U.S. Open: Rahm outduels Oosthuizen to win first major

For about an hour, the U.S. Open had one of the greatest leaderboards in recent golf history, with almost all of the game’s biggest names within two shots of the lead. But then Torrey Pines whittled away the competitors, and down the stretch, only Jon Rahm and Louis Oosthuizen remained standing.

One was the pre-tournament favorite. The other was a perpetual bridesmaid, winner of one major but a second-place finisher in five more. In the end, Oosthuizen was a runner-up yet again, with Rahm capturing the first of what could be many majors.

Majors are always about storylines and a few surprises. This 121st edition of the U.S. Open was no different.

Questions were abound about the form of Rahm, fresh out of COVID protocol. How would he respond to the gut-wrenching forced withdrawal at The Memorial, where he held 6-stroke lead through three rounds? Turns out, pretty well.

Would the budding Brooks Koepka-Bryson DeChambeau rivalry come to a head? Not really, though the Brooksy Bros, mostly silent through the first two rounds, came out in full force on Saturday … and watch DeChambeau climb up the leaderboard while their boy stood mostly pat.

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