UNIVERSITY PLACE, Wash. — Cue the Grand Slam chatter, break out the record books and let the Tiger Woods comparisons commence.
Jordan Spieth — already with a Masters green jacket in his closet — will go to the British Open at St. Andrews next month seeking his third consecutive major championship victory of 2015.
After a week’s worth focus at this U.S. Open centered on controversial 8-year-old public golf course, Chambers Bay, its bumpy greens and the way the USGA been set it up, finally the focus is where it should be: On the winner.
Spieth.
The 21-year-old Texan, whose mature, humble demeanor equals his extraordinary talent and poise under pressure, became the first player since Woods in 2002 to win the Masters and U.S. Open in the same year.
With the victory, Spieth became the youngest player to win two career majors since Gene Sarazen in 1922. He became the youngest player to win a U.S. Open since Bobby Jones in 1923. And he became only the sixth player in history to win the Masters and U.S. Open in the same year.
In a dizzying final hour, there were three pressure-point moments of truth that shaped the tournament.
The final, decisive, moment came with Dustin Johnson three-putting from 12 feet on the 72nd hole to hand the trophy to Spieth, who one hole earlier appeared to have thrown the tournament away with a three-putt double bogey on 17 that brought Johnson, among others, back into the mix.
Johnson — who is making a dubious career out of leaking away major championships in final rounds — stood over a 12-foot eagle putt on 18 to finally capture his first career major. He slid the eagle try 4 feet past and then stared down the comebacker that would at least have forced an 18-hole Monday playoff with Spieth.
He missed.
“I’m in shock,’’ Spieth said as Johnson, looking utterly dazed, walked off the 18th green carrying his new-born child in an effort to soothe the pain. “Wow. That’s … I watched with Micheal [Greller, his caddie] … and I just wanted a fighting chance [in a Monday playoff]. I feel bad for Dustin. I had that feeling on 17.’’
The par-3 17th hole is where Spieth showed a rare crack in his bullet-proof poise. Carrying a three-shot lead with two holes to play, he missed the green, chipped onto the green and three-putted for double, the miss for bogey about the same distance Johnson would miss from on 18.
Moments earlier, Louis Oosthuizen — the hottest player in the tournament the last three days, rallying from being 9-over par through his first 20 holes — birdied 18 to get to 4-under par. That completed a remarkable round of 67 that included a 29 on the back nine with birdies on six of his last seven holes.
That left Spieth tied with Oosthuizen at 4-under and needing a birdie on the par-5 18th to win.
Two days earlier, with No. 18 being played as a par-4 in the second round, Spieth called it “the dumbest hole I’ve ever played,’’ adding, “I think 18 as a par-4 doesn’t make much sense.’’
The USGA, which had planned to play 18 as a par-4 in the final round, surprised many and set it up as a par-5 Sunday, insisting that the decision had nothing to do with Spieth’s gripes and everything to do with the direction of the wind.
Spieth hit his drive into the fairway and then piped his approach shot to within 15 feet of the flag for an eagle putt.
One hole behind Spieth, was Johnson birdieing the 17th to tie for the lead at 4-under. Johnson, who began the day tied for the led with Spieth, Jason Day and Branden Grace, then hammered his tee shot to the middle of the fairway and watched as Spieth two-putted for birdie to get to 5-under.
That left Johnson, who an hour earlier had been left for dead, struggling mightily with his putter, needing birdie to force the 18-hole Monday playoff.
Earlier, it appeared the fate of the tournament had turned on No. 16, a short, drivable par-4 that runs along the Puget Sound.
Spieth and Grace were tied for the lead at 5-under with three holes to play, Grace blew his tee shot so far right of the fairway it bounced along a road and under a fence. It was a cruel moment for the 27-year-old South African who was seeking his first major championship victory.
With Grace in trouble, about to double bogey 16, Spieth buried a 27-foot curling birdie putt on the 16th green, turned to his right calmly and screamed at the top of his lungs.
He felt the tournament was his. But, as it would turn out, not so fast.
The birdie brought Spieth to 6-under for the championship with a three-shot lead over Grace, Johnson, Oosthuizen and Adam Scott.
But in that stunning few moments, Spieth lost his composure and double bogeyed the 17th hole, Oosthuizen birdied 18 and Johnson was suddenly back in contention.
So of course it would come to the 18th, a controversial sidebar to what had been a controversial golf course all week.
Now Spieth will go to Scotland to try to write some more history in the books.
“To go the ‘home of golf’ is our sole focus,’’ Spieth said when asked about the prospect of a Grand Slam.
“You can’t win them all unless you win the first two. We’re going to St. Andrews looking to get that Claret Jug and I believe we’ll be able to get it done.’’