Jordan Spieth Wins U.S. Open At Chambers Bay
Jordan Spieth Casually Hangs Onto His Newest Piece Of Hardware The U.S. Open Trophy After Winning The 2015 Championship At Chambers Bay - Image Credit Bryan Outram
by Alfie Lau
Jordan Spieth is now halfway to the Grand Slam.
Spieth survived a double bogey on the 17th hole to make a two-putt birdie from 15 feet 4 inches to defeat Dustin Johnson and Louis Oosthuizen by one stroke at the 2015 U.S. Open at Chambers Bay in Tacoma, WA.
Spieth, the first player to birdie the final hole to win the U.S. Open since Bobby Jones, heads to St. Andrews next month halfway to history and a worthy heir to World No. 1 Rory McIlroy.
Johnson will rue the par he made on the final hole, because after he hit a gorgeous 247-yard approach to 12 feet 4 inches, he hit his first putt three-and-a-half feet long and missed the comebacker to lose the U.S. Open in the most heartbreaking fashion.
“I'm still amazed that I won, let alone that we weren't playing tomorrow,” said Spieth, who finished at (-5) 275. “So for that turnaround right there, to watch that happen, I feel for Dustin.”
With future father-in-law Wayne Gretzky, fiancé Paulina and son Tatum cheering Johnson on, the lanky South Carolinian looked set to win his first Major – or at least force an 18-hole playoff on Monday – but a nervy putting stroke killed that dream under bright, sunlit skies.
“On the last green, I was thinking, this is why I’m here, this is why I play the game of golf,” said Johnson afterwards. “It just didn’t work out. . . I’m disappointed. I played really well. I didn't make any putts today, I really didn't. I had all the chances in the world. I'm really proud of the way I hit ball.
Proud of the way I handled myself all day. I gave myself chances all day long. If I rolled the putter halfway decent today, which I did roll it well, just any putts go in the hole, I win this thing by a few shots, it's not even close. It's just how it goes. I thought I played really well. I did everything that I could. I tried my damndest to get in the hole I just couldn't do it.”
Johnson had put himself in a great position by making a short birdie putt on the 17th hole to get into a temporary tie with Spieth. Spieth looked set to win his second Major of 2015 after making a clutch birdie on the 16th hole, which gave him a three-stroke lead over his nearest competitor.
image credit bryan outram
Dustin Johnson Rips His Drive On The 72nd Hole Of The U.S. Open At Chambers Bay To Set Up An Eagle Opportunity That Would Go Wanting
Spieth’s birdie on 16 was in marked contrast to playing partner Branden Grace, who hit his tee shot out of bounds, onto a spectator walking path right of the 16th hole. Grace’s double bogey took him out of a tie for the lead with Spieth and the tournament looked like the 21-year-old Texan’s to lose.
“Just one bad swing cost me at the end,” said Grace. “I was hitting my 3-wood great the whole day. Some good under pressure shots with the 3-wood when I had to do it. A straightforward shot, just spun out of it and that's costly.”
On the 17th tee, a 219-yard par-3, Spieth hit a terrible tee shot into the right rough and after hitting a good chip to a distance that should have guaranteed no worse than a bogey, Spieth then three-putted to fall back into a tie for the lead with South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen, who had a third consecutive stellar round.
Oosthuizen, who opened with a 77 playing alongside a faltering Tiger Woods and Rickie Fowler, finished the U.S. Open with rounds of 66, 66 and 67, including a back-9 29 on Sunday that featured six birdies in his final 7 holes.
“I just kept on playing,” said the South African. “You get rounds like that. But proud of myself the way I came back and kept on playing and knew my game was not far off. That 77 was, I could have easily had a horrible Friday and watched this on television.”
With Oosthuizen in the house safely at (-4), it was up to Spieth to make birdie or better on the 601-yard final hole. Spieth hit his best drive of the day on 18, setting up an eagle putt that he narrowly missed. The birdie putt gave the Dallas native a lead that Johnson could not catch.
image credit bryan outram
Jordan Spieth Plays His Ball Onto The Par 3 17th Hole At Chambers Bay As A Train Rolls By Behind Him. He Would 3-putt For A Double-Bogey That Looked Like It Would Cost Him The Tournament
“I knew I needed to fade the ball off the tee and I struck it right on the middle of the face,” said Spieth. “That's the only way I could have kept it short of the second bunker. I said put it in the fairway, give yourself a chance. It got right up there on the upslope, I couldn't have placed it in a better spot.
The next 3-wood, very, very pure. Any little bit of breeze up there held it up. For how undeserving maybe after I played 17, that break was on 18, for it to funnel down and then to stay up by a foot on that ledge, I just wanted to get a good putt. But with the right speed. I felt like that's what I did. It didn't turn enough.”
Spieth was cheered like a hometown favourite because his caddy, Michael Greller, used to be a caddy at Chambers Bay and even got married on the course. “What a team effort the whole week,” said Spieth.
“I didn't have my best stuff and we were able to get it done. Michael knew this course better than anybody playing this week and he made sure I was in the right spots without my best stuff and that's why I won.”
“I've been working hard at it and I just haven't figured out what it is,” said Spieth. “This is the kind of event where you have to put all of that frustration aside and keep your patience, and I did that well this week. Every day I could have been a little upset with how things went out there for me because I felt I played pretty good. Today I got all the reward.”
The round of the tournament came from Aussie Adam Scott, who shot 32 on both sides Sunday to card a (-6) round of 64 to get to (-3) for the tournament. Rory McIlory made a huge run, coming from (+4) at the beginning of the day to (-2) after the 13th hole, where he canned a 70-foot putt to get himself near the top of the leaderboard.
But with a chance to put a low number on the board, McIlroy made no more birdies coming in, shooting a (-4) round of 66 to finish at even par for the tournament. “The missed putt on 15, for the first bogey of the day, that hurt,” said McIlroy.
“And not to birdie 16 from where I put it off the tee. And then again a three-putt on 17. When I look back, obviously the last few holes of this golf course haven’t been kind to me all week. And when I look back at this tournament, that’s where I’ll rue some missed opportunities. I feel like it’s sort of one that got away.”
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As the sun sets on the 115th U.S. Open at Chambers Way, one thing that won’t get away is the Monday round of golf that Inside Golf’s Bryan Outram and Alfie Lau have scheduled at Chambers Bay.
Winners of the Media Lottery, it’s a 9:50 a.m. tee time for Lau and Outram, so it’s off to work on a 14-handicap (Outram) and some gardening (Lau) before their round on Monday.