US Open 2021 winner John Rahm says he knew it was his day

US Open champion Jon Rahm knew his "fairytale story" would have a "happy ending" after celebrating his first major title.

Rahm's happy ending to fairytale

Rahm earned a breakthrough triumph at Torrey Pines after outlasting Louis Oosthuizen by one stroke following his final-round 67 in San Diego on Sunday.

The 26-year-old Rahm birdied his final two holes as he became the fourth Spanish player to claim a major and first at the US Open.

"It felt like such a fairytale story that I knew it was going to have a happy ending," Rahm, whose previous best major performance was tied for third at the 2019 US Open, said during his news conference.

"I could just tell, just going down the fairway after that first tee shot, that second shot, and that birdie, I knew there was something special in the air. I could just feel it. I just knew it.

"I couldn't have told you in the moment I felt something special. That's why I played as aggressive as I did because it was like, man, this is my day; everything's going to go right. I felt like that helped me become. I just knew that I could do it and believed it."

"I'm still a little bit on golf mode, right? I feel like, when I'm in that mode, it takes me a while to get out of it," he added. "It probably won't happen tonight. It might happen tomorrow. I don't know, at some point it will hit me. I'm still thinking there might be a playoff. I've been scarred before.

"It's incredible that I'm sitting next to this trophy. A couple weeks ago, I watched my good friend Phil [Mickelson] win it [US PGA Championship]. I took a lot of inspiration from that. I've been close before, and I just knew on a Sunday, the way I have been playing the last few majors, I just had to be close. I knew I could get it done. I'm keeping that good Sunday mojo going. Man, I got it done in a fashion that apparently can only happen to me at Torrey Pines."

Rahm's success came after he was forced to withdraw from the Memorial Tournament when leading by six shots, having tested positive for coronavirus earlier this month.

"I believed from the biggest setbacks we can get some of the biggest breakthroughs, and that's why I stay so positive," said Rahm.

"That's why I kept telling Kelley, when she was devastated about what happened and my family and everybody around me, something good is going to come. I don't know what, but something good is going to come, and I felt it today out there on the golf course."

Frustration for Oosthuizen

Oosthuizen was in a three-way share of the lead heading into the deciding round and opened up a one-shot lead on a gripping final day.

But Oosthuizen (71) – the 2010 Open Championship winner – was unable to keep Rahm at bay.

"Right now I didn't win it. I'm second again. It's frustrating. It's disappointing," said Oosthuizen.

"I'm playing good golf, but it's winning a major championship is not just going to happen. You need to go out and play good golf.

"I played good today, but I didn't play good enough."