Robert MacIntyre thought he had done it and it would have been oh so apt if he had won in conditions more suited to an Oban shinty match than a US Open finale. Yet despite a brilliant and nerveless 68, the Scot then had to look on in agony as American J.J. Spaun beat him on the final green.
What an effort this was from the Scot and it says everything about his fighting qualities in the quagmire that it took a truly remarkable finish by the world No 25 to deny him the first Tartan-clad major in 26 years.
MacIntyre was in the clubhouse on one over and level with Spaun, who was on the 17th tee. With Oakmont saturated – Soakmont etc – from the afternoon thunderstorms that caused a 96-minute delay, this was no place to be defending par, never mind making definitive back-to-back birdies.
But Spaun, who started the year outside the top 100 in the rankings and was once described as a journeyman, drove the green at the par-four 17th before two putting to take a one-shot lead.
Then on the last, faced with a two-putt from 65 feet for the trophy, he went and holed it. Cue pandemonium.
