Bryson's brilliance on 72nd hole clinches 2nd U.S. Open Title | The Sunday Swing

The Sunday Swing 
June 16th, 2024 

Welcome back to another edition of the Sunday Swing presented by 2nd Swing Golf. This week was a big one for the men as they gathered at Pinehurst No. 2 for the playing of the 124th United States Open. The LPGA was in the Midwest for the Meijer LPGA Classic at Blythefield Country Club in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

U.S. Open - Tournament History 

The first U.S. Open was played in October of 1895. The inaugural event consisted of ten professionals and one amateur, and was played on a nine-hole course as a 36-hole competition. The first 16 editions were all won by Europeans (English and Scotsman) until 1911 when John McDermott became the first American born player to win the title. Arguably the most defining trait of the U.S. Open is the enhanced level of difficulty compared to a typical tour event. The winners usually stay somewhere around even par, and over par on many occasions. The USGA likes to grow long, thick, penalizing rough, combined with hard, firm, and fast green surfaces. The result of this recipe usually results in a high drama competition that forces players to show patience, grit, and overall mental toughness. The unique setup and course conditions make the U.S. Open one of the most coveted titles to win as the winner must not only conquer one of the best fields, but probably the toughest course setup they’ll face all year. This year, Pinehurst played as a 7,548 yard par 70 with just two par-5 holes. 

Over the years the U.S. Open has provided golf fans with some of the most legendary moments such as Tiger’s comeback victory in 2008 on a broken leg, a young Rory McIlroy’s dominance in 2011, and relevant to this week, Payne Stewart’s legendary fist pump at Pinehurst in 1999 when he defeated Phil Mickelson on the 18th green and won his second U.S. Open. Throughout the years the U.S. Open has delivered on high drama finishes especially of late. The past three champions have won by just a one stroke margin. With the margin of error so slim, often we see multiple lead changes throughout the day Sunday adding to the drama and the emotional rollercoaster that the players must endure. 

The anticipation leading up to this year’s U.S. Open was seemingly at an all time high with storylines everywhere and Pinehurst No. 2 is set to deliver another fantastic championship. The previous five winners of the U.S. Open are as follows. 

2024 - Bryson DeChambeau (-6)
2023 - Wyndham Clark (-10)
2022 - Matt Fitzpatrick (-6)
2021 - Jon Rahm (-6)
2020 - Bryson DeChambeau (-6) 

The Big Swing 

This week the Big Swing belongs to Bryson DeChambeau. Over the past five years, Bryson has been one of the most controversial, entertaining, and exciting golfers on the planet. Regardless of your stance on him, it cannot be denied that he brings a certain energy to the game that is rare, and he pushes the limits on equipment in constant pursuit of improvement even if by just the smallest of fractions. Meticulous is the perfect word to describe Bryson DeChambeau (his nickname is The Scientist), and that characteristic plays into his favor at tournaments as big and difficult as the U.S. Open. 

While he is already a U.S. Open champion, he has sort of been forgotten in the midst of his move to LIV Golf just over 2 years ago in 2022. However, thus far in 2024, DeChambeau has reminded the world of his talent by finishing T6 and runner-up in the year’s first two major championships. These performances made him a favorite before play began along with the other usual big names – Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, and more.

Scheffler entered as the heavy betting favorite for good reason. Scheffler finished 3rd at last year’s U.S. Open in LA, and has picked up five wins already this season including the Arnold Palmer Invitational, The Players, The Masters, RBC Heritage, and the Memorial Tournament just last week. Shockingly, Scheffler opened the week with rounds of 71 and 74 and only made the cut on the number. 

Meanwhile, Rory McIlroy and Patrick Cantlay opened with 65, Ludvig Aberg with 66, and DeChambeau with 67. Tiger Woods was also teeing it up this week, and he opened with 74 and had work to do on Friday if he wanted to be around for the weekend. Pinehurst was proving to be a major test for the best players in the world. The players were dealing with tabletop greens that feed away from the hole on every side, sandy native areas filled with patchy wire grass, and long holes with minimal scoring opportunities. 

The challenge continued for the players on Friday, and several players at the top continued to pass the test. DeChambeau followed up his 67 with a 69, while Hideki Matsuyama fired the round of the day of 66 to surge up the leaderboard after an opening 72. Tony Finau was also playing well and opened with back to back rounds under par, setting himself up for a chance at his first major title. Tiger battled again on Friday, but wasn’t able to minimize the damage enough as he shot 73 and posted +7 for the championship. 

Low scores were rare on Saturday and the course was playing harder than it had all week. While most of the field was in survival mode and struggling to shoot even par, DeChambeau marched forward. Despite a bogey and a double bogey on his round, Bryson was able to make six birdies and shoot 67 anyways. His impressive round had him at seven-under-par and he had opened up a three-shot lead on the field with McIlroy, Matthieu Pavon, and Patrick Cantlay all trailing at -4.

With Rory still seeking the elusive fifth major, he found himself sitting in a very familiar position with a chance to end the drought on Sunday. Aberg and Matsuyama were lurking at 2-under and would need to play flawlessly on Sunday to have a chance. 

On Sunday it was Bryson’s tournament to lose, and the chase was on early. McIlroy came out aggressive and applied the pressure immediately after making a birdie on the opening hole to spark the crowd and move within two. McIlroy then caught fire with the putter, helping him assemble a run of birdies at Nos.  9, 10, 12, and 13. DeChambeau, meanwhile, struggled to get much going due to inconsistency off the tee and was +1 through 12 for his round. 

McIlroy was suddenly in control of the tournament. A clean scorecard coming in would award McIlroy his long-awaited fifth major championship. He held a two-shot lead with four holes to play. It was at this point when things took a turn for the worst for McIlroy. He was unable to save par on the par-3 15th after missing the green to drop a shot. Then, some 15 minutes later, McIlroy made perhaps the biggest blunder of his career, missing a par putt from two and a half feet to drop yet another shot. He was back in a tie for the lead heading to the final hole.

A shaky swing off the tee resulted in a missed fairway and an encounter with the wiregrass. Despite an awkward lie, McIlroy was able to muscle a wedge to the fairway just short of the green. The ensuing pitch shot rolled approximately four feet past the cup. A par save would have put McIlroy in the clubhouse at -6 and likely in a playoff with DeChambeau. But once again, McIlroy missed a short putt, and the closing bogey made it three in the final four holes for Rory.

DeChambeau now just needed par on the final hole to win his second major, but a hooked tee shot into the native area with a difficult angle at the green suddenly made bogey a tall task. With a root resting just beyond his ball, a tree prohibiting his backswing, and a sandy lie in the native area, all Bryson could do was stab it up to the bunker short of the green and take his chances with a 55-yard bunker shot. 

The long bunker shot is known as one of the most difficult in all of golf and was even discussed as such by the NBC team on the broadcast. As Rory watched anxiously, Bryson played what he called maybe the best shot of his life all the way to the back pin location and settled about four feet from the hole. 

DeChambeau delivered on his four-footer to win. After his final putt fell, Bryson gave an electric two-handed fist pump, and yelled in celebration to the camera, “This one’s for Payne!” Bryson has openly talked about the influence 1999 U.S. Open champion Payne Stewart had on his life. 

With his 2nd U.S. Open victory, Bryson DeChambeau joins Bobby Jones, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods as the only players to win the U.S. Amateur and multiple United States Opens.

Winner’s Bag - Bryson DeChambeau 

Bryson DeChambeau claimed his second U.S. Open title on Sunday and it’s safe to say he did it with probably the most unique lineup of clubs ever. Bryson’s length and true dominance off the tee was powered by a Krank Formula Fire Pro 6 Driver set at 5 degrees. He also carries a Krank Formula Fire 3-wood at 13 degrees which also proved to be a massive weapon this week and was the club he used to drive the green on the par-4 13th on Sunday. Bryson’s irons are also incredibly unique. The 3D-printed Avoda Prototype irons were designed by Bryson himself to get the exact specs he wanted. The unique one-length set is made up of 5-PW and features LA Golf Bryson Series shafts. His wedges consist of four Ping Glide 4.0s in lofts of 45, 50, 56 and 60 degrees. On the greens Bryson rolls a SIK Pro C-Series Armlock/LA Golf Proto putter, giving him the signature mechanical type look when he putts. 

Key Stats: 

Strokes Gained: Off the Tee- 4th

Strokes Gained: Approach- 13th

Strokes Gained: Around the Green- 10th

Strokes Gained: Putting- 12th 

Strokes Gained: Total- 1st

In the World of Women’s Golf

This week the LPGA Tour was in Grand Rapids, Michigan for the Meijer LPGA Classic. All the big names were in the field this week which was setting up to be a good one even in the shadow of the U.S. Open. 

World #1 Nelly Korda was amongst the players this week as she was hoping to bounce back from a missed cut at the women’s U.S. Open and find her form again, but she had a tough opening-round that resulted in a 4-over 76. On Friday she gave it a great effort and came back with a 67, but still ended up missing the cut by one. 

Australia’s Grace Kim looked like the player to beat heading into the weekend after she opened with two impressive rounds of 68 and 65. Also in the mix was major champ Allisen Corpuz, Atthaya Thitikul, and Ally Ewing who all fired a 63 on Friday and made a big move. 

On Saturday, Kim made another move to solidify her position in contention. She played close to a perfect round, making just one bogey along with seven birdies to card a 6-under 66 to open up a five-shot lead after 54 holes. Besting her in the third-round was the veteran Lexi Thompson who moved within striking distance after a 7-under 65 that included a front nine score of 29. Lilia Vu also played well on Saturday and shot a 68, her third consecutive round under par, to establish herself on the leaderboard. 

On Sunday, Vu came out to play spoiler. As one of the chasers, she had the freedom to play freely and try to go low. After opening with a front-nine 33, Vu stayed aggressive on the back nine. She finished her round making birdies in a flurry, playing her final six holes in 4-under par to post a bogey-free 65. Meanwhile, Kim quickly saw her lead evaporate after shooting 2-over on the front nine. She was able to play the back nine blemish free, and had a chance to win if she could birdie the par-5 18th. When she was unable to do so, a playoff ensued between Vu, Kim, and Lexi Thompson, who had birdied 18 to join the group at 16-under. 

After all three players made birdie on the first two playoff holes, the trio went back to the 18th tee for a third time. This time Lilia Vu was the only one able to make birdie, and she would steal the title in come-from-behind fashion. The win marks her first of the season, and her fifth overall.