| -6 B DeChambeau (US); E M Wolff (US); +2 L Oosthuizen (SA); +3 H English (US); +4 X Schauffele (US); +5 D Johnson (US), W Zalatoris (US) |
| Selected others: +6 R McIlroy (NI), J Thomas (US), T Finau (US); +7 L Westwood (Eng), P Reed (US); +8 P Casey (Eng); +10 J Rahm (Spa); +15 S Lowry (Ire) |
American Bryson DeChambeau produced a wonderful final-round display to win the US Open by six shots and claim the first major title of his career.
The 27-year-old was the only player to break par at the notoriously difficult Winged Foot, winning on six under par.
Renowned for his big-hitting approach, the world number nine showed maturity and composure to card an impressive three-under 67 at the New York course.
Matthew Wolff faded on the back nine, shooting 75 to finish second at level.
South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen, who finished third at two over, and Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy were the only non-Americans to place inside the top 10.
World number four McIlroy ended joint eighth at six over par after a final-day 75 that included two double bogeys, while England’s Lee Westwood was a stroke further back.
DeChambeau’s march to the title
DeChambeau began the day two behind overnight leader Wolff but was firmly in control by the time they hit the final stretch after playing the front nine in 33 shots – two under par.
Wolff, hoping to become the first debutant to win the championship since Francis Ouimet in 1907, dropped four shots in his closing nine holes, while DeChambeau had one birdie and eight pars.
He becomes only the second player to win the men’s US Open at Winged Foot with a score under par, joining 1984 champion Fuzzy Zoeller.
“It’s just an honour, it has been a lot of hard work,” he said
“At nine, that was when I first thought this could be a reality. I made an eagle, I had shocked myself to do that, and I thought ‘I can do it’.
“Then I said ‘no, you have to focus on each and every hole’. Throughout the back nine I kept saying ‘no, you still have three, four, five holes to go’, whatever it was.
“I had to keep focused and make sure I executed each shot the best I could do.”
‘Scientist’ DeChambeau proves the doubters wrong
DeChambeau’s unique methods have divided opinion since he turned professional in 2016. Fans find them innovative, critics call them irritating.
The former physics student’s experiments have seen him dubbed ‘The Scientist’, tinkering with oversized grips, cutting all his clubs to the same length and most recently piling on more than 40lbs in the past year.
That helped turn him into the longest average driver on the PGA Tour last season and he said in the build-up to the US Open he would look to overpower the difficult West Course at Winged Foot.
DeChambeau claims to have been fuelling his muscle growth with a 3,000-3,500 calorie daily diet that packs in 400g of protein, and his length off the tee has helped fuel the debate around whether tournament balls should be introduced.
But for all the tinkering, chuntering and pursuit of power, the American showed great composure and an air of calmness to execute his game plan on a superb final day at Mamaroneck.
The obsessive DeChambeau was at the practice range under the floodlights on Saturday night after only hitting three fairways during a third-round 70, and the work paid off.
He wiped out his two-shot deficit to Wolff within four holes. Wolff bogeyed the par-three third before DeChambeau rolled in his opening birdie of the day at the fourth.
When 21-year-old Wolff dropped another shot at five, DeChambeau was the sole leader.
Both then bogeyed the eighth to give the rest of the field a sniff, only to card a pair of eagles on the par-five ninth to turn it into a two-horse race.
It soon became a DeChambeau procession.
A frustrated Wolff, who carded a superb 65 on Saturday, fell away with bogeys at 10 and 14, before a double bogey at 16 ended any slim hopes he held of victory in only his second major appearance.
“I battled hard. Things just didn’t go my way,” said Wolff. “But first US Open, second place is something to be proud of.”
DeChambeau, who finished tied fourth with Wolff at last month’s US PGA Championship, rolled in another birdie at 11 and proceeded to complete a bogey-free back nine.
It meant, as he headed to the 18th tee with a six-shot lead, there would be none of the drama that accompanied the last US Open to be staged at Winged Foot, when Geoff Ogilvy won by one stroke at five over par after Phil Mickelson and Colin Montgomerie double bogeyed the last.
Instead, DeChambeau was able to look into the camera and send love to his family as he walked up the fairway, before rolling in a par putt and roaring in delight.
More to follow.
Article courtesy of BBC Sport
Source link
