Jun 19 (washingtonpost.com) - On the last day of the U.S. Open, Hideki Matsuyama was better than everyone else. Better than Brian Harman, Rickie Fowler, Justin Thomas and the rest of the congested leaderboard.
Matsuyama shot a 6-under 66 on Sunday to pull within one of the lead, but Brooks Koepka birdied three straight holes to pull away to his first major championship. The 25-year-old Japanese star had two of the best rounds of the tournament --- he shot 65 on Friday --- but a 2-over 74 in his opening round loomed large as the scores got lower and lower at a forgiving Erin Hills.
Matsuyama's 66 was the best score on a windy final day, one better than Koepka. But Matsuyama had to settle for a tie for second with Harman, four strokes back of Koepka.
It was Matsuyama's best finish in a major, another high in a topsy-turvy season.
