PINEHURST, N.C. — Bryson DeChambeau climbed back into the most famous bunker at Pinehurst Resort’s No. 2 course, this time with the U.S. Open trophy instead of his 55-degree wedge, filling the silver prize with grains of sand to commemorate the best shot of his life.
Rory McIlroy wanted to bury his head in the sand.
DeChambeau won his second U.S. Open title on Sunday by getting up and down from 55 yards in a bunker — one of the toughest shots in golf — to deliver another unforgettable finish at Pinehurst and a celebration just as raucous as when his hero, Payne Stewart, won the United States Golf Association’s national championship tournament at the same venue with a big par putt in 1999.
“That’s Payne right there, baby!” DeChambeau screamed as he walked off the 18th green.
This was nothing like DeChambeau winning the U.S. Open at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, New York, in 2020, when there were no fans — the result of restrictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic — and no drama. This was high suspense that ultimately came down to a trio of short putts.
McIlroy, who for so much of the final round looked certain to end 10 years without a major title, had a one-shot lead until missing a 30-inch par putt on the 16th hole. Tied for the lead on the 18th, with DeChambeau behind him in the final group, McIlroy missed a par attempt from just inside four feet.
He was in the scoring room watching, hoping, for a two-hole playoff when DeChambeau got into trouble off the tee as he had done all day. And then DeChambeau delivered the magic moment with his bunker shot to four feet and made the par putt for a 1-over 71.
“That bunker shot was the shot of my life,” said DeChambeau, who finished the 72-hole event at 6-under 274.
Moments later, McIlroy was in his car, the wheels spinning on the gravel to get out of Pinehurst without comment. There wasn’t much to say. This one will sting for the 35-year-old from Northern Ireland, who remains stuck at four major championships.
“As much as it is heartbreaking for some people, it was heartbreak for me at the PGA,” said DeChambeau, who a month ago made a dramatic birdie on the 18th hole at Valhalla Country Club in Louisville, Kentucky, only for Xander Schauffele to match him with a birdie to win the PGA Championship and the year’s second major.
“I really wanted this one,” DeChambeau said. “When I turned the corner and saw I was a couple back, I said, ‘Nope, I’m not going to let that happen.’ I have to focus on figuring out how to make this happen.”
True to his form as one of golf’s great entertainers, the 30-year-old American put on quite the show.
The par putt wasn’t as long or as suspenseful as Stewart’s in 1999. The celebration was every bit of that. DeChambeau repeatedly pumped those strong arms as he screamed to the blue sky, turning in every direction to a gallery that had cheered him on all week.
AP photo by Frank Franklin II / Four-time major winner Rory McIlroy reacts on the 15th hole during the final round of the U.S. Open on Sunday in Pinehurst, N.C. McIlroy dueled with eventual winner Bryson DeChambeau while playing a group ahead, but putting struggles late denied him ending a 10-year drought without a major championship.As much as this U.S. Open will be remembered for DeChambeau’s marvelous bunker shot, McIlroy played a big part. He had not missed a putt shortert han four feet for 69 holes on the slick, domed Donald Ross greens. And then with the U.S. Open on the line, he missed two of those over the final three holes for a closing 69.
McIlroy had the look of a winner. He ran off four birdies in a five-hole stretch around the turn. He was a model of cool, the opposite of DeChambeau’s exuberance. He walked confidently to the 14th tee with a two-shot lead as the chants grew louder.
“Ror-EE! Ror-EE!”
DeChambeau could hear them, and he pounded a 3-wood on the reachable par-4 13th — the tees were moved forward to 316 yards — to the middle of the green for a birdie to stay close.
McIlroy took a bogey from behind the 15th green, but he stayed one ahead when DeChambeau, playing in the group behind him, had his first three-putt of the week on the 15th when he missed from four feet.
And that’s where this U.S. Open took a devastating turn for McIlroy.
He missed a 30-inch par putt on the 16th hole to fall back into a tie. On the 18th, McIlroy’s tee shot landed behind a wiregrass bush. He blasted out short of the green and pitched beautifully to four feet. And he missed again.
DeChambeau kept fans on the edge to the end. He pulled his drive to the left into an awful lie, with a tree in his back swing and a root in front of the golf ball. The best he could manage was to punch it toward the green, and it rolled into a front right bunker.
“One of the worst places I could have been,” said DeChambeau, who noted that his caddie, Greg Bodine, kept the plan simple.
“G-Bo just said, ‘Bryson, just get it up and down. That’s all you’ve got to do. You’ve done this plenty of times before. I’ve seen some crazy shots from you from 50 yards out of a bunker,'” DeChambeau said.
During the trophy ceremony, the shot was replayed on a video screen.
“I still can’t believe that up and down,” DeChambeau said.
Since he won the 2011 U.S. Open, McIlroy has seven top-10 finishes in the tournament without a victory. It’s been more than 100 years since anyone did that well without going home with the trophy.
DeChambeau becomes the second LIV Golf League player to win a major; Brooks Koepka at the 2023 PGA Championship was the first. An image of Stewart’s famous pose was on the pin flag at the 18th, and DeChambeau put on a Stewart-inspired flat cap during the trophy presentation, later replacing it with his “Crushers” cap from LIV.
AP photo by Frank Franklin II / Patrick Cantlay waves after making a putt on the seventh hole during the final round of the U.S. Open on Sunday in Pinehurst, N.C.Patrick Cantlay lingered around this duel all afternoon, unable to get the putts to fall at the right time until he missed a seven-footer for par on the 16th hole that ended his chances. He closed with a 70 and tied for third with Tony Finau, who matched a Sunday best with his 67 without ever having a serious chance of winning.
This is not the same DeChambeau had become such a polarizing figure — a target of heckling for slow play and his spat with Koepka. In the sandhills of North Carolina, he had thousands on his side. He signed autographs during his round, he engaged with fans, and he delivered one hell of a show.
And when it was over, he looked at the double-decker grandstands around the 18th and the thousands of fans circling the green and invited them to his party.
“I want all of you guys somehow,” he said, pointing at them in every direction, “I want you guys to touch this trophy because I want you to experience what this feels like for me. You were a part of this journey this week, and I want you to be a part of it for the after party.”
DeChambeau wasn’t flawless. He hit only five fairways, the fewest in the final round by a U.S. Open winner since Angel Cabrera in 2007. He couldn’t escape the trouble on the 12th, leading to a bogey that dropped him two shots behind. He had his first three-putt of the week at the worst time, on the 15th to briefly fall behind.
But he showed the mettle of a two-time U.S. Open champion at the end.
“What’s most impressive about Bryson is not that he hits the ball far. Everybody knows it,” said Matthieu Pavon, who played with DeChambeau and shot a 71 to finish fifth. “I was amazed by the quality of the short game on 18. It’s a master class.”
Chattanooga resident Stephan Jaeger closed with a 72 to finish at 5 over and tied for 21st, his best finish in four U.S. Open appearances. Fellow former Baylor School standout Harris English (71) was at 8 over and tied for 41st.