Rickie Fowler was unable to end his wait for a major championship but he showed his class with a touching message to Wyndham Clark as he won the US Open at Los Angeles Country Club on Sunday.
Clark and Fowler started the final round in the final group, locked at 10-under-par, but while 29-year-old Clark dug deep despite his lack of experience on the big stage, Fowler faltered.
Clark carded a level-par round of 70, overcoming a late wobble to edge out Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy by one shot. Fowler started poorly and could only muster a five-over round of 75 in his bid for a first win since the 2019 Waste Management Open.
Clark showed great courage throughout a gripping final day in challenging conditions, scrambling superbly to limit the damage from any mistakes as he held off world No.3 McIlroy, who fell victim to a stone-cold putter as he turned in a level-par card.
Emotional scenes followed as Denver native Clark two-putted the 18th to clinch victory, his second as a professional after winning the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow last month to kick off a breakout season.
Clark's mother, Lise, died of breast cancer aged 54 in 2013, and 34-year-old Fowler put his disappointment aside and shared a heartfelt message on the final green.
"Your mom, if she'd been here, she'd have been very proud, " Fowler was heard telling Clark as they embraced at the end of a grueling day.
Family members also made their way onto the green to share in a life-changing moment, winning $3.6million (£2.8m) and doing his hopes of making Zach Johnson's Ryder Cup team the world of good.
After allowing his moment of glory to soak in, triumphantly raising his hat and his putter to the crowd that circled the final green, Clark put into words just how much the moment meant.
"I have dreamed of this moment for so long and there are so many times I have visualised being here in front of you guys and winning this championship," he said.
Clark's victory was made all the more impressive by the way he handled adversity in his final round. After allowing lots of low scores earlier in the week, LACC had dried out to become a true US Open-worthy test by Sunday afternoon.
Down the stretch, miscues off the tee left him short-sided but his craft around the greens was sensational. With three shots in hand with four to play after an error from McIlroy, he carded back-to-back bogeys to throw the championship back into doubt.
But he held his nerve on the difficult 17th before finding the fairway on 18 to par out and seal his moment of glory.
