By Tony Webeck

Englishman Matthew Fitzpatrick drew comparisons with an Australian great as Adam Scott and Marc Leishman were our best finishers at the 2022 US Open at The Country Club, Brookline.

Not since David Graham hit all 18 greens in regulation in winning the 1981 US Open at Merion had a player delivered a ball-striking performance conjured by Fitzpatrick in the most intense pressure imaginable in championship golf.

The US Amateur champion at Brookline in 2013, Fitzpatrick and playing partner Will Zalatoris parried and thrust throughout the final round before two iron shots from either side of the 15th and 18th fairways sealed his status as a major champion.

A 50-foot birdie putt at 13 earned Fitzpatrick a share of the lead at five-under and then a 5-iron from 225 yards from the trampled-down right rough at 15 set up the birdie that would ultimately prove the difference.

He had a one-stroke lead when he hit it into the same bunker left of the 18th fairway that defending champion Jon Rahm did 24 hours earlier on his way to a double-bogey. Yet Fitzpatrick didn’t flinch, hitting 9-iron to find his 17th green in regulation and two-putting for the par that would clinch his place in history.

Fitzpatrick’s closing 68 edged Zalatoris (69) and world No.1 Scottie Scheffler (67) by one shot as Aussie pair Adam Scott and Marc Leishman also went under par in their final rounds to earn a share of 14th at two-over par.

After a slight stumble with a bogey at three Leishman hit back with birdies at four, seven and eight to turn in two-under, a birdie from 11 feet at the par-3 11th and bogey at 12 producing a Sunday 68 and his best result in the US Open.

Scott put himself in the mix on Thursday with a one-under 69 but was left to rue two bogeys in his final three holes on Friday that left too much ground to make up over the final 36 holes.

“The last three holes on Friday probably really cost me a good run at this tournament over the weekend,” Scott admitted.

“It would have been nice to be under par on Friday night and been feeling like I’m really in contention, but I was on the periphery all week.

“I’ve felt good all week, but US Opens are hard because you can derail so quickly. I managed to keep it together today.”

Birdies at 14 and 16 in a final round of three-over 73 was a fine way for Min Woo Lee to finish in his US Open debut while Todd Sinnott produced his best round of the week – an even-par 70 – to end his first major championship at six-over and tied for 31st.

A week out from the third women’s major of the year, Minjee Lee tumbled down the leaderboard in the final round of the Meijer LPGA Classic.

Chasing a third consecutive strokeplay title, Lee started with bogeys at two of her first three holes to fall out of contention, ultimately signing for a two-over 74 and a share of 18th.

Her West Australian compatriot and fellow major winner Hannah Green supplanted Lee as the best-performed Aussie, making five birdies in her round of three-under 69 to earn a share of 12th.

In a strong week for the Aussie women around the world, Grace Kim continued her breakout season on the Epson Tour with a tie for fourth at the Ann Arbor’s Road to the LPGA and Whitney Hillier earned her second top-five finish of the year at the Ladies European Tour’s Aramco Team Series-London event.

US Open The Country Club, Brookline, Massachusetts Winner Matthew Fitzpatrick 68-70-68-68—274 $US3.15m T14 Marc Leishman 70-71-73-68—282 $241,302 T14 Adam Scott 69-73-72-68—282 $241,302 T27 Min Woo Lee 73-70-69-73—285 $127,002 T31 Todd Sinnott 71-71-74-70—286 $100,331 MC Cameron Smith 72-74—146 MC Lucas Herbert 74-79—153 MC Jed Morgan 82-74—156 LPGA Tour Meijer LPGA Classic Blythefield Country Club, Belmont, Michigan Winner Jennifer Kupcho 63-67-69-71—270 $US375,000 Won on the second hole of sudden death playoff 4 Lydia Ko 70-68-65-68—271 $128,045 T12 Hannah Green 70-68-68-69—275 $39,849 T18 Minjee Lee 68-69-66-74—277 $28,274 T32 Su Oh 73-67-67-72—279 $15,724 T64 Katherine Kirk 68-71-73-72—284 $5,622 MC Stephanie Kyriacou 71-72—143 MC Sarah Jane Smith 71-72—143 Korn Ferry Tour Wichita Open Crestview Country Club, Wichita, Kansas Winner Norman Xiong 66-61-64-63—254 $US135,000 T18 Harrison Endycott 68-64-67-67—266 $9,825 T29 Nick Voke 65-67-68-69—269 $5,250 T33 Aaron Baddeley 65-66-69-70—270 $4,613 T51 Rhein Gibson 68-68-69-70—275 $3,183 MC Harry Hillier 71-66—137 MC Brett Drewitt 71-67—138 MC Ryan Ruffels 71-74—145 Challenge Tour Kaskáda Golf Challenge Kaskáda Golf Resort, Brno, Czech Republic Winner Martin Simonsen 64-65-68-67—264 €41,600 T41 Dimitrios Papadatos 68-72-73-70—283 €1,508 T51 Deyen Lawson 72-67-69-77—285 €1,019.20 MC Jarryd Felton 73-69—142 WD Daniel Hillier 71 PGA TOUR Canada ATB Classic Edmonton Petroleum G&CC, Edmonton, Alberta Winner T27 Cameron John 69-65-70-70—274 MC Will Barnett 72-70—142 WD Danny List 30 EPSON Tour Ann Arbor’s Road to the LPGA Travis Pointe Country Club, Ann Arbor, Michigan Winner Kiira Riihijarvi 68-69-69—206 $US30,000 T4 Grace Kim 68-71-72—211 $11,019 T8 Gabriela Ruffels 74-71-68—213 $5,317 T20 Karis Davidson 72-74-70—216 $2,412 T53 Hira Naveed 71-75-75—221 $835 T58 Julienne Soo 72-74-76—222 $724 T64 Soo Jin Lee 70-77-76—223 $650 MC Robyn Choi 73-76—149 MC Amelia Garvey 75-76—151 Legends Tour Farmfoods European Legends Links Championship Trevose G&CC, Padstow, England Winner Paul Lawrie 64-71-70—205 T32 Richard Green 72-74-75—221 T41 Michael Long 72-75-77—224 T50 Peter Fowler 77-76-75—228 Ladies European Tour Aramco Team Series – London Centurion Club, London Winner Bronte Law 68-71-71—210 €71,587.50 5 Whitney Hillier 70-73-72—215 €17,181