Bryson DeChambeau won the US Open for the second time after an incredibly tense battle with Rory McIlroy at Pinehurst.
DeChambeau roared his ball into the 18th cup in North Carolina, claiming victory by one shot from the Northern Irishman four years after winning his first US Open trophy at Winged Foot.
A one-over 71 was enough to finish on six-under-par to win his second major championship on Father’s Day, a little under two years since his father Jon passed away.
Having trailed McIlroy by a shot with three holes left, Europe’s hero missed a putt from two feet on hole 16 and again from short range on the 72nd hole, when it appeared his decade-long wait to land a fifth major was over.
DeChambeau has become just the fifth player since World War Two to win multiple US Open titles at the age of 30 or younger and the fourth player to win the US Amateur and multiple US Opens.
“I want to say happy Father’s Day to every father out there,” he said. “Unfortunately my dad passed a couple of years ago and this one’s for him. Also Payne Stewart, he is the reason I went to SMU (Southern Methodist University), he’s the reason why I wore the cap.
“Wow. I just can’t thank you guys enough for all of the support this week. You guys have meant the world to me (the fans). You are the best fans in the world and I can’t thank you enough. What a group of people!
“To my team that is growing quite a bit and my best friends and to the people I love the most, I’m surprised you’re here – not surprised, but I can’t thank you enough for being here.”
“I felt like I was hitting the drive pretty well today. It just wasn’t starting exactly where I wanted it to,” he added. “Ultimately on 13, I knew I had to make birdie there to give myself a chance as Rory was going on a heater and he slipped up a couple on the way coming in and I just kept staying on course, focused on trying to hit as many fairways as I could.
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“Even though I didn’t. I wasn’t great today with that, but I got out of trouble really well and I can’t believe that up-and-down on the last. That is probably the best shot of my life.”
(All images courtesy of USGA)
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Bryson DeChambeau wins US Open again after McIlroy putting blunders
McIlroy started the final round three shots behind DeChambeau and although he birdied the 1st hole, his bogey on the 5th hole had Rory fans to their knees.
His approach looked perfect but in Pinehurst style, his ball rolled backwards across the front of the green and into sandy waste. His next shot didn’t reach the putting surface and finished in a bunker. He made a six, reminiscent of the bogey he made on hole 14 at last year’s US Open.
But McIlroy was offered a reprieve as DeChambeau bogeyed the 4th hole behind him in the final group. Then the blows began trading. McIlroy made birdies on holes 9, 10 and 12 to reach seven-under, while DeChambeau also birdied 10 to match McIlroy on the same mark.
A crucial turning point was hole 12 for DeChambeau. He found the native area off the tee which happened a few times on Sunday. He went deep with his second shot and could only go short of the green, so this was a bogey. Meanwhile, McIlroy gobbled up the short par-4 13th hole to reach eight-under to take a two-shot lead into his last five holes.
DeChambeau drove the green on this hole and willed his eagle putt towards the cup. He settled for a birdie to cut the deficit to one shot from his Northern Irish foe. But McIlroy went through the par-3 15th green with his tee shot and made a tentative bogey to fall back into a tie for the lead on seven-under.
For what seemed the first time all week, DeChambeau showed nerves from short range. He missed a four-footer for par on the 15th green and McIlroy’s one-shot lead was restored and emphasised by a monster drive down 16 and a solid approach to the heart of this par-4 green.
McIlroy staggeringly missed from about two feet on this green to make another bogey, and DeChambeau was offered a lifeline in a share of the lead again. They both made par on 17 and McIlroy was the first to tackle the iconic 18th.
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After pitching to nearly four feet for par, McIlroy missed again. He carded a 69 to set five-under as the clubhouse target. DeChambeau found the native area with his 18th-hole drive, then the front bunker with his second shot. But an amazing splash-out approach left him with a kick-in for par and the win.
Final leaderboard:
– 6 Bryson DeChambeau
-5 Rory McIlroy
-4 Tony Finau, Patrick Cantlay
-3 Matthieu Pavon
-2 Hideki Matsuyama
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