SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Brooks Koepka remembers the disappointment like it was yesterday instead of more than two years ago.

In his first shot at getting a PGA Tour card, he didn’t get through the second stage of Q-school by two shots. He tied with a Texas teenager named Jordan Spieth.

Spieth chose to play the PGA Tour through sponsor exemptions or qualifying in the minor leagues, and it paid off quickly. He had PGA Tour status by May, won in July and played in the Presidents Cup in October.

Koepka got out his passport.

Having already won on Europe’s secondary Challenge Tour, he at least had a place to play. It took him from Kenya to Kazakhstan, from South Africa to Scotland. He toiled in the remote outposts of golf, never losing sight that his power and work ethic would get him to where he wanted to be.

That’s what made his victory Sunday in the Phoenix Open so satisfying.

“Going that route — going over to Europe — it toughened me,” Koepka said after he closed with a 5-under 66 for a one-shot victory over Hideki Matsuyama, Masters champion Bubba Watson and Ryan Palmer. “It was a blessing in disguise. At the time, I was extremely disappointed, as I’m sure Jordan Spieth was, too. But that just toughens you up, your drive. It makes you want to get out here that much more.”

Koepka was lingering for 14 holes of the final round at the TPC Scottsdale. He fell behind by four shots early on the front nine, made a couple of birdies to get back in the mix, and still was largely ignored until two big moments over a final, wild hour in the Valley of the Sun.

On the par-5 15th, Koepka holed a 50-foot eagle putt from the fringe.