Day 4 at Erin Hills

Keep that card

Hideki Matsuyama: The world's fourth-ranked player went out eight groups from the last and bolted up the board with a shiny 6-under-par 66 that left him 12 under.

Toss that card

Justin Thomas: One day after shooting the best score against par (9 under) in U.S. Open history, the 24-year-old wobbled from the get-go and shot 75. A day after making nine birdies and an eagle, he made one birdie.

On the course with …

Brian Harman: Trailing by three shots at the 17th hole, Harman desperately needed to make a long birdie putt to keep alive his faint championship hopes. His 26-foot attempt from the edge of the green strayed left, and he had to settle for par. His tee shot at the 18th landed in a bunker. He looked dejected at times as he made his way up to the green and closed with a bogey.

U.S. Open moment

The 18th hole had a special flag for the final round. It commemorated the late Arnold Palmer's win at the 1960 U.S. Open at Cherry Hills. It featured a silhouette of Palmer in midstride, tossing his visor in the air. Palmer shot a 65 after going into the final round trailing by seven shots.

Chip shots

• An American has won the U.S. Open three consecutive years for the first time since 1998 to 2000 (Lee Janzen, Payne Stewart and Tiger Woods). Koepka's victory follows Dustin Johnson last year and Jordan Spieth in 2015.

• The week ended with 31 players under par, breaking the U.S. Open record of 28 players at Medinah in 1990. There were 133 sub-par rounds, nine more than the previous record in that 1990 U.S. Open.

• Only two players in 116 previous editions, Tiger Woods in 2000 and Rory McIlroy in 2011, had finished under par in double digits. Seven did it at Erin Hills.

• Wisconsin native Steve Stricker shot a 69 in the final round and finished the tournament 5 under. It was his best finish in 20 U.S. Open appearances.

• Scottie Scheffler was the low amateur, shooting a 73 to finish at 1 under. Cameron Champ, the only other amateur to make the cut, shot a 76 to finish at even par.

Key hole

Par-3, 193-yard No. 13: Tied for the lead, Koepka missed the green to the right and chipped to 8 feet. He made the par putt, and then birdied his next three holes as Harman in the group behind him made back-to-back bogeys.

Quote of the day

"I didn't get him a card, so I really hope this works."

— Brooks Koepka on his plans for celebrating Father's Day with his dad, Bob.

Tweet of the day

"My boy @JustinThomas34 shoots a 63 at us open, and all I see and hear is comparisons to another 63 that happened 44 years ago. #exhausting"

— Jason Dufner (@JasonDufner), referring to Johnny Miller's 63 at Oakmont in 1973.

A look ahead

After its historic, quirky and controversial run at Erin Hills, the U.S. Open returns to Shinnecock Hills in 2018. As for the next major, that would be the 146th British Open, to be held July 20–23 at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England.

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