Spieth, who birdied the 18th hole, had to watch as Johnson attempted a 12-foot, 4-inch eagle putt that would have given him the win.
But Johnson missed that putt, hitting it 4 feet past the hole. An 18-hole playoff Monday seemed certain, but Johnson missed again from short range, giving Spieth a one-shot victory at 5-under par over Johnson and Louis Oosthuizen.
Spieth, who won the Masters in April, becomes the first player since Tiger Woods in 2002 to win the first two majors of the year and the youngest U.S. Open winner since Bobby Jones in 1923.
“I’m still in shock,” said Spieth, who said he was playing Sunday for his father and his caddie, Michael Greller, who lives in University Place. “I’ve never experienced a feeling like this. Just kind of total shock. … After D.J. hit his second shot in, I thought, ‘Shoot, I may have lost this tournament.’ And just utter shock at the finish.”
Johnson skipped the awards ceremony but talked later.
“I’m disappointed, but also I’m disappointed that I three-putted the last hole,” he said. “Other than that, I had a damn good week. I’m happy with the way I played. I’m happy with everything in my game right now.
“I had a chance to win again a major on a Sunday. I thought I handled myself very well. I hit the shots when I needed to. So I know what it takes to get it done, it’s real simple. I need to get in the hole faster.”
It took 120 years for the U.S. Open to come here, and they might still be talking about this Open 120 years from now as one of the most dramatic in history.
Keeping up with the amazing changes in momentum was dizzying.
