ERIN, Wis. — Fred Couples was 32 years old when he won the Masters for his first, and only, major. Tom Kite was 10 years older when he won the 1992 United States Open. Couples and Kite ended up in the World Golf Hall of Fame, but if they played today, they would be in danger of being left behind before they got started.
Brooks Koepka went into this United States Open, his fifth, with one PGA Tour victory and one European Tour title. At 27, he was, in his mind, an underachiever.
It took him six years — an eternity in a sport that has been ruled by boy kings like Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy — but on Sunday, Koepka finally won the major title that he has been chasing since he turned professional.