Oakmont, Pa. ? In the common, natural order, a journeyman doesn’t beat the greatest golfer in the world, a chain smoker doesn’t beat a fitness freak, a Duck doesn’t beat a Tiger. All of this is just more proof that there is nothing common or natural about the U.S. Open.

Angel Cabrera, a 37-year-old from Argentina who dropped out of elementary school to be a caddie, plays mostly on the European Tour, never had a coach and never had won a major, but was better than everyone, including Tiger Woods, at bruising Oakmont Country Club. He won the greatest prize of his career.

Angel Cabrera hugs the championship trophy after winning the 107th U.S. Open. Cabrera shot a 5-over-par 285 to win his first major Sunday at the Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pa.

The man who is nicknamed “Pato” (Spanish for “Duck,” because that was his dad’s nickname) admitted “the golf course beat me.” He finished at 5 over par, even after shooting 1-under 69 Sunday, but he was fine. He played a good, mostly fearless round and watched Woods and Jim Furyk each fall one shot short.

If he needed a few puffs to help with the fearless part, so what? Jack Nicklaus was photographed with a cigarette in his mouth as he won at Oakmont 45 years ago. “Well,” he said through an interpreter, “there are some players that have psychologists, sportologists. I smoke.”

Tiger Woods hangs his head after missing a birdie putt on the 18th green.

Cabrera is fairly private, but he appears the type who enjoys more than a good smoke. With a smile, he invited everyone in the press room to a celebration to be named later.

“You are not a U.S. Open champion every day,” he said.

No one from his country ever has been the U.S. Open champion before, mostly because no Argentine ever has had the kind of round Cabrera did. He kept hitting fairways and putting his approach shots close to holes. Even he grabbed his head in amazement when his 160-yard 9-iron on No. 15 landed three feet from the hole. “It was a very impressive shot,” he said of the birdie that brought him a three-stroke lead at 3 over.

“Angel played a beautiful round of golf today,” Woods said after his 72. “He went out there and put all the pressure on Jim and me. He certainly deserved the championship.”

It sure looked like it was going to be Woods’ day when his partner in the final pairing, Aaron Baddeley, made 7 on the first hole, immediately falling out of first place and putting Woods in a tie for the lead with Stephen Ames. But it didn’t happen that way. “It’s not like they’re handing out the trophy on the first green,” Woods said.

When they ultimately did hand out the trophy, Woods was a gracious spectator. He never took charge. He made double-bogey 6 on No. 3 because he lined a chip shot over the green. He made only one birdie all day, displaying the putting problems that caused him to fall just short at the Masters, too. He had two chances to tie Cabrera, but failed to make birdie on 17 or 18.

So he is now 0-for-29 in majors when he has not held at least a share of the lead heading into the final round. “I haven’t gotten it done. I put myself there and haven’t gotten it done,” Woods said. “Finishing second is never fun.”

Cabrera, the fourth consecutive non-American U.S. Open champion and the third in a row to make it his first major title, did put it in this perspective: “The good thing is, I beat everybody here, not only Tiger Woods.”