Christiaan Bezuidenhout rounded out what is probably the toughest week in golf with a closing two-over-par 72 on Sunday to finish in a share of 12th in the US Open Championship at Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania.
He finished on a total of six-over-par, with only champion JJ Spaun of the United States getting under par for the week with his closing 65-foot putt for birdie taking him into red figures. Spaun won by two strokes from Scot Bob MacIntyre, who was one of only seven players who carded under-par rounds in the rain-affected closing round.
Bezuidenhout shared 12th with countryman Thriston Lawrence, the only other of the four South Africans to make the cut. Lawrence closed with a five-over-par 75 in a spirited campaign which opened with his fine three-under 67 in the first round.
Bezuidenhout made a bogey on the fourth and a double-bogey on the eighth on the front nine, which sandwiched his birdie on the sixth. He kept things tidy on his way home, recording pars on all the holes of the back nine.
Lawrence had a tough start with a bogey on one, and a double on two. He dropped another on the eighth, and made three more on the 11th, 15th and 18th. He birdied the 12th and 14th.
“As bad as things were going, I just still tried to just commit to every shot,” said Spaun of his victory. “I tried to continue to dig deep. I’ve been doing it my whole life.
“I think that’s been the biggest difference this year – being able to do that. Fortunately, I dug very deep on the back nine, and things went my way, and here we are with the trophy.”
Every Sunday at a US Open brings an enormous amount of pressure, whether it’s physical or mental. Add Oakmont, one of the most challenging venues in all of golf, to the equation and that factor only intensifies.
Additionally, Mother Nature decided to add a wrinkle to the festivities. As if the venerable western Pennsylvania layout hosting its record 10th US Open hadn’t received enough precipitation already – 13 inches over the last month – a late-afternoon storm dumped even more water on the course, causing a 96-minute weather delay and forcing the competitors to make additional adjustments.
