JJ Spaun overcome a calamitous start to his final round to finish strong and become the 125th US Open champion on a wet and wild day at Oakmont County Club.
Spaun bogeyed four of his first five holes - having began the day just a shot back of third-round leader Sam Burns - but came good in the end and seized the lead late on with a phenomenal birdie on the short par-four 17th when he cracked a drive to 17 feet and two putted to move past Robert McIntyre.
Scot McIntyre had had a wobbly start of his own but eventually signed for a wonderful round of 68 and took the clubhouse lead on one-over-par overall - a mark that looked likely to at least seal a place in a potential playoff.
But Spaun wasn't having it. After the fireworks on 17, he played the 18th perfectly and holed a massive putt from 65 feet to claim his first major championship title with a closing 72.
US Open final round - as it happened
"Just to finish it off like that is just a dream," said Spaun, who closed with a two-over-par 72 that left him at one under for the week.
"To have my own moment like that at this championship, I'll never forget this moment for the rest of my life."
When the clinching putt dropped, Spaun tossed his putter, delivered a fist pump, hugged his caddie and then walked off the green with his two young daughters in tow on Father's Day to celebrate a career-defining win.
"It was so cool to just have my whole family there on Father's Day," said Spaun. "It's just incredible. I have no words to describe the moment and them being able to see me as the winner."
Spaun reached the driveable par-four 17th hole level with Scotland's MacIntyre, who was already in the clubhouse after a two-under 68, and delivered the shot of his life - a 309-yard strike that settled 17 feet from the cup.
The 34-year-old American sent his eagle putt past the hole but made the comebacker and then went on to secure the win in style at the 18th, where he said he did not look at the scoreboard so as not to alter his plan.
"I knew based off of, like, what the crowd was saying that I felt like if I two-putted I would probably win, but I didn't want to look," said Spaun. "I didn't want to do anything dumb trying to protect a three-putt or something."
Overnight leader Burns and his playing partner Adam Scott both fell away in their final holes as did Tyrrell Hatton who briefly shared a five-way tie for the lead at one point.
The final day was marked by a near two-hour weather delay that threatened to send the tournament to a Monday finish but eventually we got over the finish line.
Scottie Scheffler shot an even-par 70 to end his week on four-over-par.
Rory McIlroy eventually back-doored a top-20 finish with his best round of the week, a tidy 67 which proved the joint-best round of the day.
He has accepted that it is time to regain his focus and knows next month's Open on home soil is the place to do it.
"Look, I climbed my Everest in April, and I think after you do something like that, you've got to make your way back down, and you’ve got to look for another mountain to climb," McIlroy told RTÉ Sport's Greg Allen after concluding his fourth round.
