Just cured of COVID-19, Jon Rahm won his first major coronation in spectacular fashion on Sunday. He stole the United States Open trophy like only the greats have in history.
At the end of a memorable day filled with twists and turns, the 26-year-old Spaniard put a huge exclamation mark on Torrey Pines’ South Course.
After making a birdie at 17e hole, he kept the suspense going until the last second at the 18e to take control of the championship contested in the suburbs of San Diego.
He called out a delicate 18 foot birdie wrap to make history. The scene was reminiscent of the one written in the same place by Tiger Woods in 2008. Shaking his fist in front of a excited crowd, Rahm roared with joy.
He is the first golfer to win the US Open concluding with two consecutive birdies since Tom Watson at Pebble Beach in 1982. Several legends of the sport have ended with a sparrow, including Woods and Nicklaus. “Rahmbo” joined them.
Less pressure
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The victory comes two weeks after learning he had COVID-19 at the Memorial Tournament in Muirfield Village. After 54 holes, Rahm was leading by six strokes. He had to forfeit.
To be able to appear at Torrey Pines, the site of his first professional victory in 2017, he had to provide two negative tests in order to come out of his quarantine. Curiously, his situation calmed him down in addition to removing this undue pressure on the favorites.
As soon as he woke up, Rahm felt that this day was his. This place unique to her and special to her heart had given her so much in life. He couldn’t have chosen a better place, especially since he was accompanied by his son, Kepa, barely three months old, and his father on a day dedicated to dads.
Confident and inspired by these recent performances in Grand Slam tournaments, his turn had come.
“I have often come close to victory. I had to complete the job in the final round. I felt capable of it. I did it in a way that apparently only happens here at Torrey Pines, ”recalled the champion, who made a 67 (-4) card.
Crazy day
With big guns dragging a bit that made one last desperate push in the middle of the day, the table was set for a spectacular afternoon at Torrey Pines.
At one point, there were seven winners of at least one career Grand Slam tournament in the top 15 able to join the leaders. Of the lot, Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau to name a few.
But they all backed off by starting the second nine, not without leaving a suspense, with the exception of the defending champion who took quite a search.
DeChambeau played 44 shots on the return, registering a quadruple bugy in the 17e. His final score of 77 (+6) dropped him to 26th place in the standings by virtue of his +3 record.
Canadian Mackenzie Hughes saw his dream go up in smoke after a stray shot at 11e pennant, his ball remained perched in a tree. He had never experienced such bad luck. This double buggy signaled the end of his fight.
Duel final
The heavyweights out of the way over their small mistakes, they left the way clear for Rahm and Oosthuizen in a duel at the top.
But the South African made a huge blunder at the 17e where he sent his tee shot into the obstacle to the left of the fairway. With lead in the wing, he could never register an eagle at 18e, as he had done the day before, in order to join Rahm at the top at -6.
Oosthuizen, author of a round of 71 (S), thus finished second for the sixth time in his career in a Grand Slam tournament and a second time at the US Open. This is a fifth top 10 in the US Championship.
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