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U.S. Open: Bryson DeChambeau hip injury shot goes viral u,s,open,bryson,dechambeau,hip,injury,shot,goes,viral,sbnation,com,front-page,golf,us-open-golf,golf-majors,golf-pga-tour,golf-news,liv-golf

On: June 16, 2024 By: admin

During the third round of the U.S. Open, on the 9th hole, Jim “Bones” Mackay, the on-course reporter for NBC Sports, noted that Bryson DeChambeau had requested the presence of his “physio.”

DeChambeau’s right hip was bothering him, yet he continued to pound drive after drive, many of which went beyond 350 yards.

Despite that, after making a birdie on the par-5 10th, DeChambeau marched over to the 11th tee and received treatment from a doctor. NBC Sports caught the moment from their drone up above as DeChambeau requested the network’s on-ground camera crew to stay away.

The footage immediately went viral online.

After getting his hip stretched out, DeChambeau pounded a 359-yard drive right down the middle of the fairway. He then stuck his approach to 13 feet and drained the putt for birdie to get to 7-under, the first player to do so this week.

Yet, he supposedly has a bad hip, which caused him some discomfort on Saturday morning, per Todd Lewis of the Golf Channel.

Lewis also reported that DeChambeau can have two five-minute treatment sessions within a round. The first, obviously, took place on the 11th, leaving him with one more opportunity to stretch out during the final six holes.

Just spoke with @b_dechambeau team that’s walking with him during the 3rd round of the @usopengolf. Was told he woke up with discomfort in his right hip this morning. Has been treated on the course. Was told by rules official Bryson is allowed two five minute treatment sessions.

— Todd Lewis (@ToddLewisGC) June 15, 2024

But the 2020 U.S. Open champion looks dialed in midway through the third round. After bogeying the fourth hole to drop back to 3-under, DeChambeau made three birdies to soar into the lead by himself.

It remains to be seen what the issue is exactly, and nobody will know how he really feels until after his third round is completed.

Nevertheless, DeChambeau, who never fails to produce captivating content, produced another viral moment during Saturday’s third round at Pinehurst No. 2.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.

U.S. Open: Collin Morikawa ‘made everything,’ now contending u,s,open,collin,morikawa,made,everything,now,contending,sbnation,com,golf,us-open-golf,golf-majors,golf-pga-tour,golf-news

On: June 15, 2024 By: admin

Collin Morikawa could not miss on Saturday, which explains why he posted one of the best rounds of the championship.

He carded a bogey-free 4-under 66, a round in which “everything worked well” for the two-time major champion. But most importantly, Morikawa climbed from 4-over to even par, setting himself up for a possible come-from-behind triumph at Pinehurst No. 2 on Sunday.

“I was trying to get to even,” Morikawa said after his third round at the U.S. Open.

“You can’t be aggressive out here, but I’m very happy.”

Morikawa did not miss a putt inside of 10 feet on Saturday, a big reason why he did not drop a shot all day. Instead, he made four birdies, three of which came on the back nine. His first birdie of the day came right out of the gate on the opening hole.

“Made up and downs, putted a lot from off the fringe. Just made the putts that I needed to,” Morikawa explained.

“[On Friday], I think I missed everything that I could have made. The first day was kind of a little bit of both. So it was nice to see putts go in. Just kind of build that, hopefully, for [Sunday].”

The former California Golden Bear gained nearly five strokes with the putter on Saturday, which ranks first in the field by a wide margin.

“I was just making sure I stuck with everything that we’ve been working on,” Morikawa said of his putting.

“It was nice to see the first one go in and build off that.”

His opening birdie came from 10 feet out—a distance that always provides a spark in momentum early in a round. Another putt from 11 feet at the 2nd hole, this time for par, also dropped. He wound up making two more par saves at the 4th and 6th holes to keep his scorecard clean early.

“My 4-under could have easily been the other way,” Morikawa said.

“When you play really smart golf out here, I wouldn’t say it’s rewarding, but you have to be able to put it in the right spots and take advantage when you do. I made the putts that I needed to. Made up and downs. Made everything essentially. That’s the only way you’re going to score out here.”

Now Morikawa will rest up for Sunday’s final round, when he will go off much later in the day than 10:39 a.m. That, of course, is when he began his third round, nine shots off the pace. But after his remarkable 66, Morikawa walked off the golf course five shots back of 36-hole leader Ludvig Åberg, and given the difficulty of Pinehurst No. 2, he could be closer to the lead by day’s end.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.

U.S. Open: Scottie Scheffler’s putter abandons him u,s,open,scottie,scheffler,s,putter,abandons,him,sbnation,com,golf,us-open-golf,golf-majors,golf-pga-tour,golf-news

On: June 15, 2024 By: admin

Scottie Scheffler, who started the day at 5-over after barely making the cut, could have shot a 67 or even a 66 on Saturday at the U.S. Open.

He gave himself plenty of birdie opportunities, playing much better from tee to green than the first two days of the championship. But his putter let him down again.

Scheffler lost almost two strokes on the greens at Pinehurst No. 2 on Saturday, as he ranks dead last among those that made the cut in strokes gained putting. He ultimately shot a 1-over 71 for his third round, but if he had made a few more putts, he could have climbed the leaderboard into relevancy.

Instead, he missed good look after good look, leaving a frustrated Scheffler staring into the abyss more times than not. He looked lost on the greens, something we have not seen since earlier in the year—before he switched to a mallet putter ahead of the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

His first solid chance came at the par-5 5th, where Scheffler almost got home in two. But he three-putted from off the front of the green, settling for par.

Three holes later, at the challenging par-4 8th, Scheffler finally made a birdie—his first in 26 holes, which marked the longest birdie-less streak of his career. But he gave it right back at the par-3 9th, missing a 3-footer for par.

Then, from 10 to 14, Scheffler put himself in a prime position on every hole. He had an 8-footer for birdie on the par-5 10th, and missed. On the next hole, a 9-footer for birdie finally dropped, but that would be his last birdie of the day.

At 12, Scheffler’s attempt from eight feet agonizingly slid past the hole. Had that dropped, he would have had all sorts of momentum. Then, on 13, after hitting his drive just short of the green, Scheffler could not get up-and-down for birdie, missing another putt from inside of 10 feet to settle for another par.

A bogey on 15 followed as Scheffler could not save par from short of the green. He missed another nine-footer in the process.

The World No. 1 finished with three straight pars to cap another frustrating day at Pinehurst No. 2. Perhaps he can convert some of these opportunities during Sunday’s final round, but at any rate, it will prove too little too late. He will not win his first U.S. Open this time around, despite entering the tournament with astonishingly low odds.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.

Golf Talk Today: U.S. Open Rd. 3 Tee Times, Ludvig Åberg’s Pinehurst magic golf,talk,today,u,s,open,rd,tee,times,ludvig,berg,s,pinehurst,magic,sbnation,com,golf,us-open-golf,golf-majors,golf-pga-tour,golf-news

On: June 15, 2024 By: admin

Welcome to Playing Through’s new morning ritual — Golf Talk Today.

Each morning will feature a Golf Talk Today, where the crew will discuss various elements throughout the PGA Tour, LPGA, LIV Golf, and more.

It’s Moving Day at the 124th U.S. Open.

Ludvig Åberg leads the field by one shot in his U.S. Open debut. He is eying some magic from Pinehurst as he attempts to win his first major championship. However, he will have to hold off some talented players like Rory McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau, Tony Finau and more.

The round 3 tee times are below, but let’s also discuss how much carnage Pinehurst caused for some of the biggest names in golf.

So brew a pot of coffee, grab some breakfast, and settle in as we get you ready for the third round of the U.S. Open.

Pinehurst No. 2 sends some massive names home early

The PGA Tour and LIV Golf players sweated it out on Friday at Pinehurst. After two rounds of play, 20 golfers are at even par or better. The top 60 and ties make the weekend at the U.S. Open, so over half the field went home.

Popular golfers who missed the cut at Pinehurst No. 2
Viktor Hovland: 6-over, 78-68
Max Homa: 6-over, 71-75
Justin Rose: 6-over, 73-73
Tiger Woods: 4-over, 74-73
Rickie Fowler: 8-over, 71-77
Jason Day: 8-over, 71-77
Dustin Johnson: 9-over, 74-75

Check out the complete list of who missed the cut at the U.S. Open.

Ludvig Åberg aims to ma

U.S. Open Round 3 Tee Times (ET):

*Everyone tees off from the 1st tee

8:44 a.m. — Ryan Fox, Sahith Theegala

8:55 a.m. — Brooks Koepka, Francesco Molinari

9:06 a.m. — Matthew Fitzpatrick, Max Greyserman

9:17 a.m. — Justin Lower, Dean Burmester

9:28 a.m. — Tom McKibbin, Brandon Wu

9:39 a.m. — Luke Clanton (a), Brendon Todd

9:50 a.m. — Ben Kohles, Shane Lowry

10:01 a.m. — Cameron Young, Scottie Scheffler

10:12 a.m. — Tommy Fleetwood, Greyson Sigg

10:23 a.m. — Austin Eckroat, David Puig

10:50 a.m. — J.T. Poston, Wyndham Clark

11:01 a.m. — Aaron Rai, Neal Shipley (a)

11:12 a.m. — Si Woo Kim, Daniel Berger

11:23 a.m. — Matt Kuchar, Cameron Smith

11:34 a.m. — Gunnar Broin (a), Brian Campbell

11:45 a.m. — Martin Kaymer, Jordan Spieth

11:56 a.m. — Harris English, Christiaan Bezuidenhout

12:07 p.m. — Adam Svensson, Mark Hubbard

12:18 p.m. — Isaiah Salinda, Davis Thompson

12:29 p.m. — Min Woo Lee, Emiliano Grillo

12:45 p.m. — Denny McCarthy, Adam Scott

12:56 p.m. — Chris Kirk, Jackson Suber

1:07 p.m. — Sepp Straka, Brian Harman

1:18 p.m. — Nico Echavarria, Sam Bennett

1:29 p.m. — Nicolai Højgaard, S.H. Kim

1:40 p.m. — Frankie Capan III, Taylor Pendrith

1:51 p.m. — Russell Henley, Sergio Garcia

2:02 p.m. — Stephan Jaeger, Sam Burns

2:13 p.m. — Billy Horschel, Zac Blair

2:40 p.m. — Akshay Bhatia, Xander Schauffele

2:51 p.m. — Tyrrell Hatton, Tom Kim

3:02 p.m. — Hideki Matsuyama, Matthieu Pavon

3:13 p.m. — Tony Finau, Rory McIlroy

3:24 p.m. — Patrick Cantlay, Thomas Detry

3:35 p.m. — Bryson DeChambeau, Ludvig Åberg

ICYMI: Top stories from the 2nd Round of the U.S. Open

Check out these stories:

Francesco Molinari does unthinkable; makes U.S. Open cut with improbable hole-in-one

Tiger Woods misses U.S. Open cut, provides update on 2024 golf plans

Bryson DeChambeau, Ludvig Åberg highlight 5 U.S. Open outfits we love

Sahith Theegala’s surreal U.S. Open chip-in has fans, NBC broadcasters going nuts

Rory McIlroy fails to cash in, convert opportunities in U.S. Open pursuit

Bryson DeChambeau delighted by his patience, honors U.S. Open legend in big way

Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, be sure to follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.

Tiger Woods misses U.S. Open cut, updates 2024 golf plans tiger,woods,misses,u,s,open,cut,updates,golf,plans,sbnation,com,front-page,golf,tiger-woods,us-open-golf,golf-majors,golf-pga-tour,golf-news

On: June 15, 2024 By: admin

Despite the stars aligning regarding the hot weather, favorable tee times, and his history at Pinehurst No. 2, Tiger Woods has missed the cut at the 2024 U.S. Open.

He shot a 3-over 73 on Friday, one day after signing for a 4-over 74. The 15-time major winner made his only birdie of the day at the par-4 4th, but then made four bogies over his next 14 holes to miss the cut by two.

“Well, it was probably the highest score I could have possibly shot today,” Woods assessed after.

“I hit a lot of good shots that just didn’t quite go my way, or I hit good putts, and then I put myself in a couple of bad spots with some bad lag putts. But again, as I said, it was probably the highest score I could have shot today.”

Woods admitted to feeling agitated, not because of his ailments but due to his results.

“It is frustrating because I’m not here to have a chance to win on the weekend,” Woods said.

“Granted, my ball-striking and felt like my putting was good enough to be in contention, and I’m not.”

Despite what Woods said, he ranked 131st in strokes gained approach and 106th in strokes gained putting. He hit the ball well off the tee but did not strike enough solid iron shots to make the weekend. He also missed plenty of opportunities, with none hurting more than his birdie attempt on the par-3 15th, which lipped out at the end.

“15 hurt. That was a sweet little 7-iron in there and a good putt, high-side lip. If I make that putt, it flips the momentum, and I’m looking pretty good,” Woods said.

“Instead, I’m on the wrong side of the cut line and having to do something good on the last three holes, which I end up hitting a sweet shot out of the trouble on 16, and I thought I holed my bunker shot at 17.”

Alas, it was not meant to be for Woods, who also laid out his plans for the rest of the 2024 season.

“I’ve only got one more tournament this season,” Woods added.

“Even if I win the British Open, I don’t think I’ll be in the Playoffs. Just one more event and then I’ll come back whenever I come back.”

Woods made his way to the U.S. Open this week via a special invitation. The United States Golf Association (USGA) created a special exemption for Woods, who has won nine USGA championships in his career: three U.S. Junior Amateurs, three U.S. Amateurs, and three U.S. Opens. He won his Junior Amateur and U.S. Amateurs over six straight years in the 1990s, perhaps his most underrated accomplishment.

Whether or not he will tee it up in a USGA championship in the future remains to be seen.

“As far as my last Open Championship or U.S. Open Championship, I don’t know what that is,” Woods added.

“It may or may not be.”

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.

Tiger Woods, Justin Thomas stumble, miss U.S. Open cut tiger,woods,justin,thomas,stumble,miss,u,s,open,cut,sbnation,com,golf,us-open-golf,golf-majors,golf-pga-tour,golf-news,liv-golf

On: June 15, 2024 By: admin

Tiger Woods and Justin Thomas are just two of the big names to miss the cut at the 124th U.S. Open.

Woods, a 3-time U.S. Open champion, carded a 3-over 73 on Friday to miss the weekend by two shots. Thomas, meanwhile, looked lost all week at Pinehurst No. 2, finishing at 11-over through 36 holes. The two-time PGA champion has missed the cut in five of his last seven majors, an alarming trend for the Louisville, Kentucky native.

But plenty of others will head home early, too.

Viktor Hovland opened the 2024 U.S. Open with an eye-opening 8-over 78. He fought hard to make the weekend on Friday, battling back after making a double-bogey at the par-4 8th with four birdies, but he fell short in the end. Two bogies over his final three holes cost the Norwegian dearly, as he missed the cut by a stroke at 6-over par.

Also finishing at 6-over was Robert MacIntyre, who recently won the RBC Canadian with his father on the bag. Unfortunately for the Scotsman, he will have no reason to celebrate this time around.

Max Homa, Eric Cole, and PGA Tour rookie Nick Dunlap also finished at 6-over, with Homa being the biggest surprise of this trio. Yet, Homa has missed the cut at the U.S. Open in four of his five starts, with the outlier being a tie for 47th at the Country Club at Brookline in 2022.

Canadians Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor will also head home early, finishing at 7-over and 8-over, respectively. Australian Jason Day also totaled an 8-over score, a surprise given that this course suits his game nicely.

Others who finished at 8-over include Will Zalatoris, Webb Simpson, Will Zalatoris, Rickie Fowler, and one of SB Nation’s Dark Horses, Alex Noren of Sweden.

Dustin Johnson ended his second round at 9-over, as he has looked completely lost in major championships this season. So, too, has Phil Mickelson, who finished at 15-over after shooting a 79 on Thursday and a 76 on Friday.

Plenty of big names faltered at Pinehurst No. 2, but the big name favorite—Scottie Scheffler—made the cut on the number.

In all, 74 players earned third-round tee times, and play will commence first thing on Saturday, which promises to be another thrilling day in the North Carolina sandhills.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.

U.S. Open: Ludvig Aberg learned from Masters missteps, leads u,s,open,ludvig,aberg,learned,from,masters,missteps,leads,sbnation,com,front-page,golf,us-open-golf,golf-majors,golf-pga-tour,golf-news

On: June 15, 2024 By: admin

Ludvig Åberg found his groove on Friday at the U.S. Open, becoming the solo leader after 36 holes. He posted a 1-under 69 to move to a 5-under overall and holds a one-shot lead heading into Saturday’s third round.

Once again, the former Texas Tech Red Raider is in contention at a major in 2024. He played Augusta National, another difficult golf course, exceptionally well. Åberg finished runner-up to World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler at this year’s Masters.

But he made some mistakes down the stretch, notably on the 11th hole, which cost him a chance at a Green Jacket. As such, Åberg will have a chance to put those experiences to work this weekend in North Carolina.

“I think Augusta proved to me that I was able to be in that position,” Åberg said.

“It was more of a justification of you can be there and contend on a Sunday. The golf course also played very difficult. It demanded a lot of patience and discipline, just like this one does. I feel like those experiences that I had back in April were great. Hopefully, we’ll draw some similarities between those.”

The young Swede continued to plug right along at Pinehurst No. 2 on Friday. He remained extremely consistent, hitting 12-of-14 fairways and finding 14-of-18 greens. The 24-year-old has missed just two fairways and six greens over the first two days overall.

To this point, he leads the field in both total strokes gained and strokes gained off the tee.

Yet, he did not have his best day on Friday, even though he recorded three birdies and two bogeys on his round. Still, his round was consistent enough to push him up the leaderboard and into the solo lead.

“Felt like I hit it very nicely today,” Åberg said.

“It was very challenging, and it’s not an easy golf course. I felt like we stayed very disciplined, stayed very patient, and tried to hit it to our targets all the time and see how many good shots we can hit today and see where that ends up at the end.”

He looks to become the first player in 110 years to win in his U.S. Open debut. Francis Ouimet famously did so in 1913 at The Country Club at Brookline as an amateur, which many say put the U.S. Open on the map. Other pundits call Ouimet’s win the most important victory in professional golf history.

Nevertheless, the U.S. Open has transformed into the toughest test in golf, with Pinehurst taking no prisoners.

“I think a U.S. Open is supposed to be hard,” he said.

“It’s supposed to be tricky. It’s supposed to challenge any aspect of your game, and I feel it’s really doing that. But I’m super fortunate with the way that things have turned out over the last couple of days, and hopefully, we’ll be able to keep it up.”

Despite its difficulty, Åberg knows this track fairly well. He played a U.S. Amateur at Pinehurst in 2019 but failed to advance past the round of 32. That experience taught him a lot about how to take on this tricky golf course.

“I think with the way those greens are when it gets really firm—you don’t really have any bail-out areas; you’ve got to take on the golf shots and see where it ends up,” Åberg said.

“If you don’t pull it off, you’re going to have a really tricky short game shot. I think it’s a challenging golf course, but once again, that’s how it was supposed to be.”

Åberg and Bryson DeChambeau will comprise the final pairing for the third round of the U.S. Open.

U.S. Open: Francesco Molinari makes inconceivable ace, makes cut u,s,open,francesco,molinari,makes,inconceivable,ace,makes,cut,sbnation,com,golf,us-open-golf,golf-majors,golf-pga-tour,golf-news

On: June 14, 2024 By: admin

Francesco Molinari stood on the par-4 9th hole—his 18th of the day—at 7-over par. With the cut-line sitting at 5-over, he needed a hole-in-one to make the cut on the number.

The request was impossible, and yet Molinari delivered the improbable. He made an ace with a 7-iron, thus earning a third-round tee time at the U.S. Open for the first time since 2021.

“I think from where we were standing, it looked like it just carried the bunker, plus the greens are getting firm, so it was the ideal shot,” Molinari explained after.

“Then it started tracking, was going to break left to right at the hole, and we were joking with Sergio Garcia about how it looked and on a great line the whole way, but what are the chances really. I don’t even know what to say. Just incredible.”

Molinari struggled to process what had transpired after his 2-over 72.

“I just bogeyed 8. I was hoping I could par the 8th and then have to make two at 9,” Molinari said.

“With that flag, if you hit a good shot, you can get it within birdie range, but when I dropped a shot at 8, and then yes, standing on the 9th tee, it was just put a good swing on it and see what happens. But the chances are incredibly small, so I don’t know what to say.”

Molinari has had his fair share of incredible hole-in-ones.

He aced the 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale one year. He also made a hole-in-one at Bay Hill, when he won there in 2019, per golf statistician Justin Ray.

But on Friday, he made the greatest ace of his life—when he needed it most.

“It was the last chance to have a chance to play the weekend,” Molinari added.

“That’s golf in a nutshell.”

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.

Rory McIlroy can’t convert chances in U.S. Open pursuit rory,mcilroy,can,t,convert,chances,in,u,s,open,pursuit,sbnation,com,golf,us-open-golf,golf-majors,golf-pga-tour,golf-news

On: June 14, 2024 By: admin

When Rory McIlroy prematurely walked in his final birdie of the day on Thursday evening, the talk of the golf world was, ‘Could this be the week?’

After all, McIlroy has opened a major with a bogey-free round three times before, and he has gone on to win each of those times. He did so again at Pinehurst No. 2 on Thursday, firing a clean, 5-under 65 to share the lead with Patrick Cantlay through 18 holes.

But he could not convert any opportunities a day later, when he carded a disappointing 2-over 72. His poor Friday round dropped him back to 3-under for the championship.

“Obviously not quite as well as [Thursday], but I feel like the golf course plays a little more difficult, even though we were off in the morning,” McIlroy explained afterward.

“Some of the hole locations were definitely a little tougher. Sort of had to have your wits about you.”

McIlroy lost his wits for a brief moment on the par-3 17th, when he putted his birdie attempt off the front of the green. That brought a double-bogey into play, as his third shot had to climb the steep false front that guards the front of the green. But instead of making a bigger mess of things, McIlroy chipped in for a wild par.

“Overall, I felt like I did a pretty good job of keeping some of the mistakes off the scorecard,” McIlroy opined.

“I wish I had converted a couple more chances. Hit the ball pretty well. I think I only missed one fairway. So, I had plenty of opportunities. Yeah, I wasn’t quite as good with the putter today. Still, overall, we are in a great position going into the weekend.”

McIlroy lost 2.5 strokes on the greens on Friday as he failed to convert multiple looks at birdie. He could not get into a rhythm with his putter, unlike Thursday, when he had an above-average day on the greens.

That trend started early and often: McIlroy missed an 11-footer for birdie at 10, and then missed a par-putt from five feet on 11. Three holes later, McIlroy missed another birdie attempt from 11 feet, increasing his frustrations. He then bogeyed the par-3 15th. Another missed birdie putt followed at the 1st, this time from 10 feet.

At least he salvaged these misses with a birdie at the par-4 3rd, his first of the day. But that proved to be his last one, too.

“I was 2-over pretty early. My goal going into that second nine was if I could get it back to even for the day, I would have been pretty happy,” McIlroy added.

“Got that birdie on 3. I was trying to claw one back there. Ultima,tely I gave one back again.”

McIlroy closed his round with a bogey at the par-3 9th and walked off with his head hung low. But he hit the ball well from tee to green again on Friday. He even led the field in strokes gained off the tee.

Yet, his putter failed him the most, and if he wants to break his decade-long major drought and win the U.S. Open, he will need his flat stick to show up—like it did on Thursday.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.

U.S. Open: Bryson DeChambeau remains patient, honors legend u,s,open,bryson,dechambeau,remains,patient,honors,legend,sbnation,com,front-page,golf,us-open-golf,golf-majors,golf-news,liv-golf

On: June 14, 2024 By: admin

Bryson DeChambeau carded a 1-under 69 Friday at the 124th U.S. Open. It marks his second straight sub-70 score, an impressive feat at treacherous Pinehurst No. 2.

Coincidentally, he posted back-to-back rounds in the 60s to open up the U.S. Open at Winged Foot, where he won in 2020. Will history repeat itself?

Nevertheless, Friday’s second round challenged DeChambeau more so than on day one. He tallied five birdies and four bogeys. However, he ended it on a high note with a birdie on the 18th to shoot under par for the day.

This 1-under round puts him at 4-under for the championship, as he walked off the golf course trailing the leaders by a stroke.

“All in all, I was very happy with how I stayed patient, gave myself good opportunities when they mattered, and I made a lot of clutch putts coming in,” DeChambeau said.

Thursday saw him gain strokes off the tee, but on Friday, he lost a smidge to the field, losing 0.08. He only hit 7-of-14 fairways and 9-of-17 greens.

DeChambeau picked up those strokes on the green, though. In strokes gained putting, he picked up 2.29 on the field, a stark improvement from losing 0.33 on Thursday.

“This golf course is not going to be the same come tomorrow and the next day, and I’m expecting that,” he said.

“Us competitors, players, have to adjust to those conditions accordingly. I’m excited about the game that I have right now. I feel pretty confident and ready to get after it this weekend.”

This week also marks the 25th anniversary of Payne Stewart’s U.S. Open victory in 1999. The golf legend happened to be someone DeChambeau idolized growing up.

Stewart is a big reason why DeChambeau went to SMU and wore the scally cap for a while. On a recruiting trip to SMU, he saw Stewart’s mural at the golf center, which made the decision easy for him.

DeChambeau does not wear the flat cap as much anymore, but this week, he brought it to honor Stewart.

“I wore the hat as a bit of a tribute to Payne and Ben Hogan,” DeChambeau said.

“Growing up, I was a big Ben Hogan fanatic. Knowing what Payne meant to the game of golf, I am also a Payne Stewart fan. He’s meant a lot to me in the game.

“My first [PGA Tour] win was his first win—the John Deere Classic. It was a different tournament back then, but it meant a lot to me to win there. We have the cap on my bag this week as a remembrance of him. The cap is hanging on the side of the bag and it’s with me and makes me think of him every time I’m walking on these grounds.”

Stewart won the first U.S. Open at Pinehurst in 1999 but would tragically die in a plane crash just four months later. The resort has a statue of Stewart’s iconic celebration that fans can see as they enter the main entrance this week.

After 36 holes, DeChambeau is in the hunt and will need a solid weekend to win his second U.S. Open. He has proven to be one of the most consistent players in the field, which will help tremendously as Pinehurst only gets more complicated.