Bryson DeChambeau may be one of just three players to have won multiple US Open titles since the turn of the millennium, but the event was also the scene of one of his biggest collapses back in 2021.
Of course, Bryson DeChambeau produced a stunning performance to win his first major at the 2020 US Open at Winged Foot. He was the only player to finish the tournament under par as he went on the attack at almost every opportunity.
At one stage one year later at Torrey Pines, it appeared that DeChambeau may be on course to retain his title.
When he tapped in for par on the 10th hole on Sunday, he was one shot ahead on five under par.
He would finish the tournament tied for 26th.
How Bryson DeChambeau blew the opportunity to retain his US Open trophy
It would take just three holes for DeChambeau’s week to unravel. He made a bogey on 11 and 12 before a double bogey on the 13th.
And just when it appeared that he may still do enough to remain in the top 10, DeChambeau made a quadruple bogey on the 17th.
He initially found the penalty area off the tee before going on to hit a shank when faced with a tricky chip.
In truth, the shot – which saw DeChambeau with one foot in the bunker and the ball perched on top of the lip – was made much tougher due to the single length clubs he has.
The strange comments DeChambeau made after his final round at Torrey Pines
DeChambeau’s reaction was almost as surprising as his performance on the final eight holes.
Initially, he took exception with a member of the media tentatively suggesting that the round went off the rails after going 34 holes without a bogey before the 11th.
“I didn’t get off the rails at all. It’s golf. People will say I did this or did that, and it’s just golf. I’ve had plenty of times where I hit it way worse than today and I won. It’s just one of those things where I didn’t have the right breaks happen at the right time. I could have easily gotten to seven, eight under today. I just wasn’t fully confident with the golf swing and just got a little unlucky in the rough and a couple other places,” he said.
DeChambeau was then asked about how hard it is for those on the outside to grasp how big a role luck plays in the biggest events.
“Nobody understands, at least if you play professional golf, major championship golf. A lot of it is luck. I can’t tell you how many times I hit shots this week into bad lies and good lies, and they played out 50-50 this week. I caught the bad lies in the back nine today,” he said.
“But I knew going into the week that was going to be my game plan. Had to be a little lucky, and I was for the first three and a half days and just didn’t get lucky on the last nine. But it plays a huge factor in major championship golf. It’s probably over 50 per cent in most scenarios. There are times when I hit it in fairways and hit it into a divot. It’s just part of it.”
But perhaps the strangest answer came when he was asked about his calm reaction to what happened in the final stages.
“Right now. I don’t even care. I’ve changed a lot, attitude-wise and everything. It’s frustrating in the moment when it’s happening, but afterwards for me now, I don’t really care as much. I’ve already won it,” he said.
Perhaps it was a defensive strategy from DeChambeau because he feared the ridicule that he would receive.
But it did appear to be a very immature reaction to suggest that he did not care about how his tournament ended.
Certainly, you cannot imagine DeChambeau saying anything like that now, just four years later.
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