Gary Woodland is the new U.S. open champion Unlisted Video

(CNN)He dreamed of starring in the NBA, but in Gary Woodland's first college game on a basketball scholarship, he realized he needed a plan B. Woodland acted quickly and switched universities to play golf, turned pro in 2007, and 12 years later held off world No. 1 Brooks Koepka to clinch his maiden major title with victory in the US Open at Pebble Beach. The 35-year-old from Topeka, Kansas fulfilled the promise that has been bubbling for years, developing a short game and putting stroke to match his prodigious driving distances.