US Open golf 2022 LIVE leaderboard: Matt Fitzpatrick edges Will Zalatoris to win
Fitzpatrick becomes the first English winner of the US Open since 2013
England’s Matt Fitzpatrick produced a moment of magic on his way to claiming his first major title and a historic double in the 122nd US Open at Brookline.
A shot behind playing partner Will Zalatoris with six holes to play, Fitzpatrick holed from 50 feet for birdie across the 13th green to draw level and briefly moved two shots clear with another on the 15th.
World number one Scottie Scheffler closed to within one with a birdie on the 17th and Zalatoris did likewise on the 16th, but the American agonisingly missed from 14 feet for another on the 18th to force a play-off.
The victory means Fitzpatrick joins 18-time major winner Jack Nicklaus as the only players to win the US Amateur and US Open on the same course, Nicklaus doing so at Pebble Beach in 1961 and 1972.
With his brother Alex on the bag, Fitzpatrick won the US Amateur at Brookline in 2013, the same year Justin Rose became the last Englishman to win the US Open at Merion.
For the second major in succession, Fitzpatrick contested the closing round from the final group, having partnered Mito Pereira in the US PGA at Southern Hills last month.
On that occasion a closing 73 meant Fitzpatrick missed out on the play-off between Zalatoris and Justin Thomas by two shots, Thomas securing his second US PGA title in the three-hole shootout.
Three birdies in the first five holes of the final round had vaulted Scheffler into the lead, but Fitzpatrick holed from seven feet for birdie on the third and two-putted the short par-four fifth for another after driving the green.
The 27-year-old from Sheffield then three-putted the sixth from long range to drop his first shot of the day, but his increased length off the tee paid off again on the par-five eighth as he hit the green in two to set up an easy birdie.
That took him back into a share of the lead and he soon led on his own as Scheffler dropped his first shot of the day on the 10th and then three-putted the 108-yard 11th - the hole which cost him a double bogey in round three.
Zalatoris had almost holed his approach to the seventh and also birdied the ninth to close within a shot of playing partner Fitzpatrick, who surprisingly missed from four feet for par on the 10th after splashing out of a bunker.
A birdie on the 11th took Zalatoris into the outright lead for the first time and moments later he had a two-shot lead, Fitzpatrick three-putting from just a few inches closer to the hole on an identical line.
However, Zalatoris bogeyed the 12th and saw his lead wiped out in spectacular fashion on the next, Fitzpatrick letting out a massive roar after holing from 50 feet across the green for an unlikely birdie.
Another birdie on the 15th, coupled with a bogey from Zalatoris, briefly gave Fitzpatrick a two-shot lead but Scheffler and Zalatoris kept up the pressure with birdies on the 17th and 16th respectively.
Zalatoris then left a birdie putt on the 17th fractionally short and agonisingly missed from 14 feet on the last to force what would have been a fourth straight play-off in US Opens at Brookline.
Former Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama posted a closing 65, the lowest round of the week, to claim fourth place on three under, with Rory McIlroy and Open champion Collin Morikawa sharing fifth on two under.
McIlroy felt he was just one great round from claiming a fifth major title and first since 2014 following a battling 73 on Saturday, but mixed four birdies and four bogeys in his first 14 holes and eventually signed for a 69.
Defending champion Jon Rahm began the final round just a shot off the lead but struggled to a closing 74.
US Open 2022: Latest final round scores
Meanwhile, McIlroy’s rollercoaster shows no sign of slowing down. He’s had three birdies and two bogeys in six holes and now pulls his drive into the thick stuff at the 7th. The rough grabs at his club and his approach comes up short and left. The pitch isn’t great from there despite having a fair bit of green to work with and he’ll have another tricky downhill putt to try and save par.
US Open 2022: Latest final round scores
Scheffler hits a lovely tee shot at the 6th and will have another birdie chance there.
Rahm goes for the green at the short 5th but he pulls it badly and will now have a tricky chip off a downhill lie onto a green that is sloping away from him.
US Open 2022: Latest final round scores
Here’s how Fitzpatrick got his first birdie of the day.
US Open 2022: Latest final round scores
Dahmen joins the pack at -2 with a birdie at the 7th. There are currently six players at that mark and they’re certainly all in with a chance.
US Open 2022: Latest final round scores
Fitzpatrick has been wonderfully unfazed so far. After birdieing the 3rd, he fizzes a drive straight down the middle at the 4th and is picking up the tee long before his ball lands in the fairway.
US Open 2022: Latest final round scores
Scheffler’s drive catches the front bunker at the short 5th. He takes it a little thin out of the sand though and leaves himself a tricky downhill sloping putt for birdie. He leaves it on the high side and that’s a chance missed for the world No 1.
US Open 2022: Latest final round scores
McIlroy is refusing to let this go! After bogeying the 5th, he hits a sublime tee shot into the par 3 6th that leaves 17ft up the hill for birdie. He rolls it in and is three shots off the lead.
US Open 2022: Latest final round scores
Fitzpatrick produces a great response to losing his lead. His view is obscured at the 3rd but that doesn’t matter as he hits a wonderful approach from 180 yards. That leaves the Englishman’s first real birdie chance of the day and he takes it with a wonderful right-to-left sloping putt! He joins Scheffler at -5.
US Open 2022: Latest final round scores
Scheffler is running hot! After back-to-back birdies to start, the world No 1 rolls in a 24ft putt at the 4th to take the outright lead. Next up, the driveable 5th...
US Open 2022: Latest final round scores
Hadwin holes a wonderful putt at the 4th. He was aiming a good 10ft left of the hole, let the ball die on the slope and it rolls down into the heart of the cup. The Canadian moves to -2.
Meanwhile, while McIlroy faltered at the 5th, his playing partner Burns got a birdie to return to -1.
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