Chase Koepka wins Fuhrer Invitational on first playoff hole

A double-bogey caught Chase Koepka by surprise on his 71st hole Wednesday during the final round of the Frank B. Fuhrer Jr. Invitational. Jumped up and grabbed him.

Suddenly, his two-shot lead was gone, and the one hand he had on the crystal trophy slipped off.

What, Koepka, worry?

Not in this remarkable week of weeks.

Remember, this is the same guy who lost his clubs and luggage on a flight to the tournament. The same guy who was trapped in an on-course elevator for 15 minutes in the third round. And the same guy had to sit through a two-and-a-half-hour weather delay before a sudden-death playoff against Patrick Flavin.

It’s all part of Fuhrer folklore now.

“I feel like I showed a lot of grit this week,” Koepka said.

After his miscue, all Koepka did was drop a pair of clutch par putts on the 18th hole — the first to get into the playoff and the second to seal a victory at Pittsburgh Field Club.

“I guess it’s that Koepka mentality,” the 27-year-old from Florida said, referencing his older brother Brooks’ play on the PGA Tour. Brooks Koepka has won four major championships.

“You’re nervous over those putts,” Chase said. “I don’t care who you are. I am pretty proud of my golf, especially when I was 3-over after my first 10 holes playing with a set of borrowed clubs. To make an 8-foot and 10-foot putt when I needed to is huge.”

A late addition to the 40-man field after Michael Gligic withdrew to play a PGA Tour event this week, Koepka salvaged par on the final hole of regulation for a 71 before edging Flavin, the man with whom he was stuck in the elevator Tuesday, with another par putt in the playoff.

“They were dead center,” said Koepka, who played in the PGA Tour’s Travelers Championship last weekend before visiting the Field Club for the first time. “And I hadn’t been putting well coming in.”

Koepka and Flavin finished tied after 72 holes at 3-under-par 277.

Flavin, a PGA Tour Latin America pro from Chicago, matched Murrysville’s Palmer Jackson with the low round of the day (68) to surge ahead. Flavin birdied holes 11, 13 and 15 to move to 3-under and made a clutch par save of his own at 16.

Jackson finished alone in third at even par 280.

After a birdie at the par-5 15th, Koepka drove his ball into the left rough on the 425-yard 17th. His approach scooted right on him and landed on a greenside slope.

His chip nearly went in but left him with a tough 5-footer, which he knocked about 10 feet past the hole.

His three-putt left him at 3-under and tied with Flavin.

“The last thing I wanted to do was go double-bogey, bogey to finish,” Koepka said.

In the playoff, Koepka hit a 5-iron just left of the green and into a bunker on the 208-yard, par-3. He chipped out to about 10 feet and canned the putt to claim the $40,000 first-place check, the trophy and a tartan jacket.

He talked to media while getting measured for the jacket.

Flavin had a 35-foot, uphill birdie putt but ran it well past and three-putted for bogey. He took home $20,000 as runner-up.

“It was unfortunate for Patrick,” Koepka said. “He thought since it rained the green would be a little softer. They were the same and just as hard.”

Flavin did not talk to reporters because he had to catch a flight.

Koepka has won tournaments before, and has pocketed larger sums of money playing golf, but he was pleased with how we won this time.

“Having a putt to win like that, you dream about that,” Koepka said. “To reset and regroup like that … this gives me a lot of confidence going forward.”

Jackson, a Notre Dame junior out of Franklin Regional, took home low amateur honors. He jumped seven spots in the final round.

“You had to play really smart and never be above the hole,” Jackson said. “I hit a lot of fairways this week. I didn’t try to force birdies.”

Jackson will try to advance to the U.S. Amateur in a qualifier next week at Sunnehanna Country Club. The U.S. Amateur is Aug. 9-15 at Oakmont Country Club and Longue Vue Club.

Koepka began the day one shot ahead of Jack Katarincic, a Field Club member who recently turned pro, who closed with a 74.

Beau Titsworth, Zach Oakley and Katarincic tied for fourth at 1-over.

Brad Adamonis shot 69 to jump five spots to fifth at 2-over.

Tournament namesake Frank Fuhrer Jr., the 95-year-old host who has been welcoming top mini-tour pros and amateurs since 2000, thanked the players, saying they “bring joy to my heart.”

“I hope to see you all again next year,” he said. “I hope God lets me. I’m 95. I’m on a short leash.”

Koepka, the great-nephew of Pirates great Dick Groat, still has family in the area.

“I have a lot of ties and roots here in Western Pennsylvania,” Koepka said, “so this is pretty special.”