Matthew Fitzpatrick, US Open champion and a faint Rahm finished in the top 15

English Matthew Fitzpatrick He is the new US Open champion with 274 strokes (-6). This was his first Grand Slam title. and he won it to an exciting end, fighting his partner in the fight, Will Zalatorisagain runner-up, and with world number 1 scottie schefflerboth with 275 (-5). Jon Rahmwho really got nothing, never joined against on the final day at The Country Club, near Boston, and finished with 74 for 281 (+1), which tied at 12th.

Jon made pars in the first holes, as if he were handbraked, and on hole 5 he added his first bogey. At par 5 of 8 fell the second and at 10 the third. In the overall pair (he came out with -3 a punch from the co-leaders) he almost gave up the option to re-validate the title midway through the final round. A title played by Zalatoris, Fitzpatrick and Scheffler. Zalatoris had a putt to force the playoffs, just as Scheffler had a birdie chance minutes before. The pair were worth it to the Briton on the 18th and he hugged with emotion his caddy, the legendary Billy Foster, former Severiano Ballesteros and others.

The first clear birdie chance was taken by Rahm at 11, but the fourth bogey of the day in the days that followed left him knocked out and the fifth at 16 sank. The fact is that Barrika’s has no hint of starting and placing direct anytime. Perhaps the double bogey on the 18th hole the day before left him a shot behind the leaders as he took a one-shot lead on the tee of that hole after a series of three birdies on four holes.

The Basque has never successfully defended a title on the American PGA Tour. Jon aspires to be the eighth golfer in the entire history of the tournament, and they have played 122 editions (the first was played in 1895), to defend the title at the US Open, and the first since Brooks Koepka in 2017/2018 .

Fitzpatrick, who won the US Open, was the first player from outside the US to win both the US Amateur (2013) and the US Open. In addition, coincidentally this ‘double’ was made in the same field, The Country Club. Jack Nicklaus also won both tournaments at the same Pebble Beach. Among the 12 Americans who achieved it back then were names like Bobby Jones, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Bryson DeChambeau, its last achievement in 2020.

Will Zalatoris, 25, 14th in the world rankings and without a win in 50 PGA Tour tournaments, wants to make history by starting his record of US Open victories at The Country Club. The last five players to achieve their first professional success on the American circuit in a ‘major’ were Danny Willett (Masters 2016), Charl Schwartzel (Masters 2011), Martin Kaymer (PGA 2010), Louis Oosthuizen (British 2010) and Graeme McDowell, (US Open 2010).

Zalatoris and Matthew Fitzpatrick appeared yesterday in the main game. Both led the tournament after the third day with -4. Less than a month ago they began to tie for second on the final day of the PGA Championship in the Southern Hills.

Zalatori is trying to close out his spectacular run to the Grand Slams with progress. He has played eight majors and his record is five top 10 finishes (6th US Open 2020, 2nd Masters 2021, 8th PGA 2021, 6th Masters 2022 and 2nd PGA 2022), and three second places (Masters, PGA and US Open). In the PGA he lost in a tiebreaker against Justin Thomas. In 51 tournaments on the PGA Tour he added 16 top 10 finishes.

Scheffler had a chance to win his second Grand Slam of the season after the Augusta Masters. The last player to win two majors in one year was his compatriot Brooks Koepka in 2018. And the last to win the Masters and US Open in the same season, Jordan Spieth in 2015. After winning in Phoenix, Orlando, the World Match Play and became number one in the world and in April in Augusta, Scheffler cooled down after his victory at the Masters, fourth victory of the year in six participation, but if his short game returns to its usual level, the number one in the world could be a threat to The Country Club. On Scheffler’s first appearance since winning his Masters, the 25-year-old American missed the cut in the PGA Championship, but quickly returned a week later in Colonial Fort Worth, Texas, where he lost in the playoffs to Sam Burns. Scheffler had little success at the U.S. Open, twice missing the cut in four appearances, but last year he achieved a career-best 7th, and in 2022 he finally tied the th -2.

Final classification (par 70)

274 Matthew Fitzpatrick (Eng)

275 Will Zalatoris (USA)

Scottie Scheffler (USA)

277 Hideki Matsuyama (Japan)

278 Rory McIlroy (GBR)

Collin Morikawa (USA)

…

281 Jon Rahm (Sp/12th)