Tommy Fleetwood started his Sunday at the 118th U.S. Open as another face in the crowd, another player six shots behind the four leaders.
“I never felt I was out of it,” said Europe’s No. 1 player. “I just needed a good start.”
Fleetwood got that good start. After four birdies and a momentum-stalling bogey at the ninth, he faced an uphill battle on the difficult back nine.
He steadied himself with a couple of routine pars then came the run of his life.
Fleetwood holed a birdie putt from 17 feet at 12, then stuffed his second to three feet for birdie at 13. At 14 he drained one from 21 feet then a bomb from 30 feet at the difficult 15th.
Suddenly, Fleetwood found himself seven-under, in contention with history calling.
He missed a golden opportunity from 12 feet at 16 then made par with two putts from 20 feet at 17.
A perfect drive at the 18th left him 196 yards out and he ripped a perfect six-iron that would settle just eight feet from the cup.
He was staring at history — staring at an incredible chance for 62, a chance to wipe Johnny Miller from the record books.
“I knew what it was for,” Fleetwood said without hesitation.”
It looked good coming off his putter face, then it started to slide, it lost its pace and faded just off the right lip as it reached the hole.
“I actually started it on the line I wanted,” Fleetwood said. “I hit so many good putts, the last putt, I needed to hit it with more pace.”
He shot 63 to put his name with Miller as the only two players to shoot 63 in the final round of a U.S. Open.
“But I wanted 62,” Fleetwood said quickly.
As it turned out, the miss was huge. Fleetwood finished two-over for the championship and Brooks Koepka’s closing bogey gave him the win at one-over.
It will be the round Fleetwood remembers for a long time, but he may remember that final miss forever.
