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American Bryson DeChambeau won his second US Open title on Sunday, beating Rory McIlroy in a heartbreaking final at Pinehurst No. 2 in Pinehurst, North Carolina.
LIV Golf star DeChambeau carded a final round one-over 71 to finish one stroke ahead of his Northern Ireland counterpart at six-under overall and add to his first major victory of 2020.
He gave up world No. 3 McIlroy to another heartbreaking near-miss as he continues his 10-year wait for a fifth major title. The 35-year-old played brilliantly to go from three shots behind to two ahead of DeChambeau, only to miss two putts from within four feet on the final two holes.
Needing to close with par to win, DeChambeau maintained the courage to triumph and exorcise the demons of falling one shot short of the PGA Championship against compatriot Xander Schauffele last month.
With his victory coinciding with Father’s Day, an emotional DeChambeau began his winner’s speech by dedicating the trophy to his father Jon, who died in 2022.
“First of all, I want to wish all fathers a happy Father’s Day,” DeChambeau said.
“This one is for him.”
This makes the 30-year-old the second golfer after last year’s PGA Championship winner Brooks Koepka to win a major after leaving the PGA Tour for LIV Golf. Cameron Smith and Jon Rahm joined the Saudi-backed circuit after their victories at the 2022 Open Championship and 2023 Masters respectively.
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DeChambeau grabs the trophy.
Once maligned by some fans, DeChambeau, whose personal YouTube channel continues to rack up subscribers, has become a crowd favorite in the majors this year and further cemented that reputation in Pinehurst.
The California-born golfer mixed an exciting game with regular fan interaction, wooing fans one last time by making good on his victory speech promise to allow them to touch the trophy and carry it through the crowd gathered on the 18th green.
“I can’t thank you enough for all the support this week,” he added to the crowd. “You have meant a lot to me. You are the best fans in the world and I can’t thank you enough.”
The joyful scenes served as a stark contrast to the agony no doubt felt by McIlroy, who declined to speak to the media after his final-round, one-under-par 69.
McIlroy has managed to end his great drought with remarkable consistency since his last triumph at the 2014 Open Championship, finishing inside the top 10 in 20 of his 36 subsequent appearances in the four flagship events, including his last five in a row at the Open. USA.
He’s been a major runner-up three times before, most recently to Wyndham Clark in last year’s tournament, but the fourth has the potential to haunt him more given the context.
Three bogeys and a par in his final four holes, compounded by two terrible short-range misses, resigned him to a closing 69. Even a better shot would have been enough to force DeChambeau into the playoffs.
McIlroy had made his previous 496 putts from within three feet before missing par on the 16th hole, according to the PGA Tour.
The curtain falls on the 2024 men’s main schedule with the 152nd Open Championship at Royal Troon in Scotland on July 18, where American Brian Harman will look to defend the Claret Jug.
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McIlroy had made a bright start in his final round to edge out DeChambeau.
Scottie Scheffler’s miserable week ended in another birdieless round when No.
1 worked hard to finish in a tie for 41st with overall par of eight over par, his worst major performance in two years.
Five wins in his previous eight starts (including last week’s Memorial Tournament) had Scheffler entering Pinehurst as the heavy favorite, but he struggled to cope with the course’s firm, fast greens, the frustrations of the typically unflappable Texan. bubbled as it barely missed the cut line on Friday.
A third-round one-over 71 meant Scheffler had shot four consecutive rounds over par for the first time in a professional career spanning 120 PGA Tour events, and the unwanted streak extended to five when he closed with a 72.
The April Masters champion had played 168 rounds with at least one birdie before his second-round 74, and had not finished outside the top 25 in a major since missing the cut at the 2022 PGA Championship.
Both streaks had extended to finishing tied for eighth at last month’s PGA Championship, a result achieved despite his arrest and release from jail during the Major.
“I couldn’t pierce anything. I couldn’t see the break on these greens,” Scheffler, who has since had all charges against him dismissed, told reporters Sunday.
“This week’s greens had my number. I felt like I hit a lot of really good putts that did some weird things in the cup that I didn’t expect them to do.”
“I’ve been on a good golf streak,” he added. “I had a difficult event after a big event. “I’m not really going to do too much research, but rather focus more on my preparation.”
Scheffler finished 12 shots behind compatriots Tony Finau and Patrick Cantlay, who shared third place at four under overall, one shot behind McIlroy. Frenchman Matthieu Pavon finished one shot further back.
A virtuoso 67 in the third round, which was as entertaining as it was excellent, had propelled DeChambeau into the final 18 holes with a luxurious (if unknown) three-shot cushion.
The Californian had never before had the lead through 54 holes in a major championship. Although he had finally achieved victory at Winged Foot six years ago, he was two strokes behind Matthew Wolff entering the final round before pulling away from his compatriot down the stretch.
DeChambeau said Saturday that his goal was to play “boring golf” to get over the line, and he seemed to be sticking to his plan by making a steady, if unspectacular, start with six pars and a bogey through the first seven holes.
However, that strategy and its value soon came under enormous scrutiny. Unlike Wolff four years ago, McIlroy showed no signs of fading. On the contrary, he was on fire.
The steely-eyed Northern Irishman was mocking the firm, fast greens that had humbled much of the field all week. After two birdies from over 20 feet, McIlroy scored his fourth in a five-hole stretch on the 13th.
With DeChambeau making bogey on the 12th, McIlroy headed to the next tee box with a two-stroke cushion. The situation had completely changed in less than 20 minutes, but it took just as long to reset when DeChambeau took advantage of a bogey by her opponent to tie just two holes later.
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DeChambeau escapes from the trees.
It set up a climax that would serve as the ultimate test of nerves and DeChambeau blinked first, a birdie opportunity turning into a bogey when his four-foot par putt rolled out of the 15th cup.
Incredibly, however, McIlroy would mirror the error from even closer range just moments later to lose his lead and set in motion a crisis that would rival his infamous collapse at the 2011 Masters.
The small consolation of that spiral at Augusta National, however, was that the victory had all but vanished shortly after it turned.
This time, the nightmare extended to the final two and a half feet, as a simple conversion for par on the 18th green would have forced DeChambeau to birdie to avoid a playoff.
There was a glimmer of hope when DeChambeau went from a hook into the native area into a bunker, but the American recovered magnificently with a stunning 55-yard drive to within four feet of the cup.
Watching anxiously on the clubhouse television, McIlroy could only watch as DeChambeau confidently avoided making the same mistake he did.
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