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Mark Schlabach, ESPN Senior Writer
PINEHURST, NC — The 18th hole at Pinehurst No. 2 on Sunday turned LIV Golf League captain Bryson DeChambeau into the US Open champion again – and left Rory McIlroy still trying to end a drought of almost 10 years without a major championship victory after arguably the most heartbreaking near-miss of his career.
After watching McIlroy inexplicably miss his second short par putt in three holes on the 18th, DeChambeau hit a difficult putt from near a tree root on the fairway and into a fairway bunker. From 55 yards away, he chipped to about 4 feet and sunk the par putt to finish 6 in – 1 shot more than McIlroy.
“I was going to try and birdie the hole on 18, obviously, if I hit a good drive, but it was pulled,” DeChambeau said. “But I know where Rory is. After my tee shot, I’m up there going, ‘Man, if he makes par, I don’t know how I’m going to beat him.’ I really don’t know.
With DeChambeau and McIlroy tied at 6 under – and McIlroy playing in the group ahead of the final – both players pulled their tee shots into the unpredictable original area near the grandstand on the left side of the fairway on No.
McIlroy’s ball came to rest behind a large clump of wiregrass about 123 meters from the hole. The only option is to blast the ball through the grass and up the fairway. His approach stopped just short of the green. He chipped to 4 feet and missed the par putt. He made a short bogey putt and could only watch DeChambeau finish.
McIlroy watched DeChambeau’s winning putt on TV in the scorer’s room. He sped out of the players’ parking lot in a polite SUV less than 10 minutes later. He did not speak to the media.
“Rory is one of the best to ever play,” DeChambeau said. “For him to go up against something big like that is special. For him to miss that putt, I wouldn’t wish it on anybody.
As DeChambeau teed off the 18th green as a two-time US Open champion, he screamed, “It’s Payne, baby!” He was referring to Payne Stewart, who beat Phil Mickelson by 1 stroke with a 15-foot par putt on the 72nd hole of the 1999 US Open at Pinehurst No.
Stewart died in a plane crash on October 25, 1999. DeChambeau said seeing the mural of Stewart was one of the reasons he decided to attend SMU.
DeChambeau called that chip out of the bunker on the 18th hole “the best shot of my life.”
“I just tried to land where I landed and open to the right,” DeChambeau said. “I remember Payne’s putt and how it broke up there, and I know that it means a lot to go up and down to win this prestigious championship that will shine in my life. I still can’t believe it. It’s unbelievable”.
Matthieu Pavon, who played with DeChambeau, called his work on number 18 a “master class.”
“What’s amazing about Bryson is that he can’t hit the ball,” Pavon said. “Everyone knows that. But I was surprised by the quality of his short game at 18. He is a very good player. He has no weaknesses, and he is a very good champion.”
DeChambeau, the 2020 US Open champion at Winged Foot Golf Club in New York, started the final round with a 3-stroke lead. He briefly lost to McIlroy on the back nine before pulling out at the end.
DeChambeau carded a 1-over 71 in the final round. He became the first US Open champion to record a score over par in the final round since Graeme McDowell (3-over 74) at Pebble Beach Golf Links in 2010.
“When I turned the corner and saw myself a couple back, I said, ‘No, I will not let that happen. I have to focus on figuring out how to make this happen,’ “said DeChambeau. “I was a little lucky. Rory didn’t make a couple of putts that could have come in.”
McIlroy posted a 1-under 69 and finished runner-up in a major for the fourth time in his career. He also finished second solo, 1 stroke behind Wyndham Clark, at the 2023 US Open at Los Angeles Country Club. He became the second player in the last 40 years to finish runner-up by 1 shot in the same major in consecutive years; Jim Furyk did it at the US Open in 2006-07.
Tony Finau (3-under 67) and Patrick Cantlay (even-par 70) are tied for third at 4 under. Pavon, who is trying to become the first golfer from France to win the US Open, is tied for fifth after shooting a 1-over 71 on Sunday.
The first US Open played at Pinehurst No. McIlroy is trying to win his first major since the 2014 PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky.
After finally taking the lead from DeChambeau with a birdie on No. 9, 10, 12 and 13 became the first golfer to reach 8 under for a 2-shot advantage, McIlroy had one of the most memorable finishes of the final round leader. in majors.
McIlroy carded bogeys on No. 15, 16 and 18 to get back to 5 under. On the par-3 15th, he hit a tee shot on the green and couldn’t get up and down for par.
After DeChambeau missed a 4-foot par putt on No. 15 to give McIlroy a 1-shot lead, McIlroy inexplicably hit a 2½-foot par putt on No. 16 very hard and lipped out. He missed a putt within 3 feet all season.
McIlroy played the final four holes in 3 over, becoming the first runner-up by a stroke to do so at the US Open since Mickelson in 2006, according to ESPN Stats & Information data. Mickelson also played 15-18 on 3 and lost to Geoff Ogilvy by 1 stroke.
“He’s going to win a lot of major championships, there’s no doubt about it,” DeChambeau said. “I think that fire in him will continue to grow. I have nothing but respect for the way he plays golf because, honestly, when he goes up on the leaderboard, he’s 2 ahead, I’m like, ‘Uh-oh, uh-oh .’ But luckily it happened today.”
