Drama took center stage on Sunday afternoon at the U.S. Open, thanks to Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy going at it. In the end, though, DeChambeau came out on top with his second U.S. Open title.
DeChambeau, who plays in the LIV Golf League, was facing an incredibly hard shot on the 18th hole. His ball was in a bunker, nearly up against a tree root. He needed to get the ball as near the hole as possible. Well, DeChambeau chipped out of the bunker, laying up his shot about five feet away. In making his putt, DeChambeau rounded out a 1-over 71 in the final round. He finished at 6-under overall.
McIlroy became the victim of his putting abilities. At one point, McIlroy was at 8-under and took over the top spot at the U.S. Open. Yet he carded bogeys on 15, 16, and 18. This was after McIlroy posted birdies on 9, 10, 12, and 13 to reach 8-under. But his collapse saw him finish at 5-under, one behind DeChambeau. This will go up there among memorable collapses in major golf championships.
He had a one-shot lead at 15 after DeChambeau missed a 4-foot par putt. At 16, though, McIlroy knocked a 21/2-foot putt too hard. It lipped out of the cup, giving him a bogey there on the Pinehurst No. 2 course.
Rory McIlroy Still Looks for Major After U.S. Open
McIlroy, one of the sport’s biggest names, has now gone nearly 10 years without winning a major championship. Seeing him come apart on Sunday afternoon left his fans distraught.
DeChambeau, though, was still smiling over his work at the 18th hole in the U.S. Open. “I can’t believe that up and down on the last,” DeChambeau said, according to ESPN.com. “Probably the best shot of my life.” While DeChambeau was around for media availability, McIlroy was not. He was seen loading up his car, declining media interviews.
Tony Finau and Patrick Cantlay tied for third, with Frenchman Matthieu Pavon ending up in fifth place.
“I’m so happy I got that shot up-and-down on 18,” DeChambeau said in a post-tournament interview, according to U.S.Open.com. “Oh, man, I didn’t want to finish second again. PGA really stung. Xander [Schauffele] played magnificent.
“I wanted to get this one done, especially at such a special place that means so much to me, SMU, my [late] dad (Jon who died in 2022 from diabetes), what Payne (Stewart) meant to him, 1,000th USGA championship,” DeChambeau said. “Stack them on top. That bunker shot was the shot of my life. I’ll forever be thankful that I’ve got longer wedges so I can hit it farther, get it up there next to the hole.”
After his U.S. Open round, Pavon spoke to media members about McIlroy’s tournament play. “At the end of the day we are all human,” Pavon said. “Rory has been chasing another major [for] many years. He is one of the best players in the world, a true champion. The more you want it, the tougher it gets, and the highest expectation you have for yourself, the tougher it gets. Maybe this is a little bit of pressure that got him today for sure, but Rory is just a massive champion. I’m sure he will fight back and really soon.”
Bryson DeChambeau Shared Love for Payne Stewart
Bryson DeChambeau, in celebrating his victory at 18, showed off a Payne Stewart button. Stewart was a two-time U.S. Open winner before his tragic death. On Sunday, the tournament honored his memory. It put up a memorial flag and replicated the hole placement on 18. Stewart won the 1999 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2. He did it by sinking an 18-foot birdie putt, punctuating it with a now-historic victory pose.
A statue honoring Stewart, in that victory pose, now stands at Pinehurst Resort and Country Club in Pinehurst, North Carolina.
“There are certain people that we all have in our lives that just make you feel better when you’re around them,” Aaron Stewart, Payne Stewart’s son, told PGATour.com. “And he was certainly one of those people. He could brighten up a room just by walking into it.
“When they see that pose, you can see just how much it meant to him, right?” Stewart said. “There was nothing that got him more fired up than playing in his country’s open.”
DeChambeau has become quite a fan favorite due to his social media usage. He’s showing fans some behind-the-scenes stuff in his career. Going to the LIV tour sent some of his fans into a tizzy. Yet those who have stayed close to him, or joined his following, were happy with Sunday’s results.
