US Open final leaderboard
-6 DeChambeau (US); -5 McIlroy (NI); -4 Cantlay, Finau (US); -3 Pavon (Fra); -2 Matsuyama (Jap); -1 Schauffele, Henley (US)
Selected others: +1 Aberg (Swe); +2 Morikawa (US); +3 Fleetwood (Eng); +4 Rai (Eng); +6 Hatton (Eng); +8 Scheffler (US), McKibbin (NI)
Rory McIlroy missed the chance to end a 10-year wait for a major title as three bogeys in his final four holes allowed Bryson DeChambeau to snatch the US Open.
It was a heartbreaking end to a previously vintage performance from the Northern Irishman after he had overhauled a three-shot deficit to the American to lead by two with five to play.
However, short par putt misses at 16 and 18 proved terminal with DeChambeau showing his class to make par when in trouble at the last to clinch his second major championship.
DeChambeau hit his second shot at the par-four 18th into a bunker 50 yards from the hole, but described his third from the sand as “the shot of my life” after it set up a four-foot putt to win the title.
“That was huge to get up and down and win this prestigious championship – that will be the highlight of my life,” added DeChambeau, who also won this title in 2020.
It is the fourth time McIlroy has finished second at a major since winning his fourth and last at the US PGA Championship in 2014.
It was a thrilling denouement to a gruelling test over four days at Pinehurst’s fabled Number Two course in North Carolina.
The first 14 holes of the final round belonged to McIlroy as he reeled in overnight leader DeChambeau before overhauling him thanks to some superb long-range birdie putts.
However, McIlroy’s touch on the greens completely deserted him down the stretch as he missed from inside three feet on 16 and then four feet on 18, presenting DeChambeau, playing in the group behind, with the opportunity to seal victory.
“Rory is one of the best to ever play,” said DeChambeau. “Being able to fight against a great like that is pretty special. For him to miss that putt [on 18], I’d never wish it on anybody. Luckily, things went my way.”
The champion’s own journey down the 18th was not without trouble, finding wasteland off the tee and then being marooned in a bunker off the front of the green following his second shot.
However, he found the scrambling magic he needed to win the trophy.
As the popular American celebrated wildly amid raucous scenes around the 18th green, a dejected McIlroy watched on from the scoring room before quickly departing, without talking to the media, with caddie Harry Diamond in tow.
DeChambeau finds form when it matters
DeChambeau’s previous US Open victory at Winged Foot came during a time when he had bulked up his physique and was deliberately pushing the boundaries of golf with his ferocious ball-striking and distance off the tee.
Four years on, he reclaims the trophy as a more measured and composed golfer, who can combine brutal hitting with deft touch and a calculated approach around some of the game’s toughest courses.
He had already claimed a share of fourth at the Masters and second place at the US PGA Championship in 2024 before being the only player to shoot the first three rounds of this tournament under par.
He led by three shots going into the final day; however, at a championship that labels itself the ‘toughest test in golf’ even such a lead is far from a sure thing.
Only 65% of players have won with that advantage after 54 holes and back in 2005, Retief Goosen was leapfrogged by Michael Campbell at this very course.
For much of the fourth round, it looked like DeChambeau was going the same way.
His previously trusty drive deserted him, perhaps after having to change his club in practice before his round, often spraying right into the gnarly native grasses.
He made just two birdies and three bogeys but crucially kept himself in the hunt to emerge victorious in a tense finale.
The layout of the course meant DeChambeau could “see where [McIlroy] was almost on every hole from 13 on in”.
“I even saw on 10 where he made birdie,” said the LIV Golf player.
“I’m like, ‘oh, man, he’s gunning, he’s going for it’. So I had to put my foot on the pedal and push down pretty hard.
“I could hear ‘Rory, Rory’ chants. That was fun because it gave me the knowledge of what I had to do.
“There was also a lot of, ‘go USA, go Europe’. It was a fun battle between us.”
Given his clear rapport with the fans, it seems an eternity since his different approach to the game brought disdain from golfing purists.
When his winning putt dropped, the celebrations reverberated around Pinehurst and he mouthed “can you believe that?” to the TV cameras, before bouncing around the green with his caddie and support team.
After the presentation, he charged into the group of fans lining the 18th fairway, honouring his pledge to allow them to touch the trophy, before posing with it for photos in what will now forever be his bunker.
McIlroy stumbles in sight of finish
Of course, DeChambeau ought not to have been in position to win the trophy on the 18th.
McIlroy holed four birdies in his opening 14 holes and had the crowd chanting “Rory, Rory, Rory” when he drained a brilliant 27-footer on 13 to move two shots clear.
At that point, he had found the right balance between playing conservative golf on a tough course and going for broke when required.
It had also helped that his putter was on fire.
Ironic then it was the flatstick that deserted him when he needed it most.
Before this round, McIlroy was 496 from 496 for putts inside three feet this season but watched in horror as his ball lipped out on the 16th for a second straight bogey.
If that opened the door for DeChambeau, missing another short one on the 18th, after a splendid recovery from a wayward tee shot, ultimately cost him at least a play-off.
McIlroy has come close before, many times now, but after improving top-10 finishes in each of the past five US Opens, a second straight runners-up medal after losing by one shot to Wyndham Clark at LA Country Club in 2023, will sting.
His next bid to end his long major drought will start in five weeks at The Open in Troon, Scotland.
Pinehurst a bruising challenge for world’s elite
The last time the US Open was held at Pinehurst in 2014 only three players finished under par with Germany’s Martin Kaymer an outlier winner by eight.
Once again, it proved a bruising test for the world’s best with only eight players managing to end in the red.
Playing with McIlroy, Patrick Cantlay was his usual methodical self but never heated up enough to really challenge the lead. Fellow American Tony Finau shot an excellent three-under 67 for his third round in the 60s to join Cantlay at four under.
Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg had lit up Pinehurst Number Two through 36 holes, but continued his struggles from Saturday, an early triple bogey effectively knocking him out of the running and a 73 saw him finish one over.
Meanwhile, England’s Tommy Fleetwood, who is the only player in history to have multiple rounds of 63 on the final day at the US Open, was again on form on Sunday, carding a two-under 68 to finish at three over par, one ahead of compatriot Aaron Rai.
However, it was disappointment for Tyrrell Hatton who started at one under but slumped to six over par with a final round of 77.
That did at least beat the world number one, Scottie Scheffler, whose two-over 72 left him eight over par for the tournament, alongside Northern Ireland’s Tom McKibbin.