Take a moment to look at the width of your thumbnail. That’s the distance between salvation and damnation for Will Zalatoris.
Less than an inch. That’s all it would have taken for Zalatoris’ final putt to drop into the cup on the 18th green at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass. That’s all it would have taken to propel Zalatoris into a playoff at the U.S. Open, his second in the last two majors. That’s all he needed to hang on just a little bit longer in his agonizing pursuit of his first major.
Instead, Zalatoris’ ball skirted just past the left edge of the cup, close enough to peer down into its depths and decide, nah, not today.