Matt Fitzpatrick, who played golf at Northwestern, wins the U.S. Open for his 1st major championship

BROOKLINE, Mass. — Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick won the U.S. Open, winning his first professional major on the same course where he took the U.S. Amateur title nine years earlier.

Fitzpatrick shot a 2-under 68 at The Country Club to finish the tournament at 6-under 274 and beat Will Zalatoris and Scottie Scheffler by one.

Leading by one shot, Fitzpatrick hooked his drive on No. 18 into a bunker to the left of the fairway. But he hit the middle of the green and two-putted from 18 feet for par. Zalatoris had a 14-foot birdie putt to tie but missed it by a fraction.

This marked the second straight runner-up finish at a major for Zalatoris, who lost to Justin Thomas in a playoff last month at the PGA Championship. It was Zalatoris’ sixth top-10 finish in seven majors since he made his major debut at Winged Foot in the 2020 U.S. Open.

Fitzpatrick hit 17 greens in regulation. He becomes the first Englishman to win the U.S. Open since Justin Rose at Merion in 2013, the same year Fitzpatrick won the U.S. Amateur at The Country Club.

He also joins Jack Nicklaus as the only player to win the U.S. Open and Amateur on the same course. Nicklaus won at Pebble Beach in 1961 and 1972.

Fitzpatrick, 27, enrolled at Northwestern in September 2013 and played the fall season for the Wildcats. He left school after one quarter to focus on his golf career and turned pro after the 2014 U.S. Open.