Sky Sports pundit Sophie Walker has shared what she said when Bryson DeChambeau faced that daunting chip on the eighth hole as he desperately tried to save par in the final round of the US Open.
Of course, many are focusing on the final three holes after Rory McIlroy failed to get across the line at Pinehurst, allowing Bryson DeChambeau to get the job done and secure his second major title.
But on reflection, the final round will be remembered as one of the greatest of all-time due to the twists which began even before the pair teed off. DeChambeau decided to change his driver head on the range just before his final round started.
The 30-year-old was nowhere near his best after three days of playing some supreme golf, and the driver appeared to be root of many of his problems.
Sophie Walker shares what she said as Bryson DeChambeau faced daunting chip shot on eight at US Open
DeChambeau rarely seemed to find the fairway on Sunday, with the eighth being one of the holes where he needed to scramble his way to making par.
He appeared to leave himself in a largely impossible position out to the left of the green, and many clearly felt that he may be looking at making a bogey at least, at what was such a crucial moment in the battle with McIlroy.
Speaking on the Sky Sports Golf Podcast, Walker admitted that she had almost written off DeChambeau’s chances of making a par on that hole.
“Was it Rory who birdied the par three ninth, and he’s in trouble down the right of 8, he chips it out and he’s got that US Open chip, bowl of a green, it’s 10 feet above him, it feels like,” she said.
“He’s got to hit the nippy pitch shot, which, his irons are all quite upright, his wedges I think are slightly flatter, however, it’s not something where you’d pick Bryson DeChambeau for this. And I was watching it with a few of my colleagues and I’m like, if he gets this up and down he wins, because it was that tough an up and down. And Rory’s just made birdie and then he goes and hits a great shot, which at Pinehurst, is to 10 feet, and he makes it.”
2024 shows how much DeChambeau has matured
DeChambeau appears to have matured so much as a player over the last few years. He has always appeared to look a lot deeper into the mechanics of the game, but his decision-making did not always put him in the best position.
He obviously went through that period of dramatically bulking up and seemingly trying to outsmart the course with the distances he could hit.
DeChambeau has now found what appears to be a very happy medium, and it is no surprise that he has finished in the top six in all three majors so far this year.
Some now expect DeChambeau to be a real factor again at The Open Championship, so there is definitely the opportunity for 2024 to be year of Bryson.
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