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Brooks Koepka Wins The PGA Championship At Bethpage Black

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) — Brooks Koepka has won the 101st PGA Championship at Bethpage Black, joining Tiger Woods as the only back-to-back winners in stroke play.

Koepka held off a late charge from Dustin Johnson to win the PGA Championship for the second straight year.

Koepka took a seven-stroke lead into the final round at Bethpage Black and held on after Johnson cut his deficit to one stroke.

Koepka finished with a 4-over 74 to win by 2 strokes and claim his fourth major title. He joins Tiger Woods as the only golfers to win the PGA in back-to-back years since the tournament went to stroke play in 1958. Koepka has also won back-to-back U.S. Opens.

Koepka made bogey on four straight holes on the back nine, and when Johnson birdied No. 15, he had closed the gap to one stroke. But Johnson had back-to-back bogeys to restore Koepka's cushion.

Johnson, the No. 1 player in the world rankings, shot 69. It's the second straight major he's finished as runner-up. Johnson, who was second to Woods at the Masters last month, has finished second in all four majors.

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Brooks Koepka of the United States reacts to his putt during the third round of the 2019 PGA Championship at the Bethpage Black course on May 18, 2019 in Farmingdale, New York. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

Johnson was putting together the best round of the day when he overshot the 16th green, leading to a bogey after he had birdied the 15th. His tee shot to the par-3 17th's huge green wound up in the high rough, and he couldn't sink an 18-foot putt for par. That left him three strokes behind his close friend and workout buddy.

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About the 101st PGA Championship at Bethpage Black

Dates: May 16-19.
Site: Bethpage State Park (Black Course).
Length: 7,459 yards.
Par: 35-35-70.
Field: 156 players (136 tour pros, 20 club pros).
Prize money: TBA ($11 million in 2018).
Winner's share: TBA ($1.98 million in 2018).
Defending champion: Brooks Koepka.

Last year: Koepka blocked out the cheers for a charging Tiger Woods with two birdies on the back nine at Bellerive for a 4-under 66 and a two-shot victory over Woods. In oppressive heat in St. Louis, Koepka finished at 264 to set the PGA Championship record and tie Henrik Stenson (2016 British Open) for lowest 72-hole score at all majors. Koepka became only the fifth player to win the U.S. Open and PGA Championship in the same year, and the first since Woods in 2000.

Tiger Tales: Tiger Woods ended 11 years without a major by winning the Masters for his 15th major, three behind the record held by Jack Nicklaus. A victory would tie him with Nicklaus with five PGA titles.

Grand Slam: Jordan Spieth gets his third attempt at winning the PGA Championship to become the sixth player with the career Grand Slam. He tied for 28th and tied for 12th in his previous two attempts.

Move to May: The PGA Championship moves to May for the first time since 1949.

Bethpage champions: Tiger Woods (2002 U.S. Open), Lucas Glover (2009 U.S. Open), Nick Watney (2012 Barclays), Patrick Reed (2016 Barclays).

Key statistic: Brooks Koepka is a combined 47-under par in his last five PGA Championship appearances.

Noteworthy: None of the five players with the career Grand Slam completed it at the PGA Championship.

Quoteworthy: "We thought it was smart. It looks brilliant now." — PGA of America chief executive Seth Waugh on the PGA Championship moving to May in a year that Tiger Woods won the Masters.

Television: Thursday and Friday, 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. (TNT); Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. (TNT), 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. (CBS Sports).

(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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