Tommy Fleetwood put it simply Sunday, how he became the first player in U.S. Open history to shoot two rounds of 63 or better: “Missed a six-footer on the first, missed a five-footer on the last, and then everything in between was really, really good.”
Apparently ignoring a bogey on the 16th hole, Fleetwood, of England, shot 73-69-70 his first three rounds at L.A. Country Club to begin Sunday at two over and 12 shots behind the leaders.
He birdied the second hole, eagled the sixth, birdied the eighth, ninth and 11th and eagled the 14th. That made him the seventh player over the last 30 years with two eagles in a U.S. Open round, and the fourth over that time in the fourth round, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Missing that short putt on 18 cost him a chance for the third 62 in the tournament. He finished tied for fifth overall, five shots behind the winner, Wyndham Clark. Fleetwood also tied the lowest U.S. Open final-round score, matching his feat at Shinnecock Hills in 2018 and Johnny Miller’s round at Oakmont in 1973.
Unlike at Shinnecock, Fleetwood said he never felt in contention Sunday.
“I was enjoying it and trusting my game,” he said. “I never thought too far ahead.”
Dustin Johnson stalls
Dustin Johnson, who finished tied for 10th, seven shots behind Clark, likely won’t want to see the North Course’s par-four second hole again soon. The former world No. 1 scored a cumulative six over on it, including a second-round quadruple bogey and bogeys Saturday and Sunday.
The 497-yard hole played the fourth hardest for the week, averaging 4.3 strokes per golfer; on Sunday, it was the second toughest, averaging 4.42, according to Elias.
Johnson’s second-hole problems matched the highest per-hole score by any player at the event: Eric Cole was six over on No. 5, Hideki Matsuyama six over on No. 11 and Cameron Young six over on No. 13. Johnson was six over on a hole at one other major: No. 10 at the 2009 Open Championship at Turnberry.
For his part, he didn’t blame just the second hole for his troubles this year.
“I hit a lot of great shots, gave myself lots of opportunities for birdie,” he said. “Just didn’t hole enough putts.”
Locals fall short
Collin Morikawa didn’t have the U.S. Open result he wanted, but the Los Angeles native certainly enjoyed playing in one in his hometown.
“Oh, it was amazing,” said Morikawa, who finished tied with Patrick Cantlay, formerly of Long Beach, for 14th, both eight shots behind Clark.
Morikawa said LACC’s North Course “played how I thought it was going to play,” although for a U.S. Open, “maybe the easy holes are a little too easy out here, and that’s weird to say, but maybe [the] fairways need to be brought in a little bit.”
For him, having the U.S. Open in Los Angeles was more than just about golf.
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Wyndham Clark holds the U.S. Open championship trophy after winning at the Los Angeles Country Club on June 18. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Wyndham Clark celebrates immediately after winning the U.S. Open at the Los Angeles Country Club on June 18. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Rory McIlroy hits from the 10th tee during the final round of the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club on June 18. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Rory McIlroy gets a ruling from a golf official after lodging a ball into the side of a greenside bunker on the 14th hole during the final round of the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club on June 18. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Rory McIlroy looks at his golf ball on the 12th hole during the final round of the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club on June 18. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Rickie Fowler hits from the 13th-hole fairway during the final round of the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club on June 18. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Wyndham Clark chips out of the rough and on to the sixth green during the final round of the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club on June 18. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Rickie Fowler looks at his golf ball while on the 12th hole during the final round of the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club on June 18. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Rickie Fowler reacts after hitting seventh-hole tee shot during the final round of the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club on June 18. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Rory McIlroy hits out of the rough on the 14th hole during the final round of the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club on June 18. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Wyndham Clark hits from the second tee during the final round of the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club on June 18. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Wyndham Clark celebrates with his caddie after winning the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club on June 18. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Wyndham Clark, right, celebrates with his caddie after winning the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club on June 18. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Wyndham Clark covers his face with his hat immediately after winning the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club on June 18. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Fans cheer after Xander Schauffele sinks a 35-foot put on the second hole during the third round of the U.S. Open on June 17. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Rickie Fowler hits from the 10th hole tee during the third round of the U.S. Open on June 17. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Wyndham Clark reacts while putting on the 10th hole during the third round of the U.S. Open on June 17. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Rory McIlroy hits from the third tee during the third round of the U.S. Open on June 17. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Wyndham Clark hits from the eighth tee during the third round of the U.S. Open on June 17. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Harris English watches his shot from the 15th tee during the third round of the U.S. Open on June 17. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Jason Day chips out of a greenside bunker on the 14th hole during the second round of the U.S. Open on June 16. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Rickie Fowler hits from the eighth tee during the third round of the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club on June 17. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Rickie Fowler hits from the 11th tee during the second round of the U.S. Open on June 16. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Wyndham Clark hits from the seventh tee during the second round of the U.S. Open at the Los Angeles Country Club on June 16. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Austin Eckroat, left, and Wyndham Clark walk though the rough on the fourth hole during the second round of the U.S. Open at the Los Angeles Country Club on June 16. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Jon Rahm hits out of the rough on the 15th hole during the second round of the U.S. Open on June 16. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Wyndham Clark chips onto the second green during the second round of the U.S. Open at the Los Angeles Country Club on June 16. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Joaquin Niemann hits out of the rough near the sixth green during the second round of the U.S. Open at the Los Angeles Country Club on June 16. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Rickie Fowler walks to the 18th green during the second round of the U.S. Open on June 16. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Alex Noren hits out of a greenside bunker on sixth hole during the second round of the U.S. Open at the Los Angeles Country Club on June 16. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Tony Finau hits out of a greenside bunker on the 16th hole during the first round of the U.S. Open at the Los Angeles Country Club on June 15. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Rickie Fowler consults with his caddie before hitting out of the sandy rough on the ninth hole during the first round of the U.S. Open on June 15. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Rory McIlroy hits from the 16th tee during the first round of the U.S. Open on Thursday. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Despite the gloomy weather, spectators walk along the North Course at the Los Angeles Country Club during the first round of the U.S. Open on June 15. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Jason Day hits out of a greenside bunker on the eighth hole during the first round of the U.S. Open at the Los Angeles Country Club on June 15. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Rickie Fowler walks on a bridge to the ninth green during the first round of the U.S. Open at the Los Angeles Country Club on June 15. Fowler shared the lead with Xander Schauffele after the first round following a stellar eight-under-par 62. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Rickie Fowler hits out of the rough on the ninth hole during the first round of the U.S. Open on June 15. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Golfers Gary Woodland, Corey Connors and Adam Scott check the slope of the green and their putting lines on the 14th hole during the first round of the U.S. Open on June 15. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Rickie Fowler, third from left, walks with Jason Day to the seventh green during the first round of the U.S. Open on June 15. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Brooks Koepka, left, and Rory McIlroy walk up to the ninth green during the first round of the U.S. Open. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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An excited golf fan tries to get an autograph from Xander Schauffele as he walks to the 17th tee box during a practice round at the Los Angeles Country Club on June 14. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Golfers line up their putts on the 11th hole during the first round of the U.S. Open on June 15. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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June gloom shrouds the downtown L.A. skyline as the first round of the U.S. Open gets underway at the Los Angeles Country Club on June 15. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Rory McIlroy hits from the 16th tee during the first round of the U.S. Open on Thursday. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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With the downtown L.A. skyline in the background, Rory McIlroy walks along the 14th fairway during the first round of the U.S. Open on June 15. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Spectators walk the course near a grandstand during the first round of the U.S. Open at the Los Angeles Country Club on June 15. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Golf fans watch Rory McIlroy putt on the second hole during a practice round for the U.S. Open at the Los Angeles Country Club on June 14. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Golf fans cross a bridge over Wilshire Boulevard to exit the course after attending a practice round for the U.S. Open at the Los Angeles Country Club on June 14. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
“Everything that surrounded this entire week for me was a lot,” he said after noting the redevelopment investment in the local Maggie Hathaway golf course, and the FORE Youth Project for which he is honorary chairman.
“It was exciting, very good, meaningful impact on the community,” Morikawa said, “so when I look back, hopefully we can look back at that and realize what we did for this kind of week.”
He and Cantlay weren’t the only PGA veterans from Southern California who didn’t have the U.S Open they wanted.
Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele, who both shot record-breaking first-round 62s, finished five and three under par — and tied for fifth and 10th overall — respectively.
At 12 shots behind, Sahith Theegala ended up tied for 27th. Phil Mickelson and Max Homa missed the cut, with first and second rounds of 69-74 and 68-76, respectively.
The four Stanford golf team members who qualified — Alex Yang of Newport Beach and Barclay Brown, Michael Thorbjornsen and Karl Vilips — also all missed the cut.
Four amateur golfers made the cut, with Gordon Sargent, 20, of Birmingham, Ala., posting the low score among them: four over for the event, tied for 39th overall, 14 shots behind Clark.
Sargent, the world’s top-ranked amateur, won the NCAA Division I men’s individual title as a freshman at Vanderbilt in May 2022, and received a special invitation to play in the Masters in April, the first amateur to get one since 2000.
He missed the cut in that event.
After posting 69 on Sunday, Sargent said it was “cool” beating the 18 other U.S. Open amateurs.
“It means a lot and gives me a lot of confidence, especially going into amateur golf,” Sargent said, his eye on the U.S. Amateur Championship in August.
Herbert Lowe is a Times visiting academic fellow and senior lecturer at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications.
