The 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 in California was one of the best and most exciting major championships in recent years. The final round featured a showdown between LIV Golf star and 2020 U.S. Open winner Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy, arguably one of the most popular stars on the PGA Tour who hasn’t won a major in a decade. The final few holes of the tournament provided incredible theater, as McIlroy squandered a two-stroke lead by bogeying three of his last four holes and missing a pair of par putts inside four feet. DeChambeau, meanwhile, hit what he called the “shot of [his] life” from a fairway bunker on the 18th hole before making his par putt to secure one of the biggest victories of his career.
DeChambeau shot one-over par in the fourth round on Sunday and finished the tournament at six-under 274, while McIlroy was one-under on Sunday and five-under 275 for the tournament. Americans Tony Finau and Patrick Cantlay tied for third at four-under 276 and Mathieu Pavon of France finished in fifth place. Below is a closer look at DeChambeau’s win, McIlroy’s collapse, and some other notable headlines from a memorable U.S. Open.
DeChambeau’s Triumph
DeChambeau, who won his first U.S. Open in 2020 at Winged Foot Golf Club in New York, had a three-stroke lead heading into the final round, but struggled to find the fairway with his drive. Tied with McIlroy, who was playing in the group ahead of him, DeChambeau pulled his drive right on the 18th tee box. McIlroy had a similar drive, but recovered to get his ball within 4 feet of the cup for par. McIlroy’s missed putt, his second within 4 feet in the last three holes, gave DeChambeau an opening to win the tournament with a par.
“I was going to try and birdie the hole on 18, obviously, if I hit a good drive, but pulled it,” DeChambeau said after the round. “But I knew where Rory was. After my tee shot, I was up there going, ‘Man, if he makes par, I don’t know how I’m going to beat him.’ I just really didn’t know. Then I heard the moans [from the crowd]. Like a shot of adrenaline got in me. I said, ‘OK, you can do this.'”
DeChambeau hit his second shot into the fairway bunker and then hit an incredible approach shot from 55 yards out to within 4 feet. That shot will be featured in highlight packages for the 2024 U.S. Open for many years to come. DeChambeau is one of 23 players to win the U.S. Open multiple times.
Another Close Call for McIlroy
McIlroy has consistently been among the top-ranked players in golf over the last decade, but has come up short several times in major championships. He was a runner-up at the 2023 U.S. Open, again losing by one stroke to American Wyndham Clark after a nearly flawless final round with the exception of one bogey, recorded after a miss-hit approach shot on the par-5 14th hole. He was also two strokes behind Cam Smith at the 2022 Open Championship, when his putter again failed him; McIlroy made all 18 greens in regulation, but took 36 putts.
Moreover, McIlroy has recorded more top-five results (11) at major championships since 2015 than any other player without a victory. He has also finished in the top 10 in each of the last six U.S. Opens. McIlroy appeared visibly dejected after missing his par putt on the 18th hole and left the course without congratulating DeChambeau, who in contrast stayed on the course to conduct multiple interviews and celebrate with fans.
Scheffler’s Surprising Performance
Pinehurst No. 2 proved to be a tough challenge for many of the best golfers in the world, including two-time major champion and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. The 27-year-old American already had five victories in 2024 and was first in the FedEx Cup standings. He won three of his last five events, including the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday, before the 2024 U.S. Open and had finished top-10 in all but one of his 13 starts this season.
Scheffler shot in the 70s in all four rounds, barely made the cut at 5-over-par, and finished T41 at eight-over 288.
Olympic Teams Decided
The 2024 U.S. Open also marked the end of the qualification period for the Paris Olympics. DeChambeau, despite winning the U.S. Open, will not represent the United States, as selection is determined by the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) and LIV Golf players do not earn OWGR points. Scheffler, 2020 Olympic gold medalist Xander Schauffele, Clark, and Collin Morikawa, all of whom are top-10 in the OWGR, will represent the US. Corey Conners, who finished T9 at the U.S. Open, earned a spot on the Canadian Olympic team. He needed to finish at least T11 to surpass countryman Adam Hadwin and join Nick Taylor on the team. The US leads all countries with four players, but several others will have two selections, including Spain (Jon Rahm, David Puig), Japan (Hideki Matsuyama, Keita Nakajima), Australia (Jason Day, Min Woo Lee), and South Africa (Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Erik van Rooyen).