Jon Rahm added another chapter to his storied time in San Diego.
After winning his first PGA TOUR event and proposing to his wife Kelley in the California city, Rahm captured his first major championship on Sunday at the U.S. Open with a final-round 67.
Rahm used a thrilling closing stretch during which he curled in birdie putts on the 17th and 18th holes to turn a one-shot deficit into a one-shot win over Louis Oosthuizen.
The pre-tournament favorite survived the challenging layout on Sunday while the rest of the star-studded leaderboard faltered.
Rahm was the only player in the final six pairings without a bogey on the back nine and became just the fourth U.S. Open champion to birdie both the 71st and 72nd holes.
Harris English closed with a 3-under 68 to take third place, and the trio of Brooks Koepka, Collin Morikawa, and Guido Migliozzi finished four shots off the pace in fourth.
| Position | Player | Round 4 score | Total to par |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jon Rahm | 67 | -6 |
| 2 | Louis Oosthuizen | 71 | -5 |
| 3 | Harris English | 68 | -3 |
| T4 | Guido Migliozzi | 68 | -2 |
| T4 | Brooks Koepka | 69 | -2 |
| T4 | Collin Morikawa | 70 | -2 |
| T7 | Rory McIlroy | 73 | -1 |
| T7 | Scottie Scheffler | 72 | -1 |
| T7 | Paul Casey | 70 | -1 |
| T7 | Daniel Berger | 68 | -1 |
| T7 | Branden Grace | 67 | -1 |
Rahm claims the No. 1 spot in the world rankings - along with the $2.25-million top prize - with the victory. The win comes just two weeks after he was forced out of the Memorial Tournament with a six-stroke 54-hole lead due to a positive COVID-19 test.
The former Arizona State star began the day two shots off the lead held by Mackenzie Hughes, Russell Henley, and Oosthuizen, with plenty of big names lurking.
Both Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau looked as though they might hoist the trophy for portions of the day but faded down the stretch.
McIlroy compounded a puzzling three-putt for bogey on the par-3 11th with a disastrous double-bogey on the 12th. He finished in a tie for seventh after a 2-over 73.
DeChambeau went 30 holes without a bogey and held the lead walking off the 10th green. But he was punished by an errant tee shot with a bogey on the par-3 11th before adding another on the 12th. He fully unraveled with a double-bogey on 13 and a quadruple-bogey on the 17th. The defending champion finished in 26th with a final-round 77.
That left just Oosthuizen within range of the win, but a tee shot into the hazard on the 17th all but ended the South African's hopes for his second career major.
