LOUISVILLE, Ky. The shot that barely landed on the 18th hole on the last rotation. The tee shot that hit a tree on No. 16 but bounced back into the fairway. The chip-ins from the green, the fists pumping the air and the fists hitting the fans.
Bryson DeChambeau put on the kind of show and had the kind of opportunities that make players larger than life and sometimes win major titles as well. Yet somehow, when DeChambeau looked at the scoreboard for the last time on Sunday at the PGA Championship, his name came up in second place.
DeChambeau’s last shot came in for a birdie to cap off a thrilling minute round of 7-under par – tied for best of the day – and put him at 20-under par. It was good enough to share the lead with Xander Schauffele and also share a piece of the major championship scoring record.
A half hour later, Schauffele made birdie from virtually the same angle — his shot went around halfway around the cup before falling — to break the tie, break the scoring record, capture his first major and leave DeChambeau locked in a major.
Instead of all the fun he generated on Sunday, the lasting image of DeChambeau in this one might be him standing with his hands on his hips, looking at the big board near the driving range and watching Schauffele’s winning shot go in. he quickly turned and exited stage left, heading to 18 to congratulate Schauffele.
The 2020 U.S. Open remains his only major tournament, but no golf fan will soon forget the toll he took on, the fun he had with fans and the thrilling near miss in yet another cardiac arrest in Valhalla.
The holes that everyone will remember from the final round were 16 and 18. On the 16th, DeChambeau was shouting “Fore!” when he hit his tee shot deep in the woods to the left of the fairway. He pinballed through the trees and landed 700 feet from the pin on the field.
He pulled out the 8-iron and hit the shot to 3 feet, taking a monstrous step forward, flailing his arms, then leaning forward and putting his hands on his knees, urging the ball to do exactly what it did – land and stop for his easiest birdie putt of the day.
Playing two groups in front of Schauffele, DeChambeau needed a birdie at 18 to tie and put pressure on. He teeed off on an awkward lie in a bunker to the left of the fairway, but hit a 4-iron into the first rough cut near the green.
The chip stopped 10 feet away and the shot didn’t appear to have enough steam. In the last revolution, it fell. He pulled the ball out of the hole, punched it in the air and then punched the fans as he walked off the course and back onto the practice field.
It was his second dramatic act on the 18th. A day earlier, he used a 6-iron from 10 yards off the green to attack an eagle that jumped him two shots out of the lead. It was a hint of what was to come, and DeChambeau delivered all the drama, even if it didn’t come with a title.
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AP Golf:
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