Matt Fitzpatrick of England won his first major championship on Sunday after capturing a stunning victory at the US Open. Fitzpatrick made a number of outstanding strokes while his competitors failed to perform under the strain of the final round.
Following an exciting three-way battle on the back nine of The Country Club’s course, Fitzpatrick shot a two-under-par 68 to finish on six-under-par 274 and win the tournament by one stroke over American competitors Scottie Scheffler and Will Zalatoris.
After winning the 2013 US Amateur at The Country Club, Fitzpatrick tied Jack Nicklaus as the only golfer to win both the US Open and US Amateur on the same course. Nicklaus, an American golfing great, accomplished the feat by playing both tournaments at Pebble Beach.
At the 13th hole, the 27-year-old golfer from Sheffield sunk a sensational birdie putt from a distance of 48 feet to capture a share of the lead. His greatest previous major success came a month ago when he tied for fifth place at the PGA Championship, which was his best prior major finish.
At the 15th hole, Fitzpatrick blasted clear of the right rough to inside 19 feet and rolled in a putt that was filled with tension to go to six under par and take the lead by two strokes.
However, after birdies made by Scheffler at hole 17 and Zalatoris on hole 16, Fitzpatrick managed to hold on to a one-stroke lead when he teed off at the 18th hole.
After the Englishman’s tee shot went into a bunker on the left side of the fairway, he blasted a fantastic approach shot to inside 18 feet and two putted for par. This left Zalatoris needing to make a birdie putt from a distance of 14 feet in order to force a playoff.
After Zalatoris’s attempt failed, Fitzpatrick was awarded the championship and the record-breaking top prize of $3.15 million.