Carlos Alcaraz defeats Casper Ruud to win the US Open final
A last-minute substitution saw Carlos Alcaraz defeat one-time PGA Tour star and current PGA Tour member Casper Ruud in the US Open final.
Alcaraz found himself with an 18-foot putt on the fringe of the 18th green in the middle of the 18th hole, just one putt after he fell two strokes behind with six holes to play. He sank a putt from a range of 15 feet along the left side of the hole, then, at 6-under-par, he tapped in for a one-stroke victory.
“I felt confident going into the final,” said Alcaraz, who was playing his third USOpen. “It is one of my favorites, and when I was down two strokes, I started thinking, ‘Okay, what’s next?’ I’m more confident now.”
Alcaraz moved a shot back into contention on the par-5, 18th hole and holed an 8-footer for birdie. He was tied with Henrik Stenson at 4-under in the final group, but Alcaraz made his birdie putt on the par-3, eighth hole.
That was the only hole left to make up the deficit, and Ruud missed his putt for par on the par-4, ninth hole. But Alcaraz made a par.
Alcaraz and Ruud are the only men to lead the field in the final round of the US Open. The last man to do so was Fred Couples in 1992, with a final round 65.
The United States took home a fifth gold medal at the 2010 World Cup.
“We played really well, from start to finish,” said Paul Casey, who won the U.S. Open as a freshman in 1998. “The first three holes were maybe a little shaky but we played pretty solid the rest of the way and were able to rally back.”
The U.S., led by Casey and Keegan Bradley, posted victories in each
