U.S. Open Recap: Spieth's Halfway to Grand Slam

The way the golf ball rolled all week at Chambers Bay Golf Course --- one way and then another, up a bank and then back down, on the green and then off – it surely was a fitting metaphor for the stirring finish to the 115th U.S. Open.

With more twists and turns than, well, the greens at Chambers Bay, the second major of the season went to Jordan Spieth in excruciating fashion Sunday as Dustin Johnson missed a 12-footer for eagle to win and then a four-footer for birdie to tie and force a Monday playoff.

Spieth has thus won the first two majors of the year and will look to make it three-fourths of the way to the first calendar-year Grand Slam next month at St. Andrews. For Johnson, it was his fourth close call in majors, this one the closest.

Spieth and Johnson were in a tie for the lead with Jason Day and Branden Grace at 4-under after 54 holes of a U.S. Open played on a links course, one criticized all week for the condition of the greens. Henrik Stenson said it was "like putting on broccoli." Rory McIlroy countered that the greens were "more like cauliflower" because they weren't green. Zing!

On Sunday, it was pretty clear from the outset that Day was not going to be able to keep pace, two days after collapsing on the course with vertigo. But the other three showed staying power. Johnson broke free with a two-stroke lead on the front nine, but gave it back with three bogeys in four holes bridging the turn. Spieth and Grace came to 16 tied for the lead at 4-under. One horrific swing ended the South African's chances as he pushed his drive on the par-3 16th out of bounds for a double bogey. Spieth birdied and, suddenly, with two holes to go, was at 6-under and led by three.

But Chambers Bay was not done, not by a long shot. Spieth found the fescue off the tee on the driveable par-4 17th and, incredibly, he too double-bogeyed. While all the drama was unfolding, Louis Oosthuizen came out of nowhere with a record back nine of 29, finishing at 4-under, tied Spieth. Johnson rallied to join them with a birdie at 17.

Spieth, in the penultimate group with Grace, hit two massive shots at the 601-yard, par-5 18th to leave himself a try for eagle. He birdied for a 1-under 69 on the day and 5-under for the tournament, eliminating Oosthuizen. Johnson, in the final group with Day, likewise was on in 2, with a 12-footer for eagle to win. At the least, everyone was thinking Spieth and Johnson would return on Monday for an 18-holes playoff. Instead, Johnson's eagle try sped four feet past and, with Chambers Bay taking one final victim, his birdie try also missed, stunningly handing the trophy to Spieth.

Spieth thus becomes the youngest U.S. Open champ since Bobby Jones in 1923, the youngest with two majors since Gene Sarazen in 1922. He's just the sixth to win the Masters and U.S. Open in the same year. Tiger Woods did in 2002, when he shot that fateful 81 on Saturday to end his Grand Slam bid.

Spieth is scheduled for just one more start before the Open Championship, in the John Deere Classic the week before heading to Scotland.

MONDAY TAKEAWAY

Dustin Johnson

If champions were determined solely by physical ability, Johnson would win every tournament he enters. But while he has shown new maturity this year following his time away from the PGA Tour and the birth of his first child, he still is unable to get it done in the most pressure-filled moments. The question now is whether the scar tissue from this crushing defeat will fully heal. Perhaps the most encouraging sign for Johnson and his owners is what he said in the immediate aftermath of defeat: "So I did get to hold my trophy at the end of the day, which is my son."

Louis Oosthuizen

The diminutive South African was seen on Thursday laughing on the 18th green with Tiger Woods and Rickie Fowler, laughing because they had all played so poorly, Oosty with a 77. But while Woods and Fowler missed the cut, he showed why he is one of the world's best links golfers. In closing 66-66-67, Oosthuizen set numerous U.S. Open scoring records while coming within an eyelash of the title. He was eight back with seven to play. It's hard to envision Oosthuizen being in prime shape for this week's Travelers Championship, but he's now on the short list of contenders for the Open Championship next month at the Old Course. And the PGA Championship is also to be contested on a links-style course, Whistling Straits.

Branden Grace

The South African -- who now uses the caddie that Oosthuizen did to win the 2010 Open Championship -- has always been a nice enough player, ranked 40th in the world entering last week and with six European Tour wins. But he never had so much as a sniff in a dozen prior majors. That he went to the 70th hole of the U.S. Open with a share of the lead is as admirable as it was heartbreaking in the way he lost it: with an OB drive. As of now, he's in the Travelers field, but we don't envision him contending. As for next month at St. Andrews, Grace may have just seen his best chance at becoming a major champion slide by.

Adam Scott

Scott does squat all year, hires (begs?) Stevie Williams to come back to caddie for him and ties for fourth with a 64 on Sunday, the round of the tournament. Williams will be on the bag for just the two remaining majors and the WGC-Bridgestone. Can Scott, the former No. 1, contend in those events? We just saw that he can. Can he contend without Williams? That we haven't seen.

Cameron Smith

The 21-year-old Australian, a month younger than Spieth, tied for fourth with Grace and Scott to earn special temporary membership on the PGA Tour, should he choose to accept it. And, out of sponsor's exemptions, all he did to secure that status was close with a kick-in eagle on the 601-yard 18th. He can enter the Travelers if he wants, and now continue to get sponsor exemptions. So if you're in need of a golfer, keep a close on what Smith decides to do.

Rory McIlroy

Another major, another backdoor top-10 for the world No. 1. Just as he did in the Masters, McIlroy never really contended but closed strong, this time shooting 66 on Sunday to tie for ninth. He won't lose his standing in the OWGR, but in the court of public opinion, Spieth is No. 1. We'll see whether McIlory can respond at St. Andrews. In his last seven stateside events, he has two wins and no finish worth than 11th, but it still seems that something is off with his game this year.

Jason Day

Day has had so many close calls in majors. And he had another at Chambers Bay. But the question now isn't when will Day win a major, but when will he compete again. The Aussie has pulled out of this week's Travelers because of his vertigo. If he could play the weekend after being stricken on Friday, the guess is he won't be out too long, certainly returning for the Open Championship. But how effective will he be?

Phil Mickelson

Every time Mickelson says he's feeling good about his game, bad things happen. Yes, he opened with a 69, but followed that up with a 74, a soul-crushing 77 and a 73 to limp home in 64th place. Mickelson has contended this year always has run into one round or string of holes that does him in. He doesn't seem to be able to play 72 anymore, and it's tough to win any tournament that way.

Rickie Fowler

Fowler has played four good holes all year. Sure, they were a heckuva four holes -- closing The Players Championship with an aggregate 11 and then winning the playoff. But outside of those two hours of outstanding golf, he's done little this season. Fowler missed the cut at Chambers Bay by nine strokes.

Tiger Woods

What is there left to say? Woods missed the cut by 11 and looks totally lost. If he's on your team, of course you have to start him every time he tees it up. So it's come to this: It's better for your team when he doesn't play.

Sand saves: To illustrate how fine a line professional golf can be, Andres Romero had done nothing all year. But he chipped in for eagle on the final hole of sectional qualifying just to get into the Open, then tied for 14th at Chambers Bay. ... Jason Dufner tied for 18th, and now has strung together three of his best outings of the season. Don't be surprised if he contends, or more, a time or two down the stretch. ... Colin Montgomerie never won a regular tour major, but he's been outstanding on the Champions Tour. And he was pretty good this past week, until a final-round 76 dropped him to a tie for 64th place. He's not a fantasy option, unless you play Champions golf, but it was a nice story. ... Impressive rookie Ben Martin began the weekend a shot off the lead, then ballooned to an 86. If you're scoring at home, that's four bogeys, three doubles, a triple and a quad. He rebounded nicely with a par-70 on Sunday, so don't anticipate any hangover from that third round.