Aussie star Adam Scott was just minutes away from winning the US Open golf
Adam Scott has fallen painfully short of landing an evasive second career major as American JJ Spaun won in one of the wildest US Open championship finishes in history.
As Scott collapsed down the stretch, like so many others, Spaun emerged triumphant after a disastrous start to his final round to claim a two-shot victory over Scotland's Robert McIntyre in Pennsylvania.
Runner-up in a play-off to Rory McIlroy at the Players Championship in March, the unheralded Spaun once again showed his class and resilience with a Sunday comeback for the ages.
After starting the day level with Scott and just one shot behind American leader Sam Burns, Spaun dropped five strokes in the first six holes to fall five behind.
But he regrouped after a 96-minute weather delay to run down the leaders despite closing with a final-round 73 as the fearsome Oakmont Country Club reduced the world's best players to week-day hackers.
The 34-year-old sealed victory in the most stylish and spectacular fashion with a 64-foot birdie putt - the longest-holed putt of the week - at the last hole.
Spaun finished with a one-under-par 279 total to capture his maiden major championship, having never previously posted a top-20 finish at any of golf's four biggest events.
McIntyre's final-round 68 was enough to secure second outright, with Norwegian star Victor Hovland (73) third a further shot back at two over.
Playing in the final group, Scott faded with a final-round 79 to tie for 13th at six over.
Bidding to become the oldest US Open champion since Hale Irwin in 1990, 44-year-old Scott faded to finish made a nervy start with a bogey on the first and third holes.
Such was the carnage that, despite dropping four shots for his round, Scott was still in a five-way tie for the lead after scrambling for par at the long 12th hole.
Alas, the Australian's hopes evaporated in a cruel half-hour after the resumption of play due to a flash storm.
From a share of the lead, he bogeyed the 14th after driving into the lip of a bunker.
Then, even more deflatingly, Scott almost drained a long putt to regain a share of the lead on 15, only for the ball to narrowly miss the pin and roll seven feet past.
He missed the return putt and there was no way back for the popular former world No.1.
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