US Open: Gary Woodland eighth major winner out of Yorkshireman Pete Cowen’s stable

Pete Cowen had been coach to some of Europe’s finest over 15 years when he enjoyed a beleated major breakthrough at the 2010 US Open, when Graeme McDowell prevailed on the Monterey Peninsular.

The floodgates subsequently opened, to the extent that, nine years on, Woodland became the eighth Cowen pupil to win a major trophy when he held off the late charge of Brooks Koepka, who – coincidentally – also takes counsel from the no-nonsense Yorkshireman.

In between maiden major wins for McDowell and Woodland, Cowen helped Louis Oosthuizen, Darren Clarke, Danny Willett, Henrik Stenson, Sergio Garcia and Koepka into the winners’ enclosure.

On each occasion the role Cowen played differed slightly.

With Stenson it was a 15-year project in which he was the Swede’s swing and mind coach.

With Willett, the Sheffield golfer’s surprise Masters triumph came when he was taught by Mike Walker, Cowen’s deputy at his Academy based at The Grange in Rotherham.

Koepka enlisted the support of Cowen when he joined the European Tour six years ago. A kick up the backside midway through the US Open at Erin Hills in 2017 – similar to the one he metaphorically administered to Stenson 12 months earlier before his Open win at Royal Troon – sparked Koepka’s run of two US Open and two US PGA titles in the space of 23 months.

With Woodland, Cowen’s work has not been as long but has certainly been impactful.

The two got together full-time last December when work began on transforming the perception of Woodland merely as a big hitter.

“Pete’s been amazing for me,” said the new US Open champion.

“I worked with Butch (Harmon) for a long time. Butch is the one that recommended me to go to Pete a year-and-a-half ago for the short game.

“When Butch decided to retire, it was an easy transition for me to full swing everything with Pete.

“Pete to me is like a coach. He’s not really a teacher, he’s a coach. He tells you this is the game-plan, this is what we’re going to do, and then it’s up to me to go out and do it. But, like Butch, he knows what to say and when to say it.

“He sent me an unbelievable text this morning that had nothing to do with my golf swing or technique. He said: ‘Every man dies, but not every man lives, and you live for this moment.’

“I thought about that a lot today. He’s been great for me. But I think we’re only on the tip of the iceberg. We’ve only been full swing since December. I’m hitting as good as I ever have.”

Woodland won by three from Koepka, the two-time defending champion who began his final round in ominous fashion, closing to within one shot with four birdies in his first six holes.

Woodland had failed to convert any of his seven 54-hole leads on the PGA Tour into a win, but the 35-year-old from Kansas withstood the stubborn challenge of Koepka and Justin Rose to land the title and first prize of $2.25m.

Rose faded with a 74 to finish six shots back in a tie for third.

As well as Cowen, two other Yorkshiremen had a good week. Willett shot 67, 71 over the weekend to finish on four under par alonsgide fellow Sheffielder Matt Fitzpatrick, who closed 72, 68.

“We’re making some good moves,” said Willett. “There’s still a few bad ones in there. But it’s just more rounds under the belt, under pressure.”