Collin Morikawa Ties for 23rd at U.S. Open; J.J. Spaun Wins It

Collin Morikawa wound up tied for 23rd place at the 125th U.S. Open, with Oakmont Country Club pretty much getting the best of everyone who played the course outside Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

J.J. Spaun sank a 64 1/2-foot birdie on the 18th hole to claim his first major title and earn a career-best paycheck of $4.3 million. Spaun, 34, who had won just one previously on the PGA Tour, was the only player in the original field of 156 golfers who broke par for the tournament.

Morikawa shot an even-par 70 on Sunday to finish at plus-8 and 10 strokes off the lead. The world’s fourth-ranked player also had a 70 in Thursday’s opening round, but carded 74s on Friday and Saturday and finished out of the top-15 for the first time in five years at the Open.

Fellow Cal alum Michael Kim tied for 50th at plus-14 after a 72 on Sunday that included a double bogey on the 11th hole.

Morikawa won $161,132 and Kim earned $48.401.

The Oakmont course was tough enough, but the final round also featured heavy rains that contributed to just seven players breaking par over the final 18 holes.

Spaun became the first player in U.S. Open history to begin the final four with bogeys or worse over the first three holes and go on to win. He began the day just one stroke back of Sam Burns but had bogeys on the first three holes and five of the first six and trailed by four strokes at one point.

But he played three under on the back nine, with birdies on 17 and 18. Spaun had never previously finished higher than 23rd at a major.

Scotland’s Robert McIntyre finished second at 1 over par and Norway’s Viktor Hovland was third at plus-2 over.

Burns, who led with a 4-under score after 54 holes, but he had six bogeys and two double bogeys on the way to a 78 that left him tied for seventh place at plus-4. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm also tied for seventh.

Rory McIlroy, the world’s second-ranked player, shot a final-round 74 and wound up tied for 19th at plus-7.

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