Bryson DeChambeau, who needed to get up and down from a bunker at 18 to win, hit one of his greatest shots on Sunday and hit a nerve-racking shot to win the US Open.
DeChambeau, having already survived disaster once on Pinehurst’s final hole, blasted a 55-yard bunker to four feet and rolled in a clutch putt to claim his second U.S. Open crown.
“That shot in the dugout was the shot of my life,” DeChambeau said. “I’m so happy I got that shot up and down 18. It’s a dream come true.”
Playing partner Mathieu Pavon, the Frenchman who finished fifth, was even more impressed when he watched DeChambeau’s putt stick hard on a sloping green at lightning speed, sending balls rolling off the hole all week.
“He played unbelievably,” Pavon said. “At the time, with the pressure he was under at that moment, that was just one of the best shots in the history of golf.”
DeChambeau, who also won the 2020 US Open, was on the line after Rory McIlroy squandered a two-stroke lead with three bogeys on the final four holes, most recently by missing a four-foot putt at 18.
DeChambeau, who finished runner-up at the PGA Championship last month with a stroke, did not want to be denied again.
“Oh man, I didn’t want to finish second again. It really shocked the PGA,” he said. “I wanted to get this done.
“As heartbreaking as it was for some people, it was heartbreaking for me at the PGA. I really wanted this.”
He earned it thanks to patience and perseverance, with some support from its bearer, Gregory Boudin, in a moment DeChambeau said he will always remember.
“My holder told me you can do it on 18 from that bunker. Greg told me, ‘You’ve got this shot. I’ve seen much harder shots pulled off you,'” DeChambeau said.
Ji-Bo just said, “Bryson, just lift the ball up and down.” That’s all you have to do. I’ve done this many times before. I’ve seen some crazy shots from you from 50 yards away.” From the bunker.
“And I’ve had amazing ups and downs in the past.”
When McIlroy opened the door for DeChambeau to win, he was on the left flank trying to hit despite Root.
“I was actually worried that I might hurt myself coming out of that,” DeChambeau said. “I was trying to play it to the left of that bunker, play it into the green, and hit a two-putt for myself.
“I had no hold back. I was like, ‘Okay, I’ve got to hack it. Hopefully it’ll still go well, but it didn’t. It snapped and went into the bunker, which is one of the worst places I could have been.'” It has been.
“There’s a lot of luck that has to happen and going there. I knew if I could give 100% on every shot, I would give myself a good chance.”
– A win for Abi and Payne –
After waiting four years for his second major, DeChambeau said he knew the impending failure would motivate McIlroy.
“I’m sure this will add fire to Rory. He’s a strong-minded person,” DeChambeau said. “Rory will do it. I’d like to get into more fights with him.”
He hopes not to be left behind with five holes to play.
“I’m like, ‘Man, he’s shooting, he’s going to do it.’ “So I had to put my foot on the pedal and push down hard, too,” DeChambeau said of his duel with McIlroy. “It definitely pushed me. Seeing him forward allowed me to focus a little more.”
It also helped DeChambeau focus on memories of his late father and Payne Stewart, whose 1999 U.S. Open win at Pinehurst just months before his death was on his thoughts all week.
“Every time I pass the ball, just focus. You’ve done it before. You can do it again,” DeChambeau said.
“In the back of my mind, my dad was pushing me. Payne was in the back of my mind, too. I wanted to do it for them.”
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