Bryson DeChambeau, who has suddenly turned himself into a fan favorite, was in a prime position to pick up his second major championship title on Sunday afternoon.
DeChambeau, after a dominant outing on Saturday, entered the final round at Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina with a three-shot lead over the field. He carded a 3-under 67 on Saturday, and nearly matched the low round of the day, to nearly run away with the U.S. Open.
Though he started the final round with a clear advantage, it didn’t last long. Rory McIlroy — who is still searching for a major championship title after a near-decade drought — quickly matched DeChambeau at 6-under after making back-to-back birdies at the turn.
Both Matthieu Pavon, who is in the final group with DeChambeau, and Patrick Cantlay bogeyed early. Cantlay, however, quickly rallied back to keep himself in contention. Only Russell Henley, Tony Finau and Hideki Matsuyama were also under par for the week as the last group made the turn.
The way Pinehurst has been playing so far, it’s still very much anybody’s tournament to win.
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3-man race to the finish
As mentioned, the birdies on the back will come at 10, 11 and 13. Well, McIlroy and Cantlay started things off with putts from downtown.
First came McIlroy, then came Cantlay:
McIlroy and DeChambeau sit atop the leaderboard at -6, with Cantlay one back at -5.
Of note: DeChambeau still has the 10th to play.
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As we head to the back nine …
After a birdie by Rory McIlroy at No. 10, here’s where we’re at:
T1. Dechambeau -6
T1. McIlroy -6
3. Cantlay -5
T4. Finau -2
T4. Henley -2
T4. Pavon -2
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Just seven players remain under par.
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Low round of the day belongs to Sam Burns, 3-under 67 (though Henley is 4-under on his round with three holes to play).
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If you’re looking for birdies on the back nine, they’re coming at 10 (21), 11 (10) and 13 (32).
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Drama at 8 and 9
What a scene at 8 and 9:
At 9, Rory McIlroy had a birdie putt to get to 5-under. So did Patrick Cantlay. Just steps away, Bryson DeChambeau faced a slippery chip to avoid bogey at 8. How did it play out?
McIlroy made his putt …
DeChambeau chipped up brilliantly to give himself an 11-footer to save par. And he drained it with an emphatic fist pump to keep the lead at one.
And Cantlay missed.
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DeChambeau is leaving the door open
Bryson DeChambeau has had opportunities to put distance between himself and the field, he just hasn’t been able to capitalize. The latest came on No. 7 when he had a 341-yard drive that left him just 88 yards to the pin. He hit a solid approach, just a little bit hot, leaving himself 14 feet for birdie. It could have been better, and he knew it. Then he burned the edge on the birdie putt, settling for another par.
That might ultimately be good enough — he still has a two-stroke lead — but he certainly knows trouble can be found quick, and it sure would be nice to have a cushion when/if it does come.
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Cantlay gains a stroke
If you’ve watched any of this tournament, you’d have thought Patrick Cantlay was out of it 15 different times … and yet here he is, now in a tie for second after a birdie at the seventh, just two back of DeChambeau.
Cantlay’s entire tournament is exactly what a U.S. Open is supposed to be — grinding out par after par after par, sprinkling in a birdie here and there, and avoiding the crooked number.
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You ever practice that, Ludvig
Golf is all about adaptation. You have to hit from weird angles, ball below your feet, above your feet, sometimes you have to turn around and punch out left-handed (if you’re a righty) and vice versa. And then there was this lie Ludvig Åberg faced on No. 7 …
He’d go on to bogey the hole and is now six back.
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Spot on the Olympic team on the line
Four Americans will head to Paris next month for the Olympics. Two of those players are locked — Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele. Two more spots are up for grabs, and right now they belong to Wyndham Clark and Collin Morikawa. However, if Patrick Cantlay can get into the top three today, he’ll earn a spot.
Despite some struggles and missed birdie putts, Cantlay continues to hang on. He’s at -3, in a tie for third at the moment.
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