By: Noah Thomas —
He finally did it.
After years of trying, Dustin Johnson has won his first major golf championship after a hard-fought weekend in the U.S. Open at Oakmont.
Johnson, who hung around the middle of the pack all weekend long, erased a 4-shot deficit on Sunday to come from behind and beat Shane Lowry and the rest of the field.
Finishing with a 5-under score, Johnson won despite controversy that questioned whether or not he would be penalized a stroke for causing his ball to move on the fifth hole.
It was assessed after the round, so his final score was officially tallied at 4-under.
It didn’t end up mattering, for Lowry’s 6-over final round bookended a collapse of epic proportions. He held a four-shot lead coming into Sunday, but could not hold on after the pressure set in.
If you read my first round wrap-up from Thursday, you would understand that I love the U.S. Open because of its difficulty. That’s what being an American means—having to earn it.
It ended up doing just that. Oakmont, one of the hardest courses to conquer in the country, maybe the entire world, would only allow four golfers to finish under par by the time Sunday was over.
Sergio Garcia had his best finish in a major so far this year. He finished at even par, tied for fifth overall.
Other notable names in the top 10 were Kevin Na, Zach Johnson, and Jason Dufner, who all finished t-8 or higher.
Some of the notable names to miss the cut included Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson. That ever-elusive U.S. Open still seems to be out of reach for Lefty.
Lucky Charms’ woes continue, along with his compatriot Jordan Spieth, who finished God knows where in the standings.
Turning our attention back to the winner of golf’s toughest test: Johnson has to feel better about himself now that he got that first one out of the way.
Happy Father’s Day, Justin.
You’re everybody’s daddy right now.