PINEHURST, N.C. (AP) — Bryson DeChambeau won the U.S. Open on Sunday for the second time with the best shot of his life for another finish on the 18th hole at Pinehurst No. 2 that won’t be forgotten — and another heavy dose of heartache for Rory McIlroy.
In a wild final hour of more blunders than brilliance, DeChambeau capped off a week of high entertainment by getting up-and-down from 55 yards out of a bunker, making a 4-foot par putt to close with a 1-over 71.
Payne Stewart famously made a 15-foot par putt on the final hole in 1999 at the first U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2, beating Phil Mickelson by one shot. DeChambeau says he was inspired to go to SMU when he saw a mural of Stewart on campus.
The par putt wasn’t as long or as suspenseful as Stewart’s in 1999. The celebration was every bit of that. DeChambeau repeatedly pumped those strong arms as he screamed to the blue sky, turning in every direction to a gallery that cheered him on all week.
McIlroy was in the scoring room, devastated by another close call in a major.
This one will sting. As much as this U.S. Open will be remembered for DeChambeau’s marvelous bunker shot, McIlroy played a big part by shockingly missing two short putts, the last one from just inside 4 feet for par on the final hole. He closed with a 69.
McIlroy was watching from the scoring room as DeChambeau escaped from an awful lie left of the fairway — a tree in his back swing, a root in front of the golf ball — and punched it out into the bunker. He expertly blasted a shot from the soft sand that rolled out on the crispy green to set up the winning putt.
LPGA Tour
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — Lilia Vu won the Meijer LPGA Classic in a playoff Sunday in her return from a back injury, spoiling Lexi Thompson’s bid for her first victory in five years.
Playing for the first time since the Ford Championship in late March in Arizona, Vu beat Thompson and third-round leader Grace Kim with a 5-foot birdie putt on the third extra hole — the par-5 fourth at tree-lined Blythefield Country Club.
Thompson, the 2015 winner, has said this will be her last year playing a full schedule. She won the last of her 11 LPGA Tour titles at the ShopRite LPGA Classic in June 2019.
Vu birdied the par-5 18th in regulation for a 7-under 65, then twice more to match Thompson and Kim — who entered the day five strokes ahead of Thompson and eight clear of Vu — on the first two playoff holes.
On the deciding hole, Vu hit her second shot into the bunker to the right of the green and blasted out to set up the birdie. Thompson and Kim missed long birdie tries after laying up following errant drives.
Vu birdied four of the last six holes in regulation to match Thomson and Kim at 16-under 272.
A former No. 1 player and double major winner last year, the 27-year-old American won for the fifth time on the LPGA Tour. The eight-stroke comeback is the largest of the season, one more than Linnea Strom overcame last week in the ShopRite LPGA Classic.
Korn Ferry Tour
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Taylor Dickson won his second Korn Ferry Tour event of the season on Sunday, closing with a 5-under 65 at the Wichita Open for a one-shot victory over William Mouw and Sam Stevens.
Dickson finished at 19-under 261 at Crestview Country Club and joins Tim Widing and Harry Higgs as two-time winners this year. He trailed Stevens by four shots entering the final round but moved into contention with six birdies in his first 14 holes.
Stevens, a Wichita native and Crestview member, entered the final round with a three-shot lead in his first Korn Ferry Tour start of the year but finished with back-to-back bogeys. His approach on the 154-yard, par-3 17th came up well short, and on the par-4 18th, he missed the fairway to the right and failed to get up-and-down from a greenside bunker.
Mouw closed with a 65 for his best career finish on tour.
Other tours
Savannah Vilaubi made a 12-foot birdie putt on the second playoff hole against Yahui Zhang to win the Otter Creek Championship in Columbus, Indiana, her second career Epson Tour victory. … Takashi Ogiso closed with a 3-under 68 and won the Hana Bank Invitational by one shot over Yu-Bin Jang on the Japan Golf Tour. … Hamish Brown of Denmark won his first Challenge Tour title with an 8-under 63, turning a four-shot deficit into a two-shot victory over Robin Williams of South Africa in the Kaskada Golf Challenge in Czech Republic. … Amy Taylor of England held on to win the Ladies Italian Open with a 3-under 69 for a one-shot victory over Maria Hernandez on the Ladies European Tour. … MJ Viljoen closed with a 7-under 65 and won the Mopani Zambia Open by six shots on the Sunshine Tour. … Akie Iwai won for the second time this year on the Japan LPGA when she closed with an 8-under 64 for a one-shot victory in the Nichirei Ladies. … Seunghui Ro closed with a 1-under 71 for a four-shot victory in the DB Group Korea Women’s Open on the Korea LPGA.
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