Bryson DeChambeau won the U.S. Open on Sunday for the second time with the best shot of his life for another memorable finish on the 18th hole at Pinehurst No. 2 — and another heavy dose of heartache for Rory McIlroy.
In a wild final hour of more blunders than brilliance, DeChambeau capped off a week of high entertainment by getting up-and-down from 55 yards out of a bunker, making a four-foot par putt to close with a 1-over 71.
“That’s Payne right there, baby!” DeChambeau screamed as he walked off the 18th green.
Payne Stewart famously made a 15-foot par putt on the final hole in 1999 at the first U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2, beating Phil Mickelson by one shot. DeChambeau says he was inspired to go to SMU when he saw a mural of Stewart on campus.
The par putt wasn’t as long or as dramatic 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 cheered him on all week.
McIlroy was in the scoring room, devastated by another close call in a major.
This one will string. As much as this U.S. Open will be remembered for DeChambeau’s marvellous bunker shot, McIlroy played a big part by shockingly missing two short putts, the last one from just inside four feet for par on the final hole. He closed with a 69.
“Rory was going on a heater, and he slipped up a couple on the way coming in, and I just kept staying the course,” DeChambeau said. “I can’t believe that up-and-down on the last.”
McIlroy wasted no time making his escape. He climbed into an SUV in the players’ parking lot, his clubs loaded in the back, and briefly spun the tires in the gravel as he left without taking any questions from the media.
He had the look of a winner for so long on Sunday, running off four birdies in a five-hole stretch around the turn. He was a model of cool, the opposite of DeChambeau’s exuberance.
WATCH: DeChambeau claims 2nd U.S. Open:
Bryson DeChambeau won his second U.S. Open championship Sunday finishing at 6-under, one stroke ahead of Rory McIlroy of Ireland.
McIlroy was two shots ahead walking to the 14th tee. The chants grew louder — “Ror-EE! Ror-EE!” and DeChambeau could hear them.
McIlroy took 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 hole, McIlroy’s tee shot landed behind a notorious wiregrass bush. He blasted out short of the green and pitched beautifully to four feet.
And he missed again.
WATCH: Conners’ 9th-place finish earns spot at Olympics:
Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., finishes tied for ninth place at the U.S. Open to capture the second Olympic spot for Canada in men’s golf. Conners will be joined in Paris by Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., who secured the top spot.
McIlroy was watching from the scoring room as DeChambeau escaped from an awful lie left of the fairway — a tree in his back swing, a root in front of the golf ball — and punched it out into the bunker. He expertly blasted a shot from the soft sand that rolled out on the crispy green to set up the winning putt.
“I still can’t believe that up-and-down,” DeChambeau said as he watched a replay from the video screen during the trophy presentation. “Probably the best shot of my life.”
McIlroy spun his tires in the gravel as he left quickly without comment. Since he won the U.S. Open at Congressional in 2011, he has seven top 10s 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 player to win a major, following Brooks Koepka at the PGA Championship last year.
Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., finished in a tie for ninth, six shots behind DeChambeau. Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., tied for 16th at 3-over, while Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., finished tied for 56th at 12-over.
DeChambeau earned $4.3 million — more than he gets from winning a LIV event — from the record $21.5 million purse
