Jordan Spieth has stamped his name indelibly into the history books, capturing the 2015 US Open at Chambers Bay in Washington.
On a course that was widely criticised by players and fans on Social Media for its overly-difficult layout, small target areas and ultra-slick and patchy-looking greens, Spieth outlasted a quality field in a final round that saw numerous lead changes.
Dustin Johnson, Louis Oosthuizen, Branden Grace and Australia’s Jason Day all had realistic chances to take the title during the final round. Grace, who had been playing steady all day, sliced a ball out-of-bounds on the 16th, leading to a double-bogey 6. Day, who battled benign positional vertigo throughout the week, started his round solidly, but five bogeys and one double-bogey (13th) effectively dropped him out of contention. Only Oosthuizen finished strongly, rattling off six birdies on the back-nine to finish at -4.
Johnson had his chance to steal the victory from Spieth on the 72nd hole, with a 12-foot eagle attempt the only thing standing between him and the win. His putt, however, slid by the hole, leaving a knee-knocking come-backer for birdie to force an 18-hole playoff. Like so many players throughout the week, however, Johnson missed his second putt, sealing his fate with a disappointing three-putt par.
Spieth had many struggles of his own, including a double-bogey 5 on the 17th. But a solid birdie on the 18th was enough for the 21-year-old to raise the trophy, becoming the youngest man to win the US Open since Bobby Jones in 1923. He is also the sixth man to win both the Masters and US Open in one year (joining Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Ben Hogan and Craig Wood). In addition, he keeps alive the possibility of the “Grand Slam” in 2015 (winning all four majors in a year).
Of the Aussies, Adam Scott and young gun Cameron Smith were highest placed, finishing T4. Scott’s six-under-par 64 was the round of the day, while Smith’s amazing tap-in eagle on the 72nd hole highlighted a solid round of 68. They were followed by Day (T9), John Senden (T14), Geoff Ogilvy (T18) and Marcus Fraser (T64). Marc Leishman and Kurt Barnes both missed the cut.
FINAL STANDINGS – TOP 5
| POS | PLAYER | TO PAR | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | TOT |
| 1 | Jordan Spieth | -5 | 68 | 67 | 71 | 69 | 275 |
| T2 | Louis Oosthuizen | -4 | 77 | 66 | 66 | 67 | 276 |
| T2 | Dustin Johnson | -4 | 65 | 71 | 70 | 70 | 276 |
| T4 | Adam Scott | -3 | 70 | 71 | 72 | 64 | 277 |
| T4 | Cameron Smith | -3 | 70 | 70 | 69 | 68 | 277 |
| T4 | Branden Grace | -3 | 69 | 67 | 70 | 71 | 277 |
| AUSTRALIANS | |||||||
| T9 | Jason Day | E | 68 | 70 | 68 | 74 | 280 |
| T14 | John Senden | +2 | 72 | 72 | 70 | 68 | 282 |
| T18 | Geoff Ogilvy | +3 | 69 | 72 | 75 | 67 | 283 |
| T64 | Marcus Fraser | +13 | 71 | 71 | 77 | 74 | 293 |
| – | Marc Leishman | +10 | 73 | 77 | – | – | 150 |
| – | Kurt Barnes | +13 | 72 | 81 | – | – | 153 |
A four-time winner of the Australian Golf Media Awards, including Best Photojournalism, Best Opinion, Best Column and Best Photographic Presentation, Inside Golf Group Editor Richard Fellner is the quintessential Golf Tragic, having played the game for over 50 years (but has never gotten any better!) He has played and reviewed courses all over the world, and has interviewed many of the great players of the game (including Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson and Greg Norman). Richard is a member of both the Australian Golf Media Association and the Golf Society of Australia, and has been a featured guest on many Australian "sports talk" radio shows and networks, including ABC Grandstand, SEN 1116, Melbourne Talk Radio 1377, 2GB and others.
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