Spain’s Jon Rahm won his first major with a fantastic 4-under final round, outlasting South African Louis Oosthuizen to win the 121^st U.S. Open at Torrey Pines in San Diego, Calif. Rahm, ranked No. 3 in the world coming into the tournament, is the first Spanish player to win the U.S. Open.

Rahm started the day 2-under, three shots back of the leaders, which included Canadian Mackenzie Hughes and Russell Henley, who led through the first three rounds. While the leaders, including Oosthuizen, couldn’t hold their position on the leaderboard, Rahm made a birdie on the 17^th to climb into a tie for the lead.  After a 322-yard drive, Rahm went for the 18^th green—the easiest hole at Torrey Pines—in two, but found the right bunker. He hit a flop slightly away from the pin, and holed the shot for birdie, giving him the outright lead, while Oosthuizen still had three holes to play.

After embracing his new son, who was born in early April, Rahm said he had a feeling about the possibility of winning at Torrey Pines after having to drop out of the Memorial following the third round after testing positive for Covid-19. Rahm won his first PGA Tour event at Torrey Pines in 2017, and asked his wife to marry him on the cliffs at the property.

“I’m a big believer in karma, and after what happened a couple of weeks ago, I stayed really positive knowing big things were coming,” he said. “I didn’t know what it was going to be, but I knew we were coming to a special place, I knew I got my breakthrough win here, and it was a very special place for my family. I felt the stars were aligning.”

Oosthuizen, who won the 2010 British Open at St. Andrews, made a costly mistake after pulling his tee shot into the ravine on the 17^th hole, leading to a costly bogey. Needing an eagle on 18 to tie Rahm’s score, he found the rough on the final drive, and couldn’t go for the green on the final par-5. He desperately attempted to hole a wedge and came close, but had to settle for a birdie and a score of 5-under for the tournament, one shot back of Rahm.

I’ll keep knocking on that major door. Gave it my best and am thankful to the @USGA and @usopengolf for a great week. Enjoy the win, @JonRahmpga! Nothing like a major win on Father’s Day as a new dad. #USOpen pic.twitter.com/WlXjzDhX6R

— Louis Oosthuizen (@Louis57TM) June 21, 2021

Mackenzie Hughes will likely be in contention at another major, but the final round at this year’s U.S. Open wasn’t what he hoped for. Hughes, from Dundas, Ont., went into the final round in a tie for the lead at 5-under par, but struggled in his final round, including an unfortunate break on the 11^th hole, when Hughes’ tee shot bounced off the cart path and into a tree, and unfortunately never came down. Still, the 59^th ranked player in the world still has plenty to be proud of after his best finish ever at a major (T15).

Big names fade

We knew we were in for an exciting round Sunday with so many of the best in the game within striking distance of the lead. What we didn’t expect were for those same stars to fall victim of the challenges of Torrey Pines.

Bryson DeChambeau—Golf’s big hitter, and the winner of the U.S. Open at Winged Foot in 2020, started the day with the lead within sight, and managed to get to the top on the front nine with two birdies. He was 5-under through the 10^th hole, but was derailed by a trio of holes, starting with the 11^th, where he made consecutive bogeys, before a disastrous double bogey on the 13^th finished any hope of repeating as champion. He’d later make an 8 on the par-4 17^th, the highest score recorded on the hole during the tournament, to plunge down the leaderboard, finishing in a tie for 26^th.

Brooks Koepka—With three birdies on the front nine, Koepka, a multiple-major winner, seemed poised to make a charge on the back nine. Instead, he made three bogeys, including the par-5 18^th that was the easiest on the course, to finish at 2-under, tied for 4^th.

Rory McIlroy—A 4-under 67 in the third round led many to think McIlroy, a past U.S. Open winner, had a strong shot at taking the tournament. McIlroy’s chances came apart on the par-5 12^th when he went for the green after hitting a 311-yard drive. The approach finished on the downslope in the bunker and led to McIlroy’s second consecutive bogey, finishing his chance of a late charge up the leaderboard.

What’s in the Winner’s Bag?

Driver: Callaway Epic Speed Triple Diamond (10.5 degrees)
3-wood: Callaway Epic Speed Prototype (15 degrees)
5-wood: Callaway Epic Speed Prototype (18 degrees)
Irons: Callaway X Forged UT (22 degrees), Callaway Apex TCB (4-PW)
Wedges: Callaway Jaws Forged JPN (52, 56, 60)
Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG Rossie S
Ball: Callaway Chrome Soft X