Despite holding the lead through three rounds of the U.S. Open, it was Bryson Dechambeau who was forced to come back in the final round of golf's third major of 2024. But with Rory McIlroy bogeying three of his final four holes, all Dechambeau needed to do on No. 18 was par to win his second career U.S. Open.
Piece of cake, right?
Not quite.
Dechambeau, who drove well left of the fairway on his final tee shot, hit into the bunker on his second shot on the Par-4 hole. As McIlroy nervously watched from a room just off of the 18th green, Dechambeau hit an incredible shot out of the bunker to place the ball just feet from the hole.
Staring down a short par putt on No. 18, Dechambeau knocked the ball into the hole to save par and win the title after shooting a 1-over 71 for the day and 6-under par for the tournament. His 6-under performance was just good enough to top McIlroy, who shot 1-under on Sunday to finish the 72 holes at 5-under par.
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Late in Sunday's round McIlroy held a lead as he was 4-under for the day and 8-under for the tournament. McIlroy went on to bogey Nos. 15, 16 and 18. After bogeying No. 15, Dechambeau pared the final three holes.
It was Dechambeau's first major win after he joined LIV Golf in 2022, which caused him to be booted from the PGA Tour. Because major tournaments are not run by the PGA Tour, Dechambeau is still eligible to participate in tournaments such as the U.S. Open.
Meanwhile, McIlroy has been one of the fiercest defenders of the PGA Tour and an opponent of the Saudi-backed LIV Golf tour. LIV Golf has faced criticism from the likes of McIlroy for its ties to the Saudi Arabian government.