DeChambeau leads by 3 going into final round of U.S. Open
PINEHURST, N.C. – As Bryson DeChambeau walked up the 18th fairway Saturday, he looked to his left and acknowledged the cheering fans with a series of fist pumps. Then when he finished his round, he tossed a golf ball into the stands, a big grin crossing his face.
The U.S. Open is supposed to be a meat-grinder, an act of survival. But the Crushers GC captain is, dare we say it, actually having fun this week at Pinehurst.
Of course, it helps when you have a three-shot lead through 54 holes, as DeChambeau emerged from the pack of weekend contenders with a 3-under 67 in a third round that included six birdies. He’s now at 7 under for the tournament and 18 holes away from his second U.S. Open title.
No doubt he’ll have plenty of support on Sunday, just as he did Saturday. As much as he’s given them a show through the first three rounds, he’s also getting plenty in return.
“It was amazing,” DeChambeau said when asked about the fans. “I can’t thank them enough. It was a blessing. Man, they riled me up.”
Perhaps the support helped him battle through some right hip issues that popped up Saturday morning. At one point, he asked the rules officials to notify his trainers, who made it out to the course for a quick stretching session just off the 11th tee.
After a few minutes, DeChambeau ran up the hill to hit his tee shot – and promptly ripped it 359 yards down the fairway.
He said the hip problem is not a new one, and that he doesn’t anticipate it causing any problems in the final round.
“I've been playing a lot of good golf lately, and working on my house, trying to get my house finished, so I haven't really had time to rest like I want to,” DeChambeau explained. “The two weeks I had off after PGA, I was really grinding and focusing on some stuff there. I wasn't really able to rest.
“I've just been pushing myself a little bit, pushing the horse a bit. Consequently, that's going to happen. But I've got a great team around me to help fix some stuff up.”
Playing in the final group with rising star Ludvig Aberg of Sweden, DeChambeau was 1 under at the turn and in the leaders’ pack at 5 under.
Then he took control of the tournament.
He birdied the par-5 10th with a nice up-and-down from the left greenside bunker. He birdied the 11th, following that big drive with an approach shot to 13 feet.
He faced a 6-foot birdie putt at the 13th after a terrific fairway bunker shot but had to wait 10 minutes to hit, as Aberg was suffering through a triple-bogey that knocked him back down the leaderboard. He missed the putt, bending his knees as the ball slid past the hole.
“It was one of the most difficult putts I have had,” DeChambeau said. “So, for me it is just looking at it, being focused, trying to stay focused for 10 minutes.”
No matter. He birdied the 14th despite his tee shot finding the native area. He knocked his second shot from 131 yards to 9 feet, becoming the first player this week to reach 8 under.
“I hit a great shot, just didn't start out with any draw spin and the wind pushed it right towards the flag,” DeChambeau said of his second shot. “That's kind of what you're doing out here, is you're trying to play conservative golf that gives you the opportunity to hit it close in some scenarios. That's the best way I can describe it.”
As well as DeChambeau was playing, he was not immune to Pinehurst’s diabolical domed greens. With a 4-shot lead going to the par-4 16, he double bogeyed the hole when his approach rolled off the green and his ensuing chip shot did the same. Of the six shots DeChambeau hit on the hole, five of them touched the green at one point.
From a historical standpoint, suffering a double bogey at Pinehurst during the U.S. Open is cause for concern. None of the three previous winners here – Payne Stewart in 1999, Michael Campbell in 2005 and Cleeks GC Captain Martin Kaymer in 2014 – suffered a double on their winning scorecards.
But DeChambeau seems intent on writing new history. He immediately bounced back by hitting his tee shot at the par-3 17th to 12 feet and converting the putt to extend his lead to three. Then he took time to enjoy the moment and feel the crowd at 18.
“It just gives me a spike in my adrenaline and allows me to focus more on delivering for the fans and for myself and for my family,” he said of the support. “It just inspires me.”
He’s played inspired these first three days in Pinehurst. One more time and he becomes a multiple major champion.
HATTON’S QUICK START: With a birdie on his second hole and an eagle on the fifth, Tyrrell Hatton moved to 4 under early in Saturday’s round and took plenty of momentum into the par-3 sixth. But an errant tee shot led to a bogey, and the Legion XIII star failed to convert any of his remainder birdie chances en route to an even-par 70 that leaves him at 1 under and tied for seventh.
“I don't feel like I lost momentum at that point,” Hatton said. “I mean, I played the first five holes really well. One bad shot, which it was actually the right club, I got underneath it. It was a bad swing. I kind of got over that pretty quickly.”
Hatton’s tee-to-green play has been terrific this week. He ranks fifth in strokes gained off the tee and sixth in short game, and he’s tied for eighth in greens in regulation. For the most part, he’s also been pleased with his putting, as he’s burned a lot of edges this week.
“It wasn't my day on the greens,” Hatton said. “I'm sort of sad about that because as it stands, [six] shots back going into tomorrow. I know anything can happen, especially around this golf course. Yeah, hopefully I can wake up with the same golf swing I had today because I'm really happy how I've ended up hitting the golf ball.”
With a top-10 finish, Hatton can guarantee himself a spot in next year’s U.S. Open.
PLAYER NOTES: Fireballs GC Captain Sergio Garcia carded his second-consecutive 71, leaving him at 1 under for the tournament. Garcia bogeyed three of his first four holes but began to claw back at the par-4 seventh when he knocked his approach shot within 2 feet. … One day after clinching his spot in the men’s golf competition at the Paris Olympics, Fireballs GC’s David Puig broke par for the second consecutive round, shooting a 1-under 69 with five birdies. The 22-year-old shot a 68 on Friday to make the cut and guarantee his spot in Paris, where he’ll join Legion XIII Captain Jon Rahm on the Spanish Olympic team. … After a messy front nine in which he made the turn in 40, Ripper GC Captain Cameron Smith played the back nine Saturday in a bogey-free 3 under to finish with a 72, leaving him at 5 over … Two-time U.S. Open champ Brooks Koepka, the Smash GC captain, shot a 71 and is at 6 over. … Cleeks GC Captain Martin Kaymer, the 2014 U.S. Open winner at Pinehurst, suffered seven bogeys in shooting a 77 and is at 10 over … Stinger GC’s Dean Burmester is at 11 over after shooting a 76.
(Photo courtesy of Logan Whitton/USGA)