How Bryson DeChambeau Brought Winged Foot to its Knees

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU produced a wonderful final-round display to win the US Open by six shots and claim the first major title of his career last year. The 27-year-old was the only player to break par at the notoriously difficult Winged Foot in New York.

Renowned for his big-hitting approach, he showed maturity and composure to card an impressive three-under 67 to win on six under par.

Matthew Wolff faded on the back nine, shooting 75 to finish second at level. South Africa's Louis Oosthuizen, who finished third at two over, and Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy were the only non-Americans to finish inside the top 10.

McIlroy ended joint eighth at six over after a final-day 75 that included two double bogeys, while England's Lee Westwood was a stroke further back.

DeChambeau dedicated the win to his parents, who he said had "given up so much for me."

He began the day two behind 21-year-old overnight leader Wolff and was the only player to shoot an under par round on the final day. DeChambeau was firmly in control by the time they hit the final stretch after playing the front nine in 33 shots - two under par - and he then had one birdie and eight pars in his final nine holes.

Wolff, who was hoping to become the first debutant to win the championship since Francis Ouimet in 1907, dropped four shots on the run-in as the pressure built.

DeChambeau became only the second player to win the men's US Open at Winged Foot with a score under par, joining 1984 champion Fuzzy Zoeller.

"It's just an honour, it has been a lot of hard work," he said "At nine, that was when I first thought this could be a reality. I made an eagle, I had shocked myself to do that, and I thought 'I can do it'.

"Then I said 'no, you have to focus on each and every hole'. Throughout the back nine I kept saying 'no, you still have three, four, five holes to go', whatever it was. I had to keep focused and make sure I executed each shot the best I could do."

DeChambeau's unique approach has divided opinion since he turned professional in 2016. Fans find them innovative, critics call them irritating. The former physics student's experiments have seen him dubbed 'The Scientist', tinkering with oversized grips, cutting all his clubs to the same length and then piled on 40lb. It has turned him into the longest average driver on the PGA Tour last season and he said in the build-up to the US Open he would look to overpower the difficult West Course at Winged Foot.

DeChambeau claims to have been fuelling his muscle growth with a 3,000-3,500 calorie daily diet that packs in 400g of protein, and his length off the tee has helped fuel the debate around whether tournament balls should be introduced. But for all the tinkering, he showed great composure and an air of calmness to execute his game plan on a superb final day at Mamaroneck.

DeChambeau was at the practice range under the floodlights on the Saturday night after only hitting three fairways during a third-round 70, and the work paid off. He wiped out Wolff's two-shot lead within four holes. Wolff bogeyed the par-three third before DeChambeau rolled in his opening birdie of the day at the fourth. When Wolff dropped another shot at five, DeChambeau was the sole leader. Both then bogeyed the eighth to give the rest of the field a sniff, only to card a pair of eagles on the par-five ninth to turn it into a two-horse race. 

It soon became a procession. Wolff, who carded a superb 65 on Saturday to lead on five under, fell away with bogeys at 10 and 14, before a double bogey at 16 ended any slim hopes he held of victory in only his second major appearance.

"I battled hard. Things just didn't go my way," said Wolff. "But first US Open, second place is something to be proud of."

DeChambeau rolled in another birdie at 11 and proceeded to complete a bogey-free back nine. It meant, as he headed to the 18th tee with a six-shot lead, there would be none of the drama that accompanied the last US Open to be staged at Winged Foot, when Geoff Ogilvy won by one stroke at five over after Phil Mickelson and Colin Montgomerie double-bogeyed the last.

Instead, DeChambeau was able to look into the camera and send love to his family as he walked up the final fairway, before rolling in a par putt and throwing his arms in the air in delight. He became just the third player after Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods to win an NCAA individual title, the US Amateur title and a US Open.

"There were times that I went to school without any lunch money, and we had to make baloney sandwiches and didn't have anything to eat," DeChambeau added. "We had some very, very difficult times, but every single day they always wanted the best for me, and they always gave me the opportunity to go golf, go practice, and go get better. This one's for my parents, it's for my whole team. All the work, all the blood, sweat, and tears we put into it, it just means the world to me."