Bryson DeChambeau wins US Open by six shots – as it happened
bryson #bryson
6.36pm EDT 18:36
Time to sign off. Bryson will head back into the lab, ready to cook up a winning strategy for a November Masters. Can anyone stop him? You’ll have to join Scott Murray to find out. I’ll leave you with Ewan Murray’s report.
Bryson DeChambeau is a major winner. He holds as many US Open titles as Tom Watson and Gary Player, which is one more than Seve Ballesteros and Nick Faldo. The professor isn’t so nutty after all. He may, in fact, have changed the shape of golf inside four competitive rounds.
6.25pm EDT 18:25
DeChambeau’s six-under-par total is the lowest score at any US Open at Winged Foot. He carded just one bogey today, and finished at least level in every round. He was, in truth, the only player to master this ferociously tough course over the last four days.
After bulking up and coming back to the Tour swinging, DeChambeau winning a major was always going to shake up the game. Winning in such dominant, decisive fashion could permanently change the landscape of golf.
6.20pm EDT 18:20
DeChambeau says it’s “an honour” to join the list with Nicklaus and Woods. He’s full of praise for coach Chris Como, who he credits with the transformation in his physique and technique that has led him here.
“It’s been a lot of hard work,” he adds. “To be in that company, it’s special, I’ll forever appreciate that. On nine, that was the first time I thought ‘this could be a reality’. I shocked myself by making that eagle putt, but then I told myself ‘no’. Just play the next hole.”
6.15pm EDT 18:15
Presentation time! DeChambeau puts on the Jack Nicklaus medal, and lifts the US Open trophy. “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe it!” he says.
Bryson starts by thanking his sponsors, his backroom team – and he also has words of encouragement for John Pak, the leading amateur in this year’s tournament. DeChambeau is the third player to win the US amateur title and the US Open; the other two are Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.
6.11pm EDT 18:11
DeChambeau showed barely a flicker of emotion out there, but the sight of his parents on a video screen sets him off. “Thank you for sacrificing everything for me,” he says. “You’ve worked so hard for this, you deserve it so much,” says Mum. “Do you know how many records you just set?” says Dad. It must be a little weird for Bryson not having the family here.
6.08pm EDT 18:08
US Open: final leaderboard
T6: D Johnson, Zalatoris 285.T8: Finau, Thomas, Simpson, Z Johnson, McIlroy 286.
Updated at 6.13pm EDT
6.03pm EDT 18:03
Can Matthew Wolff, who saw his title dream trampled, at least finish with a birdie? No – it misses by a couple of inches. That means he ends the day five-over, and bang on par for the week. He’s also finished second at his first US Open, a fine achievement. He didn’t do a whole lot wrong today; DeChambeau was just on another level.
5.59pm EDT 17:59
Bryson DeChambeau wins the 120th US Open! Bryson DeChambeau celebrates his first major title. Photograph: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
A second bogey of the round would be absolutely fine, but Bryson wants more – and rolls in the par putt to complete a spectacular, dominant win!
Updated at 6.11pm EDT
5.58pm EDT 17:58
The walk to the 18th green as a major winner isn’t usually like this – only a polite ripple of applause meets the champion-elect as he climbs the hill. His pitch up onto the green looks to have drifted, but spins back to within six feet. He’ll have a par putt to seal the deal …
5.55pm EDT 17:55
That miss means DeChambeau has hit 23 fairways this week – an all-time US Open low, beating Ángel Cabrera’s 2007 tally of 27. His second shot rolls away from the green – one of very few outright mistakes he’s made today. It won’t matter.
5.51pm EDT 17:51
DeChambeau’s final tee shot of this US Open is a fraction off the fairway. “Damn, I wanted to hit that fairway”, he mutters, still scribbling furiously in his notepad. Finally, a hint that he knows it’s close. “Mom, Dad, Garrett [his brother], love ya. One more hole.”
5.46pm EDT 17:46
DeChambeau is in an awkward spot on the lip of a greenside bunker, and has a lengthy chat with the referee about taking a drop. Wolff just wants this over with, rolling his birdie putt up and tidying up for par. The champion-elect does the same, and takes a six-shot lead onto the final hole.
Xander Schauffele’s day did not pan out as planned, but a fifth-placed finish means he has placed in the top six at his first four US Opens. The last player to do that was Bobby Jones, back in the 1920s.
Updated at 5.47pm EDT
5.42pm EDT 17:42
Oosthuizen and Matsuyama, the penultimate pair to go out, have had very different days. The South African birdies the 18th to finish above English in third, just two over par. Matsuyama, a real contender going into the final day, finished eight over par, tied for 17th.
Louis Oosthuizen’s birdie on the final hole ended a solid week for the South African. Photograph: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
Updated at 5.45pm EDT
5.36pm EDT 17:36
On duff logos, Scott Blair says: “Jack Nicklaus has an actual Golden Bear as the logo on his Nicklaus Companies website. I’d be far more ostentatious than both of them, if I was famously successful at, well, anything.”
5.36pm EDT 17:36
Harris English ends a superb week with a disappointing three-putt, missing the chance to finish third outright. He never really threatened to take the trophy home, but it’s been a great under-the-radar effort from a player who was fighting for his PGA Tour card not so long ago.
5.33pm EDT 17:33
Wolff’s double bogey means DeChambeau is the only player under par – either for the day, or the whole week. He’s been absolutely dominant, and I doff my flat, Puma-emblazoned chapeau to him.
Matthew Wolff faded badly on the final day but will be encouraged by an overall strong performance. Photograph: Justin Lane/EPA
Updated at 5.37pm EDT
5.31pm EDT 17:31
Leaderboard: DeChambeau leads by six!
-6: DeChambeau (16)E: Wolff (16)+2: English (17)+3: Oosthuizen (17)
5.29pm EDT 17:29
DeChambeau powers onto the green with his second shot, then feathers his putt to within an inch of the cup. He’s played that hole perfectly. Wolff is left with a tough six-foot putt for bogey, and you know what’s coming next. It drifts wide right, and DeChambeau leads by six. He can enjoy the ride now; he’s going to be the US Open champion.
5.26pm EDT 17:26
McIlroy misses a birdie chance at the 18th to wind up on a dispiriting six-over. He’s tied for eighth with a host of other big names: Justin Thomas, Tony Finau, Dustin and Zack Johnson. McIlroy’s figures rather tell the story of his week: 67-76-68-75.
Rory McIlroy ended the tournament on a disappointing six-over par. Photograph: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
A sad end to a fine week for Norway’s Viktor Hovland, who was chasing a top-five finish. Bogey-double-double to end seven-over par. Xander Schauffele has also hit the skids as his slim title hopes disappeared – he’s bogeyed his last five holes.
Updated at 5.28pm EDT
5.20pm EDT 17:20
To the 16th! It’s a 498-yard monster with an awkward dogleg. DeChambeau simply wallops the ball over it, a full 365 yards. Yeesh! Wolff’s tee shot looks tame by comparison, and drops into the rough. He knows it’s over, bar an absolutely spectacular collapse.
5.14pm EDT 17:14
I very much agree with this – although I’ve just twigged that DeChambeau’s logo is his profile, complete with flat cap. And it’s on his flat cap. That’s a bit meta for me. Individual logos for athletes. Bad or bad? Discuss.
Updated at 5.15pm EDT
5.12pm EDT 17:12
Another effortless iron shot sets up a birdie chance for DeChambeau on the 15th. It’s a good 30ft out, but rolling gently downhill. He sends it a foot wide – poor by his standards – but is left a tiddler for par. Wolff stays with him – that’s all he can do now – and DeChambeau holds onto his four-shot lead.
5.08pm EDT 17:08
Going into the final round, you could have argued DeChambeau was under more pressure than anyone. Wolff was the leader, but there’s no shame in falling short on your debut – and everyone else was hoping for a chance to come their way. As DeChambeau steadfastly refused to buckle, they’ve fallen away one by one.
5.05pm EDT 17:05
His game is not the prettiest to watch, and it’s been mighty slow at times today – but I admire any athlete who is prepared to rebuild their game to give themselves the best chance of winning.
5.01pm EDT 17:01
Leaderboard: DeChambeau leads by four!
-6: DeChambeau (14)-2: Wolff (14)+2: English (15), Oosthuizen (15)
5.00pm EDT 17:00
DeChambeau makes no mistake, and now leads the US Open by four shots! Everything is coming up Bryson: third-placed Louis Oosthuizen narrowly misses a par putt at the 15th, and is now eight shots behind.
4.57pm EDT 16:57
Wolff plays up and down onto the green, but leaves himself a 12-footer uphill to rescue par. It breaks left and Wolff waits for it to break back right, but it never does. DeChambeau, who chipped artfully out of the rough, suddenly has a chance from a similar distance to go four clear …
4.50pm EDT 16:50
The leading pair’s straits are not quite as dire as I suggested – they’re on a gentle incline, just left of the fairway. Time for a spot of gouging. DeChambeau can’t find the green, the rough just a little too thick. Wolff gets onto the green, but watches the ball roll, roll, roll away. He’s not getting much luck out there.
Bryson DeChambeau checks his card. Photograph: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
Updated at 5.10pm EDT
4.47pm EDT 16:47
Elsewhere, a nerve-tester for Louis Oosthuizen, who must sink an awkward 10-footer to save par and stay on one-over. And sink it he does! In 90 minutes’ time, that might be huge. Or it might not. No such luck for Harris English, who can’t get enough curl on a downhill, right-to-left par putt.
4.46pm EDT 16:46
DeChambeau and Wolff head to the 14th, perhaps the toughest tee shot of the remaining five holes. The leader’s effort sails 300 yards but drifts left, landing in a ditch over to the left. A chance for Wolff, but to his immense frustration, he ends up in virtually the same spot.
4.41pm EDT 16:41
The bogeys keep on coming – Schauffele slips back to two over, Viktor Hovland to three over. DeChambeau can afford to pump the brakes, pushing his birdie putt on the enormous 13th green to within six feet. Wolff has a better chance for birdie, but comes up six inches short – and another hole is out of the way for DeChambeau, who still leads by three.
4.36pm EDT 16:36
Speaking of which, Rory McIlroy can’t land an awkward downhill par putt at the 15th, and slips back to +4. He’s tied for seventh with playing partner Zach Johnson – not a bad week at all, but what might have been, eh.
4.33pm EDT 16:33
Killian Morgan offers another reason why DeChambeau, aka The Scientist, looks set to prevail: “It’s a laboratory out there. Without a crowd it becomes a less emotional event so the nerd will prevail, I guess. Awful, mechanical to watch but jeez he’s going to get it done isn’t he?”
That’s a little harsh – the power hitting and slow play can take you so far, but he’s showed plenty of skill and composure around the greens, where so many of his rivals have come undone.
Bryson DeChambeau talks with caddie Tim Tucker. Photograph: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
Updated at 4.55pm EDT
4.31pm EDT 16:31
Leaderboard: DeChambeau leads by three
-6: DeChambeau (12)-3: Wolff (12)+1: Schauffele (13), English (13), Oosthuizen (13)+2: Hovland (15)
4.28pm EDT 16:28
A tough break for Wolff, whose excellent approach shot catches the wrong part of an undulating green and spins some 20ft back. He’s not happy, dropping an F-bomb or two on his long walk up to the green. His birdie effort is close, but not close enough.
DeChambeau has a chance to extend his lead with an extreme left-to-right breaker. It’s wide of the mark, but he’ll tap in for par. Wolff at least rolls in a tricky par to keep the margin at three shots.
Is time running out for Matthew Wolff to pull himself back into this? Photograph: Justin Lane/EPA
Updated at 4.37pm EDT
4.22pm EDT 16:22
Can anybody from the chasing pack put pressure on our leader? He’s still capable of blowing up, even if there’s been no sign today. Oosthuizen is heading in the wrong direction, caught up in rough on the 12th but scrambling to save par.
At the 13th, a tremendously tricky up-and-down green causes both Schauffele and English to drop shots. They’re now seven shots behind DeChambeau. Has ‘The Scientist’ found the formula for a first major?
4.14pm EDT 16:14
DeChambeau’s power has attracted headlines, but his coolness and consistency have got him into this position. All the more impressive given his struggles just a couple of months ago:
4.11pm EDT 16:11
… because from the back of the green, DeChambeau rolls in a brilliant birdie to go three shots clear! He’s turned a two-shot deficit into a three-shot advantage, and is now undeniably the man to beat.
4.09pm EDT 16:09
Wolff is in the right spot, but he can’t execute his approach shot with the wedge, sending it into rough to the right of the green. A poor effort, but he recovers by digging out for a chance at par.
DeChambeau is onto the green from his own particular spot of bother, but feels like the bounce was unfair. “That’s too soft!” he bellows. “That was a great shot.” Positivity is everything …
4.04pm EDT 16:04
DeChambeau’s tee shot on the 11th zips dangerously close to a bunker, coming to rest in rough just in front of the sand trap. Wolff can’t match his opponent for distance, but finds a better line and rocks up nicely on the fairway.
As for Rory McIlroy, he continues a tidy round with pars at the 12th and 13th. That opening double bogey looks to have left him too much to do – he’s eight shots behind leader DeChambeau.
3.59pm EDT 15:59
“How?!” shouts an irked Matthew Wolff, as his par putt fades left. He’s seen a couple of those drift away today, and DeChambeau punishes him. A rare defensive putt sets him up for par, and a two-shot lead!
Elsewhere, Dustin Johnson signs off with an even-par 70. He finishes the tournament five over; if not for going three-over on the opening day, he would have been right in the mix.
3.55pm EDT 15:55
Can we now call this a two-horse race? Maybe not quite yet. Wolff ends up in a horrible spot on the 10th; he’s in thick rough, and has to chop it out with an almost horizontal swing. Smoother sailing for DeChambeau, and he’s lining up a 40ft birdie putt as the shadows begin to lengthen.
3.52pm EDT 15:52
Harris English has been battling hard since that unfortunate double-bogey on the first, and he tickles in a birdie at the 11th to get back to level par. Meanwhile, Louis Oosthuizen gives himself too much to do on the 10th green, and drops a shot. That means there are four men under par for the week, and all four are American.
-5: DeChambeau (9)-4: Wolff (9)E: Schauffele (11), English (11)+1: Oosthuizen (10)
3.47pm EDT 15:47
That passage of play had echoes of Wolff’s maiden PGA Tour title, last year’s 3M Open. DeChambeau sank an eagle, and Wolff immediately followed suit:
3.45pm EDT 15:45
Eagle for DeChambeau! With Wolff waiting for his eagle chance, his rival sizes up a long-range effort… and sinks it. What a body blow that could be – but Wolff matches it with an eagle of his own! Absolute nerves of steel from the 21-year-old, and he stays within one.
3.43pm EDT 15:43
On the par-five ninth, DeChambeau absolutely hammers his tee shot, and follows it up with an approach shot that leaves him some 40ft short of the pin. Wolff’s second effort is even better, stopping dead around 20ft north of the pin …
Bryson DeChambeau of the US hits his tee shot on the ninth hole. Photograph: Justin Lane/EPA
Updated at 4.35pm EDT
3.37pm EDT 15:37
Leaderboard: DeChambeau leads by one
-3: DeChambeau (8)-2: Wolff (8)E: Oosthuizen (9), Schauffele (10)+1: English (10)+3: Thomas (16), Hovland (11), McIlroy (11)
3.34pm EDT 15:34
Another birdie for Rory at the 11th – that’s two in his last three – and he joins Justin Thomas and Viktor Hovland in the they-couldn’t-could-they group on three over.
More encouragement for the chasing pack, as Bryson DeChambeau can’t sink that tricky par putt. A chance for Wolff to regain a share of the lead – but his easier chance squeaks left of the cup. Oof, that was a chance.
3.31pm EDT 15:31
I would say that the leading pair have profited from attacking play, although that big bounce DeChambeau just got tells us the greens are firming up. It’s still better than spending Sunday on Mitcham Common – but what isn’t?
3.28pm EDT 15:28
Wolff has a birdie putt from 97ft, so it’s all about getting close – which he does, rolling up to within four feet. DeChambeau chips out of the thick grass, and ends up a couple of feet behind his rival. A tricky par putt coming up …
3.25pm EDT 15:25
DeChambeau drifts a few inches into rough on the eighth, and this time his follow-up shot has a little too much swazz, bouncing into a tricky spot off the back of the green. At the ninth, Xander Schauffele nicks a birdie to end his front nine even, and join Oosthuizen on level-par. Steady as she goes.
3.20pm EDT 15:20
Niall McVeigh stepping back in after a quick trip to the clubhouse. Here’s Chris Collinson:
“Loving the golf but hating the awful library music being used on every cutaway to a leaderboard or ad break. Golf music on UK TV has long been in double-bogey territory compared to the peerless clubhouse leader, ITV4’s cycling coverage.”
It’s a bit old-fashioned but I guess it fits the bill. Much as I’d like a bit of tech-house between holes, I’m not sure it would work.
3.14pm EDT 15:14
A very respectable effort on Wolff’s 50ft birdie attempt on the seventh. He gets to within a few feet of the hole, and then makes par.
Meanwhile, DeChambeau is just off the green but can still use the putter for his second shot, and also gets within a few feet of the flag. He rolls it in to stay at -4.
Ooisthuizen, in third place, sinks back to even for the tournament after dropping a shot on the eighth.
3.09pm EDT 15:09
Rory McIlroy misses an eagle putt by a couple of feet but he’s in seventh place on +4 after the back nine after making the birdie attempt.
3.06pm EDT 15:06
The par-three seventh now for the top-two. DeChambeau’s tee shot leaves him just off the green, while Wolff uses a pitching wedge, which leaves him well short of the flag but just about on the green.
3.03pm EDT 15:03
“It’s a still a good shot,” says DeChambeau after getting out of a tricky lie on the sixth. If you can’t love yourself, who can you love?
Wolff has a 20ft birdie putt to cancel out that bogey on the previous hole. It’s not a great effort and it’s hit well to the right of the hole. I’m not sure what he was trying to do and he appeared to misread the green. He redeems himself by saving par.
DeChambeau picks up a short putt for par and retains his one-shot lead.
Elsewhere, Ooisthuizen collects a par on the par-three seventh to remain in touching distance of the leaders.
Bryson DeChambeau watches a shot. Photograph: John Minchillo/AP
Updated at 3.49pm EDT
2.52pm EDT 14:52
Ooisthuizen is not out of it yet. His birdie on the sixth takes him to -1 and he’s now three shots off the lead. With much more experience than the two men in front of him, and Wolff looking wobbly, there’s still a chance for the South African to put a run together.
Updated at 2.53pm EDT
2.47pm EDT 14:47
Wolff’s third shot is out of the bunker on the par-four fifth. He gets out well enough, but he’s left with a tricky downhill 10ft putt to make par, which he … misses. He’s now bogeyed the two of the last three holes. Meanwhile, DeChambeau, has a 90ft putt to make birdie. We’ll forgive him for not making it. There’s a 6ft putt for him to make par and become the sole leader at -4. He sinks it too – DeChambeau now leads the US Open!
On the 18th, Jon Rahm’s bogey means he finished the tournament +9.
Bryson DeChambeau tops the leaderboard. Photograph: Jamie Squire/Getty Images
Updated at 3.47pm EDT