More Major pain for Rory McIlroy as Bryson DeChambeau claims US Open title by one shot

Rory McIlroy’s major drought now stands at 3598 days — nine years and ten months — after he bogeyed three of his final four holes to hand Bryson DeChambeau the 124th US Open after a thrilling heavyweight battle at Pinehurst No 2.

Three behind starting the day, the Co Down man looked destined to end his drought when he birdied the ninth, 10th, 12th and 13th to go from one behind to two ahead.

But after following a bogey at the 15th with another at the 16th, where he lipped out from two-and-a-half feet to find himself tied, he suffered a nightmare finish that will take some time to assimilate.

While he got up and down from sand at the 17th to remain tied, he drove into scrub left at the 18th and came up short of the green.

A chip and run from 30 yards left him three feet, nine inches for par but his left-to-right breaking putt missed low and after he tapped in for a 69 to take the clubhouse lead on five-under 275.

He waited in the scoring for a miracle but DeChambeau made a brilliant par from the front bunker, rolling in a four-footer for a one-over 71, a one-shot win and his second US Open victory since 2020.

It was a gutsy par from the Californian, who finished under a magnolia tree in the scrub.

With his backswing impeded, he caught a root but chased his second into a greenside bunker from where he played a sensational recovery to give LIV Golf its second major win,

“That’s for Payne, baby,” DeChambeau roared as his caddie retrieved a pin flag commemorating the 1999 champion, who died in a plane crash just months after winning the US Open at Pinehurst No 2.

DeChambeau won $4,300,000 but the $2,322,000 runner-up cheque will be little consolation to McIlroy, who has now had 21 top 10s but no wins in the 37 majors he’s played since winning his fourth at the PGA in 2014.

Starting the day three shots off the lead, tied with Matthieu Pavon and Patrick Cantlay on four-under, the Holywood star (35) showed his intent right from the off, rolling in a 20-footer for birdie at the first to cut the gap to two.

The gap was down to one when DeChambeau failed to get up and down from over the green at the fourth. But McIlroy crucially bogeyed the par-five fifth, chipping into a bunker from the native area with his third.

The Holywood star did not let his head go down, and after chip and putt pars at the seventh and eighth, he closed to within a shot again at the ninth, rolling in a 15-footer for birdie.

DeChambeau struggled to find fairways but scrambled a great par at the eighth, fist-pumping wildly as he made a 12-footer to remain one in front.

McIlroy drew level again by draining a 26-footer for birdie at the 10th, where he had been forced to lay up.

But like a heavyweight title bout, the big two continued to trade blows.

Despite driving into more scrub, DeChambeau also birdied the 10th from five feet to regain the lead. But McIlroy would not go away, rolling in a 22-footer for birdie at the 12th to draw level again as the gallery bellowed “Rory, Rory”.

It was a blow for DeChambeau in the group behind, and as he missed his fourth fairway in a row and a 21-footer for par at the 12th, he went from one behind to two back as McIlroy made his fourth birdie in five holes at the driveable, 316-yard 13th, where he drove through the green, chipped to five feet and knocked in the putt.

DeChambeau refused to take it lying down and blasted a three-wood into the heart of the green at the 13th before two-putting from 28 feet to reduce the gap to a shot.

But the Californian could not control his power and missed his sixth fairway in a row at the 14th, where McIlroy went miles left off the tee but drew a clean lie and saved par with a chip and putt from left of the green.

The American has been pure box-office since his move to LIV Golf and he showed why he’s the most exciting talent in the game when he muscled his approach out of the scrub onto the green and two-putt from 60 feet for par.

It was soon McIlroy’s turn to struggle but after flying through the green at the 205-yard 15th, he held the green with his difficult chip.

He dropped a shot, however, failing from 32 feet to fall back into a tie for the lead with DeChambeau on seven-under, two ahead of Cantlay, who was also refusing to bow out of the fight.

While he missed six of his first 15 greens, driving was not a problem for McIlroy, who made it 11 fairways out of 13 at the 16th, bombing his tee shot 350 yards down the middle of the fairway to leave 189 yards.

The battle between McIlroy and DeChambeau had developed into the ultimate game of chicken and it was the American who flinched first with a three-putt (his first of the week) from 26 feet at the 15th, where he lipped out from four feet

McIlroy missed a long-range chance to go two ahead at the 16th, where DeChambeau hit a massive 361-yard drive to leave only a wedge to the green.

But the Co Down man inexplicably lipped out from two-and-a-half feet for par to make back-to-back bogeys. It was his first missed putt from inside five feet all week and he understandably puffed out his cheeks.

Once again, they were tied on six-under.

DeChambeau almost regained the lead at the 16th but gently lipped the hole from 22 feet as McIlroy scrambled for par from sand left at the 220-yard 17th, rapping in a three-and-a-half footer for his three.

The American had another chance to regain the lead at the 17th but left his 18-footer short as McIlroy hacked out of the scrub left of the 18th up ahead and came up short of the green, 30 yards from the pin.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Get ahead of the day with the morning headlines at 7.30am and Fionnán Sheahan's exclusive take on the day's news every afternoon, with our free daily newsletter.