Golf
Bob Harig, ESPN Senior Writer 6y

Tommy Fleetwood sixth ever to shoot 63 at U.S. Open, finishes 2nd

Golf, PGA Tour

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. -- It would be difficult to be displeased with tying the U.S. Open single-round scoring record with a final-round charge to pull into contention.

Tommy Fleetwood left Shinnecock Hills on Sunday with a bittersweet feeling, having become just the sixth player to shoot 63 in a U.S. Open but coming up one shot short of forcing a playoff with eventual winner Brooks Koepka.

"Obviously that's the putt that will play on your mind because that was the last shot you hit, and that was your chance,'' Fleetwood said of the 8-foot birdie putt he missed on the 18th green. "But I missed some putts in the week. I made some putts. I think everybody did. And your score is your score.

"And for me, just getting that close to winning a major again, I think that is the ultimate thing I'll take from it. I'm not going to dwell too much on it.''

Fleetwood got to 7 under par for his round through 15 holes and had legitimate birdie chances at the 16th and 18th holes, with either one potentially giving him a U.S. Open-record 62. Only Branden Grace, at least year's Open at Royal Birkdale, has shot a 62 in a major championship, doing so in the third round.

Those misses also denied Fleetwood the opportunity to force an aggregate playoff with Koepka, who began the day in a four-way tie for the lead and shot 68 to win by one.

Fleetwood began the round six shots out of the lead. The Englishman joined Johnny Miller (1963), Jack Nicklaus (1980), Tom Weiskopf (1980), Vijay Singh (2003) and Justin Thomas (2017) as the only players to shoot a 63 in the 118 U.S. Opens.

Fleetwood joined Miller as the only players to shoot 63 in the final round of the U.S. Open. Only Miller and Nicklaus went on to win the tournament.

"I've really enjoyed the challenge,'' he said after making eight birdies and a bogey during the final round. "I loved playing here. I love preparing for it. After playing Chambers Bay (2015) and Erin Hills (2017), everybody told me I haven't played a traditional U.S. Open course yet, so I'm glad I've done that now.''

Fleetwood, 27, is a four-time winner on the European Tour. He won earlier this year at the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship. He made eight birdies and a bogey the day after the course was so severe that just three players broke par. His 72-hole total of 282, 2 over par, had him as the leader in the clubhouse as play continued. A birdie on the 15th hole pulled him within one, but he never tied for the overall lead.

Fleetwood finished fourth at last year's U.S. Open and played with Koepka in the final round.

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