The U.S. Open trophy will remain in the hands of Brooks Koepka after the defending champion fired a 2-under 68 on Sunday to win the event for the second-straight year.
Koepka's title will certainly get the headlines, as it should, but there were a number of things that stood out about this week's event at Shinnecock Hills.
Here's the top five.
Brooks went back-to-back
Entering play this week there had only been six back-to-back champions in the history of the U.S. Open, with only Curtis Strange accomplishing the feat in the last 65 years. It didn't look like Koepka would threaten to be the seventh after an opening-round 75, but the defending champion immediately rebounded with a second-round 66. That got him within shouting distance of the lead, and after a brilliant 72 in treacherous conditions on Saturday, Koepka entered the final round with a share of top spot. He took care of business with an excellent finish, putting up a 68 to walk away with the title.
Berger, Finau erase 11-shot deficit on Saturday
Daniel Berger and Tony Finau barely made the cut at 7-over-par, and entered the weekend 11 shots behind leader Dustin Johnson. Thanks to a questionable setup from the USGA, the morning wave on Saturday faced extremely favorable conditions compared to the lead groups, and Berger and Finau took full advantage. The pair both fired 4-under 66s, and after the final five groups averaged a score of 76 in rock-hard conditions, they found themselves in the final tee time on Sunday.
Fleetwood ties record
After the carnage of Saturday, the USGA promised easier conditions on Sunday, but that shouldn't diminish the ridiculous performance that Tommy Fleetwood put up on the final day. The Englishman torched Shinnecock Hills for a record-tying 63 to give himself a serious shot at taking home the trophy. He would fall one-shot short after missing an 8-footer for birdie on the last, but his exceptional round reminded everyone that Fleetwood is a major player on the world stage.
Mickelson's madness
Phil Mickelson's history with the U.S. Open is well documented, as the 48-year-old has six second-place finishes without a win in the season's second major. The five-time major champion added another notch to his U.S. Open resume this week, but it's probably a highlight he'd like to have back after a bizarre incident on the 13th green Saturday. After firing his bogey attempt past the hole, Mickelson jogged after his ball and hit it back toward the cup while it was moving. That resulted in a two-stroke penalty that led to a score of 10 on the hole. Many pundits called for his disqualification afterwards, claiming he purposely cheated, but the USGA decided against that move.
USGA "lost the golf course"
After Koepka torched Erin Hills last year, it was a given that the USGA would set up a very tough challenge at Shinnecock Hills this year. The first two days seemed relatively fair, but Saturday's pin placements bordered on unfair as balls rolled off the green on a regular basis. This led to an outcry from a number of professionals that weren't pleased with the course.
USGA director Mike Davis actually apologized to the players in Saturday's afternoon groups, an almost-unprecedented move that led to much-easier conditions on Sunday.