Dubai: A handful of European Tour stars made significant strides on the European Tour’s Race to Dubai Rankings at the 101st US PGA Championship including Matt Wallace, whose brilliant tied-third finish saw him jump up to second behind American Kevin Kisner, while American star Brooks Koepka successfully defended his title following a dramatic final day in New York.
Wallace posted rounds of 69, 67, 70 and 72 at the notoriously difficult Bethpage State Park BK Course to sign for a tournament total two under par 278 to share third with American duo Jordan Spieth and Patrick Cantlay, six shots behind Koepka.
“In the end, I wanted second, but I would have taken third; that’s not a bad week for me,” said the Englishman, who jumps from eighth to second on the Race to Dubai Rankings with 1,573 points.
“I really dug deep and showed another side to myself, that I was proud and kept churning away and trying to produce the best I could, and two over was the best I could have done.
“That’s what you need to do in Majors. So, I’ve done it now and hope I can go two steps better in a few weeks’ time. I’m buzzing for the next Major. I’ve shown that I can compete. We’re a little bit far away from the leaders but that’s a few putts here and there.
“If I can just try and get better at every single part of my game, I can compete with the likes of Brooks and DJ. I’m looking forward to it, I feel I’m right there mentally — the approach is going well and hopefully we can do that in the next tournament.”
