It took two putts for Spaniard Jon Rahm to change the history of the US Open he won this Sunday to claim his sixth PGA Tour title with a brilliant finish.
He did it on Father’s Day when he received the trophy after holding his three-month-old son Kepa in his arms after a passionate and flawless performance that surpassed all his rivals, including South African Louis Oosthuizen, who finished second.
Rahm, 26, made a birdie putt over seven meters on the 17th hole that allowed him to catch up with Oosthuizen. He buried another curly birdie putt left to right from less than five meters on the final hole for a 67 (-4) and a one stroke lead win.
“Little man, you have no idea what this means at the moment,” Rahm told his son on the practice field when he won. “You will do it very soon.”
Rahm became the first Spaniard to win the US Open, ultimately landing the top prize along with his enormous talent. His victory also returned him to No. 1 in the world.
In a second round filled with double bogeys by so many contenders and a shocking collapse of defending champion American Bryson DeChambeau, Oosthuizen was the last to fall.
With a shot back, Oosthuizen drove into the canyon to the left of 17th fairway for a bogey that left him two shots behind, then missed the fairway at par 5 18 which prevented him from going to the green to catch a glimpse of the eagle that would have forced the tiebreaker.
He settled for a birdie and a 71 (par). It was his second consecutive runner-up in a major and his sixth silver medal since winning the 2010 British Open at St. Andrews.
Just two weeks ago, Rahm was on the cusp of another great victory. He had a six-shot lead at Memorial after 54 holes, only to be notified as he came off the 18th green at Muirfield Village that he had a positive COVID-19 test and had to retire.
Worse still, his parents had flown in from Spain to see their new grandson, and Rahm was isolated and couldn’t be there at a special time.
Sunday made up for it. His parents were at Torrey Pines to witness a world-class performance capped off by one of the great finals in US Open history.
Rahm finished 5-under 278 for his twelfth worldwide victory. His first was at Torrey Pines four years ago when he hit an eagle putt just over 50 feet on 18 and secured a victory that elevated him in the history of world golf and of legends.
