By Sam Torrance
The US Open at Pinehurst was out of this world for golf lovers and magnificent for Bryson DeChambeau but absolutely gut wrenching for Rory McIlroy.
That is the best I have ever seen McIlroy play and he so deserved to end his 10-year wait for a fifth major title. The bogey at 16 was his first missed putt from inside three feet all year long but in the end there are no pictures on the scorecard.
The final camera shot of him, his face looking drained, after he had handed in his card and was watching DeChambeau salvage a decisive par from his final hole said it all. It shows you what this great game can do but I felt really sorry for him.
McIlroy did everything but win and if he had tapped in that other short par putt on the 18th green then suddenly it would have been a hundred times harder for DeChambeau to make a four.
But you can’t take anything away from the American, who played an incredible bunker shot to set up his winning putt. I have always liked him, I find him an interesting human being, and I think he’s fantastic for golf.
DeChambeau was very good last month at the US PGA Championship, where he finished one shot behind winner Xander Schauffele. For a while on Sunday it looked like he was going to be pipped again, with McIlroy coming from three back to lead by two with five holes to play.
Bryson was hitting a few bad drives and finding the rough more often than not, but just when it was slipping away he produced the best tee shot at the 13th all day to set up a brilliant birdie. When McIlroy bogeyed 16 they were level and the rest is now history.
DeChambeau is unique. He can hit an 8 iron more than 200 yards – that distance is phenomenal. He has always hit the ball hard but has built himself up and then lost weight again, almost like an actor preparing for a role.
The 30-year-old now looks to be in excellent shape and has learned a lot since winning his first major at the 2020 US Open. DeChambeau might play in the LIV Golf League but when it comes to majors he is here to stay.
For McIlroy it’s a huge shame but he has backed up his claims that his game is feeling better than ever. His driving was sublime all week at Pinehurst, with hardly a blemish over the 72 holes.
The Open Championship is just four weeks away but he is a very strong character and will be ready for that, don’t worry.
Of course this will hurt but it has also shown him how good he still is. What he achieved last week was phenomenal. If he had holed either of those par putts we would be talking about some of the best golf ever seen from a major winner.
On the whole it was a fantastic tournament. Patrick Cantlay was right there too and could have found himself in a three-way tie at the top had the last couple of holes gone differently.
Of the Europeans, I thought Mathieu Pavon held up beautifully in what was his first challenge at a major. The Frenchman didn’t fall away as he finished fifth and he looks to have a great game.
Ludvig Aberg was mostly magnificent but triple bogeys on Saturday and Sunday killed his chances. It’s almost impossible to come back from that on a course like this but he will look back on this week with pride. Tyrrell Hatton also had a good week, albeit with a disappointing finish.
Sam Torrance OBE is a former Ryder Cup-winning captain and one of Europe’s most successful golfers. Follow him @torrancesam
