US Open: Bryson DeChambeau takes win by six shots at Winged Foot | Golf news

2020 US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau was the only player to finish below par at Winged Foot

Bryson DeChambeau’s aggressive strategy on one of the toughest courses in the world reaped enormous rewards as he advanced to his first major title at the US Open.

DeChambeau edged out rookie Matthew Wolff in what unfolded as a head-to-head battle between the final tournament pair at Winged Foot, shooting a three-under 67 that propelled him to a beautiful six-shot victory with a winning score. six under par.

Matthew Wolff put up a brave fight but had to settle for second

The champion was the only player among the 61-man field to break the pair in the championship’s most treacherous conditions in New York, holding his own after the turn as his 21-year-old opponent faded down the stretch, while hopes of Rory McIlroy of a late charge effectively finished with a four-putt double bogey on the opening hole.

There were no such problems for the first two, as they started with Wolff looking to protect his two-time lead overnight, and opened with a solid pair before DeChambeau rejected a great opportunity to apply early pressure when he missed from within five feet. .

Final round how it happened

How the last day of the US Open played out at Winged Foot

But by the time they came off the fifth green, it was DeChambeau who was suddenly at the top of the standings after making a 12-foot birdie putt in the fourth between a pair of bogeys from Wolff, who remained the chaser when they both left. drop shots in the eighth.

Both found the ninth par five in two and DeChambeau turned the screw with a perfect 30 feet for the eagle, only for Wolff to maintain the deficit on a single shot heading into the last nine while following suit from half that distance.

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Matthew Wolff equals Bryson DeChambeau’s eagle in the ninth par five to stay one of the US Open lead

However, Wolff then threw his tee shot to the 10th left of goal and was unable to match DeChambeau’s pair, who extended his lead to three shots with a birdie at 11, and was content to make the pairs with Wolff unable to Cree. clear birdie opportunities on the next three holes.

Wolff went wrong again at 14 after falling short of his approach and watching him drift away from the slippery surface of the putt, and DeChambeau saved par from 10 feet and threw another on the next to keep a steady hand on the trophy.

DeChambeau was the only player to break the pair on Sunday, and the only man to finish under the card for the week.

And the trophy recorder was free to start early after Wolff’s fading hopes were extinguished with a double bogey six on the 16th, and his day was perhaps summed up when his seemingly perfect 17th drive turned into a divot. on the street.

Wolff did well to get away with a pair, missing a six-foot birdie on the last to deliver a 75 that brought him down to par for the week, just his second major appearance of many more to come.

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Having turned the final leg into a procession, DeChambeau’s stress-free pair race was capped off by a slick eight-foot putt for a four at the last, sealing a dominating performance that validated his decision a year ago to pack on muscle. in search of an extraordinary distance.

Louis Oosthuizen won the race for the final podium position, a 73 with two over par, while Harris English did an excellent job of recovery when he dropped three shots in the final five holes to slide to fourth place.

Harris English was unlucky enough to lose a ball in the first

English endured a start of horror when he lost a ball left in the opening hole and the volunteers were unable to locate it within the three-minute limit, and it turned out that the search party was in the wrong area when Rich Beem found English’s ball. . , patrolling the streets of Sky Sports, on a nearby catwalk.

The resulting double bogey was a big hit, but he responded with an immediate birdie and another at 11 brought him back to par for the round, only to have his erratic final third of the round cost him a top-three finish.

Xander Schauffele retained an outside title shot until he bogey five in a row in the last nine and crashed to four more, one ahead of pre-tournament favorite Dustin Johnson as the world number one signed with a commendable 70.

Rory McIlroy faded after opening with a double bogey six

McIlroy needed to avoid the first mistakes that hampered his title hopes on the second day, but he missed a perfect drive and followed a poor approach with four putts, the first from 90 feet that lacked the pace to reach the desired level of the green and rolled 60 feet back to front.

He came out of the race on dropped shots in the fourth and seventh and, after a couple of birdies on either side of the turn, McIlroy bogeyed 15 and rounded the next on the road to a 75 that saw him slide to six over the pair, which was at least good enough for his 21st top-10 finish in a major.

McIlroy was one ahead of veteran Lee Westwood, who finished 72 in a row, while mid-race leader Patrick Reed also finished seven over par.