BROOKLINE (Massac­husetts): England’s Matt Fitzpatrick delivered a shot for the ages when he needed it most on Sunday, finding the green from a fairway bunker at the last hole to win the US Open and claim his first career major title.

Fitzpatrick’s incredible shot from the sand 161 yards out settled 18 feet from the cup to all but end what had been a heart-pounding back-nine battle with world number one Scottie Scheffler and Will Zalatoris at The Country Club.

“It’s one of the best shots I ever hit, there’s no doubt about it,” Fitzpatrick said after a two-under-par 68 that left him at six-under 274 for the week and one stroke ahead of Americans Scheffler (67) and Zalatoris (69).

There had been a lot of talk about Fitzpatrick all week given he won the 2013 US Amateur at the same demanding venue.

The 27-year-old, who began the final round in a share of the lead with Zalatoris and one shot clear of defending champion Jon Rahm, reached the turn with a one-shot lead after mixing two birdies with two bogeys.

But he carded two quick bogeys and, coupled with a Zalatoris birdie, walked off the 11th green trailing by two shots.

He said doubts began to creep in at that point.

“Yeah, sure, there’s a little bit,” said Fitzpatrick. “For me, like, I just felt like I could keep hitting the greens and giving myself putts, my putting would take over and I’d make a couple [birdies] coming in, and fortunately that’s what I did. Yeah, it worked out nicely.”

The 27-year-old from Sheffield, who shared fifth last month at the PGA Championship for his best prior major result, sank a stunning 48-foot birdie putt at the 13th hole to grab a share of the lead.

At the 15th, Fitzpatrick blasted out of the right rough to just inside 19 feet and rolled in a tension-packed putt to reach 6-under and lead by two thanks to a Zalatoris bogey.

After birdies by top-ranked Masters champion Scheffler at 17 and Zalatoris on 16, Fitzpatrick clung to a one-stroke lead at the 18th tee.

The Englishman sent his tee shot into a left fairway bunker, but blasted a magnificent approach and two putted for par.

Zalatoris, now a three-time runner-up at the majors having fallen just short at the 2021 Masters and last month’s PGA Championship, was once again left to wonder what might have been had it not been for two early bogeys.

“I battled like crazy,” said Zalatoris, who fought his way back into the mix with three birdies over a sizzling four-hole stretch into the turn. “Obviously, you say that about every U.S. Open round you play, but considering where I drove it today, the fact I was even under par was obviously pretty nice.”

Scheffler, seeking his fifth win of the year, made a dream start with four birdies over the first six holes and held the lead for a brief spell but made two bogeys to start the back nine before grabbing the late birdie.

“Today was one of those days I was playing from behind and put myself in position to win the tournament,” said Scheffler. “There’s definitely a few things I could have done differently, but I’m not going to waste time thinking about it. I’m going to recover from this and move on and hopefully be better from here.”

Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama, the 2021 Masters champion, fired the best round of the week, a bogey-free 65, to finish fourth on three-under 277.

Four-time major winner Rory McIlroy (69) and two-time major champion Collin Morikawa (66) shared fifth on 278 while second-ranked Spaniard Rahm shared 12th on 281 after a closing 74.

Saudi-backed LIV Golf Series players faced US PGA Tour members for the first time this week after the US Golf Association decided not to ban rebels despite suspensions issed by the US PGA Tour.

LIV’s 15 players, only four of whom made the cut, were a combined 118-over par.

Two-time major winner Dustin Johnson led the way, firing a 72 to finish on 284.

England’s Richard Bland fired a 74 to finish on eight-over 288 with 2018 Masters winner Patrick Reed on 290 after a 74 and 2020 US Open winner Bryson DeChambeau on 293 after a 75.

Published in Dawn, June 21st, 2022