Woodland Backs Koepka, won his first ever major US Open 2019 at Pebble Beach.

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) — In front of Gary Woodland was a 263-yard shot to the scariest green on any par 5 at Pebble Beach, especially with a U.S. Open on the line. Behind him by one shot on the leaderboard was Brooks Koepka, the most dangerous figure in major championship golf these days.

GARY WOODLAND claimed his first ever major by winning the 119th US Open at Pebble Beach on 13-under par despite having been a 70/1 outsider with most bookmakers when the tournament started on Thursday, and admitted he never truly dreamed he could do it.

Woodland won his first ever major US Open 2019 at Pebble Beach

With an extra boost of confidence from his caddie — Brennan Little, who was on the bag for Mike Weir in his Masters victory — Woodland delivered the shot of his life with a 3-wood that narrowly cleared a bunker, settled on the edge of the green and set up a birdie that gave him the cushion he needed.

The rest was pure theater — a 90-foot pitch off the 17th green he nearly holed, a 30-foot birdie putt on the final hole for a 2-under 69 and a three-shot victory that denied Koepka’s bold bid to match a century-old record with a third straight U.S. Open.

Woodland’s pitch across the 17th green over a hump that checked and trickled to tap-in range effectively clinched it, taking its place with other big moments on the 17th green in the U.S. Open such as Jack Nicklaus and his 1-iron off the pin and Tom Watson’s chip-in birdie. It even got the attention of Nicklaus.

It was left for Woodland, whose previous best finish at a major was tied sixth at last year's US PGA Championship, to finish his maiden victory in style with a 30-foot birdie at the last.

US Open final leaderboard 2019

-13 G Woodland (US);
-10 B Koepka (US);
-7 J Rose (Eng), X Schauffele (US), J Rahm (Spa), C Reavie (US);
-6 A Scott (Aus), L Oosthuizen (SA);
-5 R McIlroy (NI), H Stenson (Swe), C Hadley (US)

Selected others:

-4 M Fitzpatrick (Eng), M Wallace (Eng), D Willett (Eng);

-3 G McDowell (NI);
-2 T Woods (US), P Casey (Eng), T Hatton (Eng);
-1 S Lowry (Ire)

What Woodland’s say after winning the first major US Open.

"It was some of the best ball striking I've had," said the American, who was trying to become just the second player to win three successive US Open titles, after Scotland's Willie Anderson (1903-05).

"Unfortunately I wasn't making the putts but Gary did and congratulations to him. That was a cool way to see him finish it off, and go out in style like that.

"I thought we had a game pretty early on. I closed the gap and you never know what's going to happen down the stretch. I just tried to keep the pedal down and make some putts but I didn't hole enough.

"I'm very pleased with how I played. I played my heart out. It just wasn't good enough this week."

"I never looked too far ahead," he said. "Once the putt on 18 went in, I let it come out of me. It was special to finish it off here at Pebble Beach."