LA JOLLA, Calif. — For about an hour, the U.S. Open had one of the greatest leaderboards in recent golf history, with almost all of the game's biggest names within two shots of the lead. But then Torrey Pines whittled away the competitors, and down the stretch, only Jon Rahm and Louis Oosthuizen remained standing.
One was the pre-tournament favorite. The other was a perpetual bridesmaid, winner of one major but a second-place finisher in five more. In the end, Oosthuizen was a runner-up yet again, with Rahm capturing the first of what could be many majors.