Ram's Comeback Victory "Spain's First US Open Champion"... Oosthuizen 2nd Place

121st US Open Final Day 4-Under Par Daily Best "I Like Tor Pines", English 3rd Place

Yon Rahm is cheering after making a birdie on the 18th hole on the final day of the 121st US Open. San Diego, USA = Getty Images/Multibits

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] "The first US Open champion of Spanish nationality."

‘Number 3’ Jon Rahm secured a 1-stroke come-from-behind victory (6-under 278) on the final day of the 121st US Open, a PGA Tour major held at Torrey Pines Golf Course South Course (par 71, 7,652 yards) in San Diego, California, USA, on the 21st (Korean time), leading with a daily best 4-under par. This marks his first win of the 2021 season and his sixth career victory, coming 10 months after the BMW Championship last August, with a winner’s prize of $2.25 million (25.515 billion KRW).

Rahm started tied for 6th, 3 strokes behind, and recorded 5 birdies and 1 bogey. He opened the scoring early with consecutive birdies on holes 1 and 2, and recovered from a bogey on hole 4 (par 4) with a birdie on hole 9 (par 5). The highlight was his back-to-back birdies on holes 17 and 18, overcoming a 1-stroke deficit to Louis Oosthuizen (South Africa). Both challenging downhill putts of 7.6m and 5.5m went in consecutively. Oosthuizen, on the other hand, made a bogey due to a tee shot error on hole 16 (par 3) and settled for 2nd place (5-under 279).

Rahm hails from Barrika, Spain, and is a graduate of the prestigious Arizona State University in the United States. He gained attention by winning the Ben Hogan Award, given to the best amateur, consecutively in 2015 and 2016. Turning professional in 2016, he immediately won the Farmers Insurance Open in January 2017. He also won the CareerBuilder Challenge in January 2018, the Zurich Classic in April 2019, and notably the Memorial Tournament in July last year, which propelled him to world No. 1 for the first time in 31 years for a Spanish player since Seve Ballesteros in 1989.

It is surprising that Rahm has not won this year despite finishing in the ‘top 10’ ten times in 17 tournaments. On the 6th, while defending his title at the Memorial Tournament, he surged to an 8-under on the third day and led by 6 strokes but had to withdraw after testing positive for COVID-19, showing that luck was not on his side. Torrey Pines ultimately became his ‘promised land.’ He has a perfect fit with this course, having won the Farmers Insurance Open in 2017 and finished 2nd in 2020.

Most importantly for Rahm, this victory means he has ascended to major champion status. He exclaimed, "I feel comfortable here because both the course and weather are familiar," and called it an "unbelievable win." Oosthuizen consoled himself with a birdie on the final 18th hole (par 5). Harris English finished 3rd (3-under 281), and Brooks Koepka tied for 4th (2-under 282). Defending champion Bryson DeChambeau (both USA) struggled with a 6-over par and dropped to a tie for 26th (3-over 287). South Korea’s Im Sung-jae (23) tied for 35th (5-over 289), and Kim Si-woo (26, both CJ Logistics) tied for 40th (6-over 290).

Yon Rahm is cheering while holding the trophy immediately after winning the 121st US Open. San Diego, USA = Getty Images/Multibits

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