The field consisted of 156 players, with 88 gaining their place through automatic exemption criteria and the remaining 68 making it through qualifying, including two alternates.

Rahm finished one shot ahead of South African Louis Oosthuizen, who had held a share of the lead going into the final round.

DeChambeau had moved into the lead midway through the final round, but fell away with two bogeys, a double-bogey and a quadruple-bogey on the back-nine to finish outside the top twenty.

During the tournament, Englishman Richard Bland became the oldest player to hold a share of the 36-hole lead in a U.S. Open; he finished tied for 50th place.

The U.S. Open was held on the South Course, which previously hosted the championship in 2008, when Tiger Woods defeated Rocco Mediate on the first sudden-death extra hole after they remained tied following an 18-hole playoff.

Winners of multiple PGA Tour events[d] from the originally scheduled date of the 2020 U.S. Open (June 21, 2020) to the start of the 2021 tournament 12.

Special exemptions[g] Initially, eleven final qualifying events were scheduled, nine of which are in the United States:[10] In April, a further venue was added in South Carolina.

[11] A final qualifier scheduled for June 7 at RattleSnake Point Golf Club in Milton, Ontario, was canceled due to COVID-19 restrictions in Canada.

[16] Friday, June 18, 2021 First-round co-leader Russell Henley took the outright lead at six-under after hitting his approach shot to the par-3 8th hole (his 17th) to seven feet and making the putt for birdie.

Richard Bland, making his first U.S. Open appearance in 12 years, made three birdies in a five-hole stretch on his closing nine to also get to six-under before a bogey at the 8th.

[20] Bubba Watson did not record a par over his last seven holes, making five birdies and two bogeys for a round of 67 (−4), tied for lowest of the day with Bland, Collin Morikawa, and Mackenzie Hughes.

Two-time champion Brooks Koepka got to within one shot of the lead after two birdies in his first four holes but made five bogeys the rest of the round to fall back to even-par.

[25] Saturday, June 19, 2021 Louis Oosthuizen made a 51-foot eagle putt on the 18th hole to tie Russell Henley and Mackenzie Hughes for the 54-hole lead at five-under.

[26][27] Rory McIlroy made four birdies on the back-nine, including a chip-in from the rough to the right of the green on the 12th, and tied for the lowest round of the day at 67 (−4).

[28][29] Richard Bland, co-leader with Henley coming into the round, did not make a birdie and shot six-over 77, falling to a tie for 21st place.

A shot behind leader Louis Oosthuizen playing the par-4 17th, Rahm hit his approach to 25 feet and made the putt to tie for the lead at five-under.

[37][38] Two-time champion Brooks Koepka was four-under on his round and just a shot off the lead after making a 16-foot birdie putt on the 15th but bogeyed two of his final three holes to finish at two-under.