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Aftering failing to make the cut on his last two tournaments, Webb Simpson
beat out major champions Jim Furyk and Graeme McDowell at The
Olympic Club in San Francisco on Sunday to win the 2012 U.S. Open.
''I never really wrapped
my mind around winning,'' said Simpson, who shot a 2-under 68 for a
tournament winning 1-over 281. ''This place is so demanding, and so all I
was really concerned about was keeping the ball in front of me and
making pars.''
Simpson turned pro less than four years ago and
was taking part in only his fifth major championship after an
unremarkable 2012 so far, where he missed the cut on consecutive events.
That all changed after his second straight 68
in San Francisco, and a nervous wait as he watched first Furyk and then
McDowell blow chances on the final hole to force a Monday playoff.
Furyk
in particular was despondent after leading the field for the majority
of Sunday. But after hooking his tee shot on the 15th, the veteran then
bogeyed two of his last three holes to fall back to tie for third.
"I
don't know how to put that one into words," said a bereft Furyk. "But I
had my opportunities and my chances and it was right there. It was my
tournament to win."
Instead, the major went to the 25-year-old
from Raleigh, North Carolina, who spent the climax of the tournament
nervously watching on a TV screen with his wife Dowd.
"I've never felt nerves like I felt today," said Simpson, who was runner-up to the US money list title last year. "I had to hit my legs because I couldn't feel them."
"But it was a coold day. I knew it was a tough
golf course. I probably prayed more the last three holes than I ever
did in my life.''
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