Rory McIlroy finished runner-up for the second successive year after carding three bogeys in his last four holes; Bryson DeChambeau snatched a one-shot victory at Pinehurst No 2 to win the US Open for a second time
Monday 17 June 2024 17:47, UK
Bryson DeChambeau said he hopes for lots more final-round battles with Rory McIlroy and believes the Northern Irishman's collapse over the final few holes of their epic US Open battle will only fuel his quest for a fifth major title.
DeChambeau took a three-shot lead into the final day at Pinehurst but found himself two behind before birdieing the 13th. McIlroy then bogeyed three of his final four holes, missing two putts from inside four feet over the closing stretch, handing the 30-year-old American his second US Open.
"Rory is one of the best to ever play," DeChambeau said. "Being able to fight against a great like that is pretty special. I'd love to have a lot more battles with him.
"I have nothing but respect for how he plays the game of golf... to be honest, when he was climbing up the leaderboard, I was like, 'Uh-oh', but luckily things went my way today.
"For him to miss that putt [on the 18th], I'd never wish it on anybody.
"I'm sure it will fuel Rory's fire even more. He's a strong-minded individual. He'll win multiple more major championships, there's no doubt."
McIlroy second missed put from short range, this one from inside four feet at 18, gifted DeChambeau a one-stroke lead, only for him to pull his tee shot into the native area and miss the green with his second.
What followed, however was extraordinary, with DeChambeau's chip out of the front-right bunker hailed by Dame Laura Davies on Sky Sports as "one of the all-time greats up-and-downs to win a major championship".
"That bunker shot was the shot of my life," DeChambeau reflected.
"I knew where Rory was. After my tee shot, I was up there going, 'Man, if he makes par, I don't know how I'm going to beat him'. I just really didn't know.
"Then I heard the moans. It was like a shot of adrenaline got in me. I said, 'Okay, you can do this'.
"I'm so happy I got that shot up-and-down."
DeChambeau's insistence on McIlroy's ability to bounce back from this latest major near-miss is perhaps based on his win here following swiftly off the back of a second-placed finish to Xander Schauffele at the PGA Championship last month - albeit in not quite such heart-breaking fashion.
Reflecting on that disappointment, as well as his eagerness to win at Pinehurst, DeChambeau paid tribute to his father, who died in 2022, and one of his golfing idols, the late Payne Stewart, who was victorious on the same course at the 1999 US Open.
"Oh, man, I didn't want to finish second again," DeChambeau said. "The PGA really stung. Xander played magnificent.
"I wanted to get this one done, especially at such a special place that means so much to me, SMU [Southern Methodist University where DeChambeau and Stewart both studied], my dad, what Payne meant to him, the 1000th USGA championship. Stack them on top."
He added: "I don't know what to think. It fully hasn't sunk in yet. As much as it is heart-breaking for some people, it was heartbreak for me at the PGA. I really wanted this one.
"I was a little lucky. Rory didn't make a couple of putts that he could have coming in. I had an amazing up and down on the last.
"I don't know what else to say. It's a dream come true."
McIlroy is due to be back in action at the Travelers Championship, the latest of the PGA Tour's Signature Events, with early coverage live on Thursday from 12.30pm via the red button and 5pm on Sky Sports Golf.
The final men's major of the year is The Open, taking place at Royal Troon from July 18-21, where DeChambeau will again be among the pre-tournament favourites. Stream the PGA Tour, majors and more with NOW.
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