Brooks Koepka is the reigning 2017 and 2018 US Open champion, and after becoming a back-to-back US Open champion at Shinnecock Hills a year ago, he arrives Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, Calif. looking for a third-consecutive title. He's charging hard on Sunday, looking to secure a three-peat at the US Open.
In the illustrious history of the US Open, Koepka winning a third-straight title would put him in some of the rarest company in major championship golf.
Since the US Open debuted in 1895, just one player has managed to win three consecutive US Open titles.
The only player to win three consecutive US Open titles is the Scot, Willie Anderson, who won four titles in a five-year span, including three in a row from 1903-1905. In 1903, Anderson beat an 85-player field at Baltusrol Golf Club's then-existing Old Course. Anderson nearly went wire-to-wire, but he was caught by David Brown to finish on 307 after 72 holes. In an 18-hole playoff, Anderson's 82 won by two shots and gave him the $200 first-place prize.
A year later, the Glen View Club in Illinois played host to Anderson's title defense. Trailing by two after three rounds, Anderson fired a remarkable 72 in the final round to lap the field and successfully defend his title by three shots. The legendary golf course designer Donald Ross finished 10th.
In 1905, Anderson arrived at Massachusetts' Myopia Hunt Club seeking a third title in a row. However, after a Round 1 81, Anderson trailed by six shots. He gained a stroke on the lead with a second-round 80. A third-round 76 on Friday morning got him within a shot of the lead of Alex Smith. Later that Friday afternoon, Anderson closed with 77 to win by two shots on 314 to beat Smith by two.
Going for four in a row in 1906, Anderson was just three shots off the lead through three rounds, again looking to catch and pass Alex Smith. In the final round, though, Anderson exploded to an 84 to finish in fifth, 12 back of Smith, bringing his reign to an end.
