Koepka dominates Erin Hills with record-tying U.S. Open victory

Brooks Koepka tied Rory McIlroy's U.S. Open record for lowest score to par after the 27-year-old fired a 67 on Sunday to finish at 16-under and walk away from Erin Hills with his first career major win.

Starting the day one stroke off the lead held by Brian Harman, Koepka announced his intentions early by birdieing the opening two holes in easy fashion. He added another at the par-4 eighth and made the turn at 14-under par, one shot ahead of Harman.

The muscular Floridian continued his ball-striking wizardry around the Erin Hills layout on the closing stretch, hitting eight of the last nine greens in regulation, and pouring in three birdies in a row on holes 14, 15, and 16. That stretched his advantage to four strokes, and he only needed a closing par to ensure he tied McIlroy's mark.

For the week, Koepka led the field in greens in regulation, hitting an absurd 62-of-72, while also finding 88 percent of the fairways. Avoiding the fescue that lines the holes at Erin Hills was crucial, and Koepka did that as well as anyone in the field.

The win makes Koepka the seventh straight first-time major winner on the PGA Tour. He cashes the largest paycheck in golf history at $2.16 million.