Bryson DeChambeau, 27, was reading from his worn out notebook all day. It was an examination unlike any other he had faced in life, and he needed all the help he could muster. Matthew Wolff is only 21, but when he is on a golf course, wise beyond the tenderness of his age. The two men battled out for major glory and shone the light on the deep treasure of wealth in golf. Dechambeau pulled clear on the back nine, never taking his foot off the pedal to clinch a six-stroke victory over a determined Wolff.
DeChambeau produced one of the most memorable final round performances ever witnessed at the Winged Foot Golf Club for a commanding victory over Wolff. It is the first major of DeChambeau developing career, one that promises to be enriched by the curiosity of the young man and his ability to execute his plans with unfailing efficiency.
The bleeding began long before the final group made its way to the first tee on Sunday. Any illusions harboured by Bryson DeChambeau and Matthew Wolff may have been dispelled very quickly as they watched their colleagues being disrobed gently by an unrelenting Winged Foot. The US Open has always been a great test of golfing skills and the USGA wasn’t ready to let its guard down even as the power packed marauders threatened to turn into savage warriors.
Only Erik van Rooyen and Taylor Pendrith managed to stay even on Sunday as the top contenders made their way to the middle. At 10-over the two men finished just inside the top 30. It was hard as nails as the USGA set the greens to a low 13 on the stimp and the gusts started to pick up. Later in the day, Dustin Johnson also shot 70 to secure a finish in T5 with Will Zalatoris and Xander Schauffele.
DeChambeau began the day with laser like focus. Even as Wolff conceded bogeys on the third and fifth, DeChambeau picked up a birdie on the par-4 fourth hole, reversing roles at the top of the leaderboard. After a powerful drive to clear the fairway bunker on the left, the rough did not matter for DeChambeau, who made a 15 foot birdie putt seem simpler than it was.
Meanwhile, in the groups ahead, Rory McIlroy’s hopes of a Sunday revival melted quickly. A double bogey at the first and two other bogeys left him licking his wounds. A birdie at the ninth salvaged his pride, but as he made the turn he needed a superlative final stretch to push higher up the order.
McIlroy made a birdie at the eleventh, but a bogey-double at the 15th and 16th put paid to his hopes of a good finish. In the end he settled for T10 with a final round 75, that must have left him disappointed, pursing his lips in agony as he marched away.
Bryson dropped a shot on the eighth hole when his approach overshot the green. He had to work off an uncomfortable lie in the thick fringe and even though he played a good shot, he needed two putts from 12 feet to drop back to 3-under. Unfotunately, Wolff saw his putt slide left of the cup, down to 2-under.
At the ninth, a par-5, both golfers reached the green in two. Wolff left himself nicely below the cup. DeChambeau was lying forty feet to the left, with the gentlest of breaks along the path to an eagle. He played the putt to perfection, reading pace and line like a well rehearsed line. Wolff responded with an eagle, the two contenders skipping past the bend, separated by just a solitary stroke.
At the start of the day Wolff came out with a two-stroke advantage over DeChambeau. The roles reversed fully when Wolff made a bogey at the par-3 10th hole, Bryson gaining a two-stroke cushion as the US Open rolled into its climactic stages. The advantage grew to three when the bulky scientist eked out a birdie on the 11th, moving to 6-under.
The task became harder for Wolff when sailed left into the rough with his tee shot at the 14th hole. Bryson, composed and locked in, produced a serene par to tighten his grip on the US Open. But then, it has been said before and it will be said again. The US Open, especially at Winged Foot, is played over the final four holes leading to the timeless clubhouse.
Wolff, increasingly frustrated at not being able to challenge DeChambeau played rather poorly on the 16th, for a double bogey. That stretched his deficit to six strokes with just two holes left to play.
After another par on the 17th, Bryson sailed right off the 18th tee. He made 23 of 56 fairways this week. You read that right. And as he has all week, he played well enough from the rough to save par, despite catching the false front and rolling down the front of the green. It was emblematic too, as no hurdle was high enough for DeChambeau in the 120th US Open.
Bryson DeChambeau joined Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as the only men to have won the NCAA, US Amateur and the US Open. A very exclusive club.
