PINEHURST, North Carolina – Bryson DeChambeau climbed back into Pinehurst No. 2’s most famous bunker, this time with the US Open trophy instead of his 55-degree sand wedge, filling the silver prize with grains of sand to celebrate the best photo of his life.
Rory McIlroy wanted to bury his head in the sand.
DeChambeau won his second U.S. Open title on Sunday, soaring up and down 55 yards into a bunker – one of the most difficult shots in golf – to deliver another unforgettable finish at Pinehurst and a celebration as raucous as when his hero, Payne Stewart, won with a great par putt in 1999.
“That’s Payne right there, honey!” DeChambeau shouted as he walked off the 18th green.
It was nothing like DeChambeau’s win at Winged Foot in 2020, when there were no fans and no drama. It was a great thriller that ended up being reduced to a trio of putts.
McIlroy, who for much of the final round seemed certain to end 10 years without a major, had a one-shot lead until he missed a 30-inch par putt on the 16th hole. Tied for the lead at the 18th, with DeChambeau behind him in the group final, McIlroy missed a par attempt just 4 feet.
He was in the scoring room watching, waiting, for a two-hole playoff when DeChambeau got into trouble off the tee, as he had all day. But then DeChambeau delivered the magic moment with his bunker shot to 4 feet and made the partial shot for a 1 over 71.
“That photo in the bunker was the photo of my life,” DeChambeau said.
Moments later, McIlroy was in his car, wheels turning on the gravel to leave Pinehurst without comment. There wasn’t much to say. This one is going to hurt.
“As painful as it is for some people, it was painful for me at the PGA,” said DeChambeau, who a month ago made a dramatic birdie on the 18th hole at Valhalla, only for Xander Schauffele to match it with a birdie to win the PGA Championship. .
“I really wanted this one,” DeChambeau said. “When I turned the corner and saw I was a few behind, I said, ‘No, I’m not going to let that happen.’ I have to focus on figuring out how to make that happen.”
True to form as one of golf’s great entertainers, he put on quite a show.
The par putt wasn’t as long or as suspenseful as Stewart’s in 1999. The celebration was just that. DeChambeau repeatedly pumped those strong arms as he shouted into the blue sky, turning in every direction to a gallery that had cheered him all week.
As much as this US Open will be remembered for DeChambeau’s wonderful bunker shot, McIlroy played an important role. He didn’t miss a putt under 4 feet in 69 holes on the slick and domed Donald Ross greens. And then, with the US Open on the line, he bogeyed two over the final three holes for a 69.
McIlroy looked like a winner. He made four birdies in a five-hole stretch around the turn. He was a model of cool, the opposite of DeChambeau’s exuberance. He confidently walked to the 14th tee with a two-stroke lead as the screams grew louder.
“Ror-EE! Ror-EE!”
DeChambeau could hear them and hit a 3-wood on the accessible par-4 13th — the tees were moved 316 yards — to the middle of the green for a birdie to come close.
McIlroy made bogey behind the 15th green but maintained a lead when DeChambeau, playing in the group behind him, made his first three-putt of the week on the 15th when he missed from 4 feet.
And that’s when the US Open took a devastating turn for McIlroy.
He missed a 30-inch par putt on the 16th hole to tie. On the 18th hole, McIlroy’s tee shot landed behind a grass bush. He took a shot near the green and put it beautifully to 4 feet. And he was wrong again.
DeChambeau kept fans on edge until the end. He turned left in a horrible lie, with a tree in his swing and a root in front of the golf ball. The best he could do was punch it towards the green and it rolled into a front right bunker.
“One of the worst places I could be,” DeChambeau. But he said his caddy, Greg Bodine, kept things simple.
“G-Bo just said, ‘Bryson, just go up and down. That’s all you need to do. You’ve done this many times before. I saw some crazy shots of yours from 50 yards out of a bunker,’” DeChambeau said.
During the trophy ceremony, the scene was played on a video screen.
“I still can’t believe these ups and downs,” DeChambeau said.
Since winning the U.S. Congressional Open in 2011, McIlroy has seven top 10s at this championship without a win – it’s been more than 100 years since anyone did this well without coming home with the trophy.
DeChambeau becomes the second LIV Golf player to win a major, following Brooks Koepka at the PGA Championship last year.
An image of Stewart’s famous pose was on the flag on the 18th, and DeChambeau donned a Stewart-inspired cap during the trophy presentation, later replacing it with his LIV “Crushers” cap.
He finished at 6-under 274.
Patrick Cantlay lingered on this duel all afternoon, unable to make his putts fall at the right time, until he missed a 7-foot par putt on the 16th hole that ended his chances. He finished with a 70 and tied for third with Tony Finau, who equaled Sunday’s best with a 67, without ever having a great chance of winning.
This is not the same as DeChambeau becoming such a polarizing figure — a target of protests over slow play and his fight with Brooks Koepka. In the dunes of North Carolina, he had thousands of people beside him. He signed autographs during his round, interacted with fans and put on an incredible show.
And when it was over, he looked at the two-story bleachers around the 18th and thousands of people milling around on the lawn on the 18th and invited them to his party.
“I want all of you in some way,” he said, pointing at them in all directions, “I want you to touch this trophy because I want you to experience what this is like for me. You were part of this journey this week, and I want you to be part of it at the after party.
DeChambeau wasn’t perfect. He hit just five fairways, the fewest in the final round by a U.S. Open champion since Angel Cabrera at Oakmont in 2007. He couldn’t escape trouble on the 12th, leading to a bogey that left him two strokes behind. He made his first three shots of the week at the worst time, on the 15th, briefly falling behind.
But he showed the courage of a two-time US Open champion in the end.
“What’s most impressive about Bryson isn’t that he hits the ball from distance. Everyone knows that,” said Matthieu Pavon, who played with DeChambeau and shot 71 to finish fifth. “I was impressed with the quality of the short game on 18. It’s a master class.”
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