final

round 67 at 13 under par (solo 3rd). Ben Kern from Abilene, Texas was

the low club professional, finishing at 3 under par (277 total) with a final

round 70.

After the PGA Championship, the top 8 Ryder Cup players are secured

to be in Paris. The Final Ryder Cup USA Team standings are:

1. Brooks Koepka

2. Dustin Johnson

3. Justin Thomas

4. Patrick Reed

5. Bubba Watson

6. Jordan Spieth

7. Rickie Fowler

8. Webb Simpson

(4 captains selections remain for USA, Top 8 Euros Qualify on Sept.3rd)

Scores: https://www.pga.com/events/pgachampionship/leaderboard

Justin Thomas celebrates PGA Tour career win number 9 at Firestone.

Akron, Ohio - When Justin Thomas closed the deal at the Honda

Classic at PGA National five months ago, it appeared that he was a

wrecking ball with the momentum that couldn't be stopped. He had

won his first major (the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow) and the

Fedex Cup at the end of the 2017 season and was clearly the hottest

player in the game. In the time since, he became World no.1 and led the

FedEx Cup standings, but just as the summer started, everything just

seemed to stall. Simultaneously, Dustin Johnson re-found his groove

and took over the rankings and Fedex Cup standings .

At the Bridgestone invitational at Firestone, Thomas once again found

his early season form against the world's best. Playing in the final round

with Rory McIlroy, Thomas was steady - shooting a final round 1 under

par 69 while most of his challengers struggled. Thomas finished at 15

under par - 265 total, four strokes better than runner-up Kyle Stanley

on the final spin around one of the PGA Tour's classic venues.

Afterwards, Thomas was emotional when he saw who made the trip up

from Kentucky to see the final round. "I got a little choked up when I

saw grandma and grandpa over there," Thomas said. "It's really cool,

they don't get out very often."

In his previous two starts at Firestone, Thomas hadn't finished higher

than a tie for 28th. "I'm glad I finally played well around here, just in

time to leave." Firestone will host the Senior Players Championship

next season, while the WGC Championship moves to Memphis (TPC

Southwinds).

McIlroy shot 73 Sunday, as did eight-time Champion at Firestone -

Tiger Woods, who struggled on Sunday to finish at even par.

Scores: https://www.pgatour.com/leaderboard.html

If you haven't changed your grips recently or checked out what's new

in the market of golf grips, now is the time to see for yourself what the

leaders of the industry - Golf Pride and Lamkin have launched in 2018.

It could be argued that the proper grip is the most important component

of any club. So why don't grips get the attention of other golf equipment

components like clubheads and shafts? Perhaps, it's because most golf

grips cost less than $10. One thing is clear, it's the only part of the club

that you hold in your hands as you attempt to execute your best golf shots

- so why not pay a little more attention to what grips you play?

Golf Pride - Tour Velvet w/ALIGN

This year, Golf Pride brought their ALIGN technology to the best selling grip

in golf - Tour Velvet (available in standard and midsize). ALIGN technology

is a raised reminder component that extends along the bottom side of the

grip resting along the finger joints of the bottom hand for consistent hand

alignment (also available in the MCC and MCC PLUS4 models).

We tested the Tour Velvet ALIGN, first in the driver. The feel brought immediate

confidence, largely because the ALIGN component allowed a more stable position

of the hands during the transition portion of the swing, and secondly, the ability

to feel a constant repeatable square club face position at impact. So much so,

that I built a new 3 iron - installed the GP Tour Velvet ALIGN and have had

immediate success. Being able to once again game a forged long iron may not

have been a possibilty without ALIGN technology. When we met with Bruce Miller

from Golf Pride each of the last two years, he called ALIGN "An absolute game

changer," and he was so right. $8.99 each

For more information on Golf Pride: https://www.golfpride.com/grips/

LAMKIN SONAR and TS-1

Lamkin's new line of TS-1 and Sonar grips compliment the already popular

Crossline and UTX models. Featuring a fingerprint micro texture surface and

super tacky Genesis compound technology, it's perfect for those who prefer

a grip that offers a slightly softer feel with the ultimate in non-slip technology.

We tested the Sonar midsize, and within a range session the new handles

went on every wedge we play. For anyone who lives and plays in a humid

climate, these will quickly become a fixture in your bag. Sonar has less taper

for those who prefer a less handsy action in the bottom hand - perfect for

short iron control. The new treads burst into the winner circle at the Open

Championship at Carnoustie (in only the first week Francesco Molinari put

them in play). $8.99 each

For more info on Lamkin: http://www.lamkingrips.com/shop/products.html