Bryson DeChambeau, who has suddenly become a fan favorite, is in prime position to win his second major championship on Sunday afternoon.
DeChambeau, after a dominant outing Saturday, enters the final round at No. 2 Pinehurst in North Carolina with a three-shot lead in the field. He carded a 3-under 67 on Saturday and nearly matched the lowest round of the day, to almost run away with the U.S. Open.
Although he started the final round with a clear advantage, it didn’t last long. Rory McIlroy – who is still chasing a major championship title after a near-decade drought – quickly closed the gap to just one shot on the front nine, albeit a bogey at the par-5 fifth knocked him back two blows.
Matthieu Pavon, who is part of the final group with DeChambeau, and Patrick Cantlay made bogey from the start. Only Hideki Matsuyama, Tony Finau and Ludvig Åberg were under par for the week heading into the turn.
The way Pinehurst has played so far, it’s still a must-win tournament for everyone.
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DeChambeau leaves the door open
Bryson DeChambeau had the opportunity to put some distance between himself and the court, but he just couldn’t take advantage of it. The latest came in No. 7 when he had a 341-yard drive that left him with just 88 yards to score. He hit a solid approach, just a little hot, leaving himself 14 feet for birdie. It could have been better and he knew it. Then he burned the edge on the birdie putt, settling for another par.
That might ultimately be enough – he still has a two-stroke lead – but he certainly knows that problems can be found quickly, and it would certainly be nice to have a cushion when/if that happens.
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Cantlay wins a shot
If you had watched this tournament, you would have thought Patrick Cantlay was absent 15 different times…and yet here he is, now tied for second place after a birdie at the seventh, just two behind. DeChambeau.
Cantlay’s entire tournament is exactly what a US Open is supposed to be: crushing par after par after par, sprinkling in a birdie here and there and avoiding crooked numbers.
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You’ve already practiced this, Ludvig
Golf is all about adaptation. You have to hit at weird angles, the ball under your feet, above your feet, sometimes you have to turn around and hit left-handed (if you’re right-handed) and vice versa. And then there was this lie that Ludvig Åberg faced on number 7…
He would go on to make bogey in the hole and he is now six behind.
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A place on the Olympic team at stake
Four Americans will travel to Paris next month for the Olympics. Two of those players are locked in: Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele. Two more spots are up for grabs, and they currently belong to Wyndham Clark and Collin Morikawa. However, if Patrick Cantlay manages to make the top three today, he will move up one place.
Despite some difficulties and missed birdie putts, Cantlay continued to hang on. He is -3, tied for third at the moment.
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How does Pinehurst play?
Actually… slightly easier than the first four days:
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While we wait…
…so the leaders can hit the ground running, here are some stories to read from Jay Busbee on the field at Pinehurst:
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So how does the journey unfold at the beginning?
Fifty-two players are on the course… 12 are under par.
Where do birds come from? The par 5 fifth and the short par 4 third and 13th holes.
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Five scenarios from Round 4
The fourth round is underway, even if we are still a few hours before the departure of the leaders. To prepare you, here are the five main scenarios as we see them:
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Bryson DeChambeau, man of the people, establishes himself as the face of golf.
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Rory vs. Patrick. McIlroy and Cantlay haven’t been paired together since the Ryder Cup when, well, things almost turned to blows. How will these two interact today? It’s going to be interesting.
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And speaking of Rory, is this the day he finally ends his 10-year middle-aged streak? Or could it be Cantlay, perhaps the best player in the world to never win a major tournament (now that Xander Schauffele is off the roster)?
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Welcome to the show, Ludvig Åberg. Playing only his third major tournament, Åberg is already being tipped as the next big thing. And why not? He finished second at the Masters in April and now has a legitimate chance to win the 124th US Open.
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Will Pinehurst give in? We assume here that the course will unfold in the same way as it has been all week: difficult, but accessible in places. DeChambeau must feel like even average for him will get there.
Happy Father’s Day to all dads. Enjoy the US Open on Sunday.
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