Gary Woodland wins maiden major with US Open victory at Pebble Beach

Gary Woodland denied his compatriot Brooks Koepka an historic US Open threepeat by clinching his first major title at Pebble Beach.

Woodland, 35, carded a final-round 69 for a three-stroke victory on 13-under par.

The victory marks Woodland's fourth win of his Tour career and vaults him up into the world's top 20 for the first time in his career.

Koepka was bidding to win his fifth major title in his last nine major starts, on top of landing a third consecutive US Open title to match the feat achieved by Scotland's Willie Anderson in 1905.

But in the battle of the big-hitting Americans, it would prove to be Woodland's day at Pebble Beach. 

Woodland started the final round with a narrow one-stroke lead over England's Justin Rose, and he extended the lead to three as early as the third following back-to-back birdies at the second and third. 

But it was quickly trimmed to two after Koepka played the first five holes in 4-under par.

Bogeys at the ninth and 12th trimmed Woodland's lead to just one, but he then extended the lead to two with a superb birdie-four at the par-5 14th.

Woodland faced a small dilemma at the par-3 17th when forced to chip his ball from off the putting surface over the ridge in the middle of the giant green to the pin, but he overcame the problem with flying colours as he pitched his ball to within two feet for par. 

Koepka, playing in the group ahead of Woodland, failed to get up-and-down for birdie from the back of the par-5 18th and it left the door wide open for Woodland to seal his maiden major title. 

Woodland played three solid shots into the heart of the green and then brought the house down by draining his 35-foot birdie putt into the heart of the cup.

Rose held every chance of emulating his 2013 US Open triumph at Merion, but the Englishman made far too many mistakes on the back nine and he quickly fell back into the pack.

US OPEN FINAL LEADERBOARD

-13 G Woodland (US)

-10 B Koepka (US)

-7 X Schauffele, C Reavie (US), J Rahm (Spa), J Rose (Eng)