Bryson DeChambeau celebrates a fabulous US Open win
Bryson DeChambeau celebrates a fabulous US Open win

US Open report: Bryson DeChambeau dominates on final day to win US Open


Bryson DeChambeau produced one of the most impressive final rounds in memory to win his first major championship at the US Open.


Leaderboard

-6 DeChambeau

E Wolff

+2 Oosthuizen

+3 English

+4 Schauffele

+5 D Johnson, Zalatories


On a day where Winged Foot played five shots over its par, DeChambeau was the only player in the entire field to break 70 - and he did so from the pressure of the final group to run out a six-shot winner over Matthew Wolff, the rest playing in a separate tournament for third place.

It was a performance of power and finesse, control and aggression; one that sucked all drama from the tournament such was the manner in which he pulled apart this fearsome golf course. Seldom has anyone looked so in control when they ought to be facing stiff questions. Only four players in the last half-century won the US Open by a greater margin.

Wolff had seen his two-shot lead become a one-shot deficit in the space of the first five holes, and while he stayed one behind as the pair headed to the 10th tee, from there DeChambeau pulled away. The title was effectively secured with a par putt at the 14th and is the culmination of a remarkable transformation which has seen him pile on muscle and become one of the biggest hitters in the sport.

A self-styled scientist who has experimented throughout his burgeoning career, DeChambeau now has the validation he was looking for. Earlier this summer he bullied his way to the Rocket Mortgage Classic, again beating Wolff, but this was proof: his way, this new way, produces results. Few rounds of 67 have been as meaningful as this one.

That battle for third place was won by Louis Oosthuizen, with Harris English fourth as his fine year continued. Xander Schauffele made five bogeys in a row from the 13th to the 17th, but signed off another fine US Open performance with a birdie for fifth place, with world number one Dustin Johnson climbing to sixth thanks to a level-par final round which was three worse than DeChambeau's, beaten by nobody else.

Entering the final round it was clear through the early starters that the first five holes held the key. Each was brutal, and just before the leaders reached the tee both Rory McIlroy and Hideki Matsuyama ran up double-bogeys. McIlroy would rally before a poor finish saw him finish eighth, as Matsuyama's round spiralled out of control.

Wolff and DeChambeau played the first two as though this was indeed that Rocket Mortgage Classic and not a brutal US Open. In doing so, they began to close the door and make this a personal battle, which still appeared the case when they traded places as Wolff bogeyed the third and fifth holes with a DeChambeau birdie between them at the fourth.

DeChambeau's only mistake came at the eighth, where Wolff also dropped a shot, but it was at the par-five ninth where the pair confirmed that everyone else had better let go of their US Open dreams until next June. Putting first, DeChambeau holed for eagle from 40 feet, before Wolff followed him in from 10.

Wolff though dropped a shot at the 10th, where his approach found sand, and when DeChambeau holed a putt from just short of the 11th green, the gap was three. It became four when Wolff bogeyed the 14th, where DeChambeau saved par from 10 feet, and that looked to be the tournament finished ahead of time. The leader was driving it long and with a controlled draw and never did he look to be in serious trouble.

Pars all the way home completed the job for DeChambeau as Wolff's fading hopes were extinguished for good with a double-bogey at the 16th. Only one man finished under-par in a US Open played at a course considered to be one of the toughest on the rotation. So it proved for 143 of the players in the field for the 120th edition. The other was in a league of his own.

Bryson DeChambeau produced a display of total dominance to win the US Open
Bryson DeChambeau produced a display of total dominance to win the US Open

Asked how it felt to be called the US Open champion, DeChambeau said: “It sounds amazing, but surreal. It’s been a lot of hard work.

“It’s one of those things that doesn’t really hit you – it’s not going to hit me until tonight, but I will say that my parents have given so much up for me. I mean, there were times that I went to school without any lunch money, and we had to make baloney sandwiches and didn’t have anything to eat.

“We had some very, very difficult times, but every single day they always wanted the best for me, and they always gave me the opportunity to go golf, go practice, and go get better.

“This one’s for my parents, it’s for my whole team. All the work, all the blood, sweat, and tears we put into it, it just means the world to me.”

DeChambeau’s physical transformation has been the main talking point since golf’s return to action following the coronavirus shutdown, the American putting on 20lbs of muscle to become one of the game’s biggest hitters.

The experiment appeared to bear fruit, with three straight top 10s followed by a sixth PGA Tour title. But the jury was out over whether it would work on the harder courses used for major championships, where thick rough is meant to penalise wayward drives.

A share of fourth in the US PGA Championship at Harding Park appeared to prove that it could, and DeChambeau removed any lingering doubt with his power-packed performance at Winged Foot.

Asked if the win validated his approach, DeChambeau added: “A hundred per cent, no doubt.

“For me, it’s about the journey of – can I execute every shot more repeatably than everybody else? I was able to do that this week. That’s why I won by six.

“Any major were all ones that I wanted to win, but I knew that my game would fit best for a US Open. The reason for that is I always felt growing up, in college, I was always a super straight driver of the golf ball, super great iron player.

“Putting was always iffy, but I knew I could get around it on fast, quick greens. I’ve become a great putter, and my ball striking has improved consistently, and now I’ve got an advantage with this length, and that’s all she wrote.”

Like what you've read?

MOST READ

Sporting Life
Join for free!
Access to exclusive features all for FREE - No monthly subscription fee
Race Replays
My stable horse tracker
giftOffers and prize draws
newsExclusive content

Next Off

Fixtures & Results

Fetching latest games....
We are committed to Safer Gambling and have a number of self-help tools to help you manage your gambling. We also work with a number of independent charitable organisations who can offer help and answers any questions you may have.
Gamble Aware LogoGamble Helpline LogoGamstop LogoGordon Moody LogoSafer Gambling Standard LogoGamban Logo18+ LogoTake Time To Think Logo