( CNN ) -- Golf is a sport where concentration and the ability to perform under pressure is key . So how was Webb Simpson feeling during Sunday 's final round of the U.S. Open , knowing he was within touching distance of winning his first major title ? `` I could n't really feel my hands or my legs , '' the 26-year-old told CNN after carding 68 in each of the two final rounds to finish one over par at San Francisco 's Olympic Club . `` My legs felt like they were a couple of hundred pounds each ... It was very nerve-wracking . '' But the new world No . 5 put together a run of four birdies in six holes in the middle of his final round to move above overnight leaders Graeme McDowell , who missed a 25-foot putt at the 18th to force a playoff , and fellow American Jim Furyk . `` I 'm pretty excited , I 'm pretty worn out , '' he said , after clinching the third PGA Tour title of his four-year career and taking home the $ 1.44 million first prize . `` It 's such a long week , such a grueling week on your mind , and this place is hard to walk . So physically it 's a tough week as well . `` But I could n't have imagined I 'd be U.S. Open champion this early in my career . I did n't expect that it would come this quickly . One thing I 've always done is I 've never put limits on what can happen with this game . '' The North Carolina native , who tied for 14th at Congressional last year in his only previous U.S. Open appearance , is hoping to capitalize on the run of form which has propelled him to one of golf 's four biggest prizes . `` You can get on runs out here , you wins and your good play comes in bunches . I want to take advantage of that . One thing I pride myself in is remembering how I got here and remembering what makes me tick as a golfer , '' he said . `` So win or lose I 'm trying to get better , and that 's what I 've been trying to do for the last couple of years . '' Simpson said the continued shouts from the crowds gathered on the Lake Course kept him guessing on a foggy day in California . `` This week I felt like they were especially great . I looked at my caddy on 14 and asked him , 'Are the crowds are lot louder today ? ' because it seemed like we were hearing roars every few minutes , '' he said . `` It was so fun to play in an atmosphere like that . The famous 18th hole , coming down the hill and going back up to the clubhouse , is probably the coolest finish I can imagine in golf . '' Despite becoming the third consecutive American winner of a major -- following on from Bubba Watson at the Masters and Keegan Bradley at the PGA Championship -- and the 15th different major winner in a row , Simpson 's participation at next month 's British Open is in doubt . He and his wife Dowd are awaiting the birth of their second child , and Simpson is looking forward to sharing his tale of Father 's Day glory with his children in the years to come . `` I got to talk to my dad and I told him , 'Happy Father 's Day , ' and he said it was a pretty good Father 's Day present for him . It 's a fun memory that I ca n't wait to share with my son one day . ''
Webb Simpson said his hands and legs were shaking during U.S. Open final round . The American shot one over par to win his first major title at Olympic Club . He is the 15th different major champion in a row , and the third consecutive winner . Simpson may miss the British Open due to the imminent birth of his second child .