Zalatoris Finishes as Runner-Up at 122nd U.S. Open
6/19/2022 7:20:00 PM | Men's Golf
This marks the third major in his career including the 2022 PGA Championship and the 2021 Masters that Will Zalatoris has been the runner up.
BROOKLINE, Mass. – For the second consecutive major championship, former Wake Forest men's golfer Will Zalatoris has finished as the runner-up, finishing one stroke back of a potential playoff at the 122nd U.S. Open at the Country Club in Brookline, Mass.
This marks the third major in his career including the 2022 PGA Championship and the 2021 Masters that Zalatoris has been the runner up.
Additionally, he has placed sixth or better in each of the three majors this season. The Texas native was in contention for the Masters, tying for sixth in Augusta. He followed that up in May by nearly claiming his first major title of his career. He was tied for the lead after 72 holes at the PGA Championship and lost in an epic playoff to Justin Thomas by just one stroke.
Overall, Zalatoris has been inside of the top 10 at six of his last nine major starts in his young career.
Zalatoris went into the final round tied for the lead with eventual champion Matthew Fitzpatrick, brother of Wake Forest All-American and recent graduate Alex Fitzpatrick. After two early bogies, Zalatoris sat four strokes back of the lead as he entered the par-three sixth hole.
There his birdie run on Sunday began. A great tee shot gave him a great look at his first birdie and he carried that to the next hole with his second straight birdie coming on the par-four seventh.
Before the turn, he would birdie one more time with a 20-foot putt on the ninth to move within one stroke of the lead.
Zalatoris took the lead two holes later at the par-three 11th as a birdie and bogeys from Fitzpatrick and Scottie Scheffler provided a two-shot swing. At that point, Zalatoris sat two strokes up at 6-under-par for his round.
He would hold the lead until 15th where he fell behind by two. Zalatoris pulled within one with a birdie on the par-three 16th and entered the 18th down by one stroke and tied for second at 5-under-par.
After a tee shot found the middle of the fairway, Zalatoris hit an approach shot within 15 feet of the hole. Fitzpatrick parred the hole and left a potential birdie putt by Zalatoris to send it to a playoff.
The putt missed just to the left by inches as the three-time Wake Forest All-American fell just short of becoming the fourth Demon Deacon to win the U.S. Open.
Webb Simpson took home the 2012 U.S. Open at Olympic Club in San Francisco, Calif.
Former Deacs have taken home four U.S. Open titles since Arnold Palmer became the first to win in 1960.
The last time the U.S. Open was contested at The Country Club, Curtis Strange captured the title in 1988. It was the first of back-to-back titles for Strange who also won the 1989 U.S. Open at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y.
Players Mentioned
