Bryson DeChambeau captured his first major golf title on Sunday, firing a three-under-par 67 to win the 120th US Open and humble a relentless Winged Foot layout.
The 27-year-old American, who bulked up during the coronavirus lockdown in a bid to add power to his game, eagled the par-5 ninth from just inside 40 feet and rolled to a six-stroke victory over 21-year-old countryman Matthew Wolff.
“Oh my gosh. I can’t believe it,” said DeChambeau, renowned for his scientific approach to the sport. “It has been a lot of hard work.”
DeChambeau hit only 23 fairways for the week but finished 72 holes on six-under-par 274 thanks to Sunday’s only sub-par round at the formidable Mamaroneck, New York, layout.
DeChambeau became the first player since 1955 to win with the only sub-par score in the final round, and just the fourth ever to do it, completing a dominating performance.
Typical deep US Open rough could not stop DeChambeau, whose exercise and protein shakes delivered powerful drives while his calculations and precise readings produced solid shotmaking on a layout that crushed rivals.
“I just kept thinking throughout the back nine, ‘We have to keep focused. I have to execute every shot the best I can.’ And that’s what I did,” he said.
DeChambeau’s 325 yards off the tee was a driving distance record by a US Open champion, defying convention by attacking without fear, taking swing speed-length to outweigh drawbacks of finding the rough.
“I worked my whole life for this,” DeChambeau said. “I wasn’t that afraid of going offline. I gained the confidence I needed for the week.”
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