Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick has won the US Open, emerging victorious from a roller coaster war with Scottie Scheffler and Will Zalatoris on his last day at the Country Club.
The three players at some point took the lead on Monday’s solo major (AEST) as the trio continued to swap places in a dramatic final round.
In the end, it was 27-year-old Fitzpatrick, who had never won the U.S. PGA Tour, who struck the decisive blow with crucial birdies at holes 13 and 15 that moved him to six under.
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He glanced at club leader Scheffler and teammate Zalatoris until the 18th, where he found the street bunker on the left to establish a nervous ending.
Fitzpatrick held his breath, pounding the ball in the air. He later called it “one of the best shots I’ve ever hit.”
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“I’ll be brutally honest … if there’s been one shot I fought this year that I don’t want, it’s a street bunker shot,” he said.
“I don’t know, I guess the ability took over. It’s one of the best shots I’ve ever hit … I couldn’t be happier.”
Zalatoris lost an inch the 14-foot bird putt that would have forced a two-hole playoff, before falling on his face and placing his head in his hands.
The lost putt means Zalatoris, who led after 11 holes, is still looking for his own inaugural victory on the US PGA Tour after finishing second in last year’s Masters and losing in a playoff to Justin Thomas at the PGA This year’s championship.
Fitzpatrick, meanwhile, is the first Englishman to win a major since Danny Willett’s Masters in 2016, while joining Jack Nicklaus as players who have won the US Open in the same place where they won the US fan.
Scheffler, world champion and No. 1 in the world, settled for a draw in the second, and missed a chance after starting his round with four birdies in six holes.
Hideki Matsuyama was fourth with three below, while Collin Morikawa and Rory McIlroy completed the top five with two below.
Adam Scott and Marc Leishman finished the tournament as the first Australians, both finished with two rounds of less than 68 to finish two of two.
THE FINAL MOMENTS
Fitzpatrick, who shared fifth place last month in the PGA Championship for his previous best major result, sank an impressive 48-foot bird putt into hole 13 to take some of the lead.
On the 15th, Fitzpatrick came out on the right up to 19 feet and rolled into a tense putt to reach 6 under and advance by two.
But after Scheffler’s birdies at 17 and Zalatoris at 16, Fitzpatrick clung to a one-shot advantage on tee 18.
After the Englishman sent his starting pitch to a left street bunker, he fired his magnificent 18-foot approach to almost win the major.
When Zalatoris lost his birdie putt, the title and a record prize of $ 3.15 million (4.5 million Australian dollars) belonged to Fitzpatrick.
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Results of the final round on Sunday at the 122nd US Open Golf Championship at the Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts:
274 – Matt Fitzpatrick (CAT) 68-70-68-68
275 – Scottie Scheffler (USA) 70-67-71-67, Will Zalatoris (USA) 69-70-67-69
277 –Hideki Matsuyama (JPN) 70-70-72-65
278-Collin Morikawa (USA) 69-66-77-66, Rory McIlroy (NIR) 67-69-73-69
279 – Keegan Bradley (USA) 70-69-69-71, Denny McCarthy (USA) 73-70-68-68, Adam Hadwin (CAN) 66-72-70-71
280 – Gary Woodland (USA) 69-73-69-69, Joel Dahmen (USA) 67-68-74-71
281 – Jon Rahm (ESP) 69-67-71-74, Seamus Power (IRL) 71-70-70-70
282 – Guido Migliozzi (ITA) 72-70-74-66; Adam Scott (AUS) 69-73-72-68, Marc Leishman (AUS) 70-71-73-68Cameron Tringale (USA) 71-71-71-69, Patrick Cantlay (USA) 72-71-70-69, Nick Hardy (USA) 69-68-73-72, Xander Schauffele (USA) 70-69-75 – 68, Hayden Buckley (USA) 68-68-75-71
283-Kim Jooh-yung (KOR) 72-68-73-70
284 – Mackenzie Hughes (CAN) 72-69-73-70, Dustin Johnson (USA) 68-73-71-72, Adam Schenk (USA) 70-70-73-71
285-Sam Burns (USA) 71-67-71-76, Aaron Wise (USA) 68-68-75-74, Min Woo Lee (AUS) 73-70-69-73, Thomas Pieters (BEL) 72-68-73-72
286 – Todd Sinnott (AUS) MJ Daffue (RSA) 71-71-74-70, Andrew Putnam (USA) 72-68-74-72, Patrick Rodgers (USA) 69-68-75-74, Davis Riley (USA) 72-67-73- 74, Callum Tarren (CAT) 67-72-78-69
287 – Justin Rose (CAT) 68-73-74-72, Justin Thomas (USA) 69-72-72-74, Jordan Spieth (USA) 72-70-71-74, Joseph Bramlett (USA) 71-72- 72-72, Matthew NeSmith (USA) 68-69-74-76, Lee Kyung-Hoon (KOR) 71-72-73-71
288 – Brian Harman (USA) 68-69-75-76, Christopher Gotterup (USA) 73-69-75-71, Travis Vick (USA) 70-69-76-73, Richard Bland (ENG) 70-72- 72-74
289 – Max Homa (USA) 69-73-75-72, Joaquin Niemann (CHI) 71-70-76-72
290-David Lingmerth (SWE) 67-72-74-77, Patrick Reed (USA) 70-71-75-74, Sam Bennett (USA) 70-73-74-73, Sam Stevens (USA) 71-72- 72-75
291 – Beau Hossler (USA) 69-67-78-77, Sebastian Söderberg (SWE) 71-70-78-72
292 – Brooks Koepka (USA) 73-67-75-77
293 – Chris Naegel (USA) 73-69-77-74, Bryson DeChambeau (USA) 71-71-76-75, Tyrrell Hatton (ENG) 72-71-76-74, Wil Besseling (NED) 71-71- 77-74
296 – Brandon Matthews (USA) 71-69-79-77
297 – Harris English (USA) 73-69-78-77, Austin Greaser (USA) 72-70-76-79
298 – Grayson Murray (USA) 75-67-76-80
299 – Stewart Hagestad (USA) 73-70-79-77
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