(LIV Golf) – U.S. Open trophy in hand, Bryson DeChambeau turned to the gallery surrounding the 18th green at Pinehurst on Sunday night and extended an invitation. Actually, it was more of a demand.
“Tonight, I want all of you guys somehow to touch this trophy,” he said. “I want you to experience what this feels like for me.”
And soon he tried his best to make it happen, walking slowly through a sea of supporters, putting the 18-inch tall sterling silver trophy within arm’s reach, fans shouting his name, offering congratulations, celebrating a victory as popular as any in recent memory in this 124-year-old championship.
Battling Rory McIlroy in a back-nine duel, DeChambeau produced the “best shot of my life” out of a greenside bunker that nobody had successfully scrambled from all week, his 55-yard shot with a 55-degree wedge landing 4 feet from the pin.
When he sank the par putt, the explosion of emotions ensued. On a day when his usual deadly driver was off-kilter, DeChambeau survived thanks to a series of escapes and a bit of fortune with two short McIlroy missed putts down the stretch. His final-round 1-over 71, which left him with a winning total of 6 under, may not have been beautiful, but it was gutsy. And it was definitely entertaining.
It was also a Father’s Day win for his father Jon, who died 590 days ago after battling diabetes and other health issues. “This one’s for him,” said the son. It was a win for Payne Stewart, the 1999 U.S. Open champ at Pinehurst who inspired DeChambeau to attend Southern Methodist University and wear a driving cap.
It was a win for his personal support team, as well as his LIV Golf teammates. Father-figure types Charles Howell III, Paul Casey and Anirban Lahiri were among the many who helped DeChambeau get through a dark patch in his career and his life two years ago.
“I feel like I’ve put myself around positive people that have encouraged me in a positive, cool direction,” DeChambeau said. “I couldn’t be more excited for the future. The future is going to be fun.”
“I can’t be more proud of him,” Lahiri said on a social media post. “He played like a champion and spoke like a champion. This is so emotional … It felt like a family member winning the U.S. Open.”
It was a win for tenacity. The first two majors this year ended in close calls for DeChambeau – a tie for sixth at Augusta after sharing the lead entering the weekend, and a solo second at the PGA Championship when he shot 20 under, a total that would have won any other major in history. Valhalla was a bitter sting.
But perhaps above all else, it was a win for the fans, who spent four days at the No. 2 course cheering his name, offering inspiration. He was only too happy to reward their support. He called them the best fans in the world.
“I just want everybody to enjoy it,” the 30-year-old DeChambeau said. “As much as it is heartbreaking for some people, it was heartbreak for me at the PGA. I really wanted this one. 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.
“It’s a dream come true.”
Four years ago when DeChambeau won his first U.S. Open at Winged Foot, hardly anybody was around to cheer for him. It was during Covid, and only essential personnel were on the grounds.
Back then, he overpowered the course. This week, he leaned on other aspects of his game, particularly his wedge game, his creativity, his putting (especially in his third-round 67 that set him up with a three-shot lead), and his ability to manufacture shots out of Pinehurst’s dangerous native areas with its wire grass.
Minutes before his tee time Sunday, DeChambeau opted to change driver heads because the face had flattened on the one he had used the first three rounds. The new one he switched to offered good curvature but had a slightly lower loft. Consequently, he missed several drives right and hit just five of 14 fairways, tying for the fewest in the field. (He still led the field this week in driving distance.)
He said the new driver head was fine on the range – he hit just five practice drives with it – but then his nerves started to make him uncomfortable with it. “I probably shouldn’t have changed the heads,” he second-guessed himself.
His advantage eventually disappeared. DeChambeau went without a birdie on the front nine, and when McIlroy birdied the par-5 10th, they were tied at 6 under. DeChambeau, playing in the last group, followed with a birdie to regain the lead, but McIlroy’s putter had by then heated up.
McIlroy added birdies at the 12th and 13th holes to go to 8 under while DeChambeau bogeyed the 12th, falling two shots behind. It was an “uh, oh,” moment for DeChambeau. At that point, he realized he needed to make something happen to prevent the tournament from getting away from him.
He drove the 316-yard par-4 13th with a 3-wood for a two-putt birdie, although he was upset about missing the eagle opportunity. Still, he had closed the gap to one, and when McIlroy bogeyed the par-3 15th, the two were again tied. But then DeChambeau followed with his own bogey at the 15th, missing a 4-footer for par. Down by one. Again.
McIlroy then opened the door, missing a 3-foot par putt at the 16th and a 4-footer at the 18th. That left him at 5 under. With DeChambeau at 6 under, all he had to do was par the final hole to win.
Then he hooked his tee shot into the native area, the ball resting near a root. He had to crouch just to hit his approach, and it ended up in the right greenside bunker. “One of the worst places I could have been,” DeChambeau said. At that point, bogey – and a two-hole playoff – seemed the likely outcome.
His caddie Greg Bodine offered another thought.
“Just get it up-and-down,” he told DeChambeau. “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.”
Replied DeChambeau: “You’re right; I need a 55-degree, let’s do it.”
And he did. It was the kind of clutch shot worthy of winning a major.
“Amazing,” said his playing partner, Frenchman Matthieu Pavon, who tied for fifth. “It’s a tough golf shot. I can’t remember if the ball was slightly uphill in the trap. You have to carry the ball 35 yards in the air and let it roll on the up slope. He just played like unbelievable.
“At that time with the pressure he had at that moment, it is just one of the best shots in golf history I would say.”
It produced the best moment in DeChambeau’s golfing career. His week in Pinehurst ended with a trophy but perhaps there’s more at play here. He’s not only the U.S. Open Champion but also the People’s Champion. The week seems to be transformative – for him, for his popularity, maybe even for the game of golf.
“All I want to do is entertain and do my best for the game of golf, execute and provide some awesome entertainment for the fans,” DeChambeau said. “From at least what I can tell, that’s what the fans want, and they deserve that.”
They deserved to touch the trophy. In an afterparty that promised to be as epic as his winning bunker shot, DeChambeau made sure everybody left with a smile.
