Rory McIlroy’s search for a first major title since 2014 goes on after a bogey on the 18th hole in the final round of the 124th US Open at Pinehurst handed Bryson DeChambeau a second US Open title in four years.
Both players were locked together at six under going into the final two holes, but after McIlroy took a five on the last to slip back to five under, DeChambeau held his nerve to hole a four foot putt to par the same hole and take the title.
The Holywood man made the ideal start in his bid to claim an overdue fifth major title.
Starting the final round three shots behind DeChambeau, McIlroy immediately closed the gap by holing from 20 feet for birdie on the first.
Playing partner Patrick Cantlay made par to remain three behind DeChambeau, who also got his round under way with a solid par.
France’s Matthieu Pavon, who was in the final group with 2020 winner DeChambeau, dropped a shot at the first to fall four behind.
DeChambeau bogeyed the fourth after hitting his second shot over the green, a result which prompted an unhappy query to his caddie.
“What are we doing dude? It’s an eight iron all day,” DeChambeau complained to Gregory Bodine.
That meant McIlroy was within a shot of the lead, only for the Northern Irishman to drop a shot on the par-five fifth after what looked an excellent approach ran off the sloping green into one of the native areas.
From a poor lie, McIlroy could only chip his ball into the bunker in front of him and, after splashing out to 20 feet, narrowly failed to hole the par putt.
McIlroy closed the gap to a single shot again thanks to a birdie from 15 feet on the ninth, but DeChambeau holed from a similar distance for par on the eighth to stay in front.
Cantlay had hit a better tee shot than McIlroy on the ninth but could not hole his birdie attempt and remained two off the lead heading into the back nine.
McIlroy holed from 27 feet for another birdie on the par-five 10th to move into a tie for the lead, with Cantlay following him in to stay one behind his Ryder Cup rival.
DeChambeau also birdied the 10th to reclaim the lead and did well to save par on the next after finding trouble off the tee and sand with his approach.
Another long birdie putt on the 12th took McIlroy back alongside DeChambeau on seven under par.
RORY IS ROLLING THE ROCK! 🔥🔥🔥
— U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 16, 2024
Third birdie in the last four holes to reclaim a share of the lead. pic.twitter.com/qVxK9eFXEm
With Cantlay making a bogey on the same hole to fall three behind, it looked increasingly like a two-horse race for the title.
The tee on the par-four 13th had been pushed forward to tempt players to drive the green and McIlroy’s tee shot took a favourable bounce off the grandstand at the back and settled around 20 feet from the putting surface.
From there he chipped to five feet and, after DeChambeau had bogeyed the 12th, McIlroy calmly holed the birdie putt to open up a two-shot lead.
DeChambeau hit a superb tee shot onto the 13th green to set up a simple birdie, although he somewhat surprisingly left the 30-foot eagle attempt short.
McIlroy had bogeyed the 15th and 17th in round three and the 15th cost him another shot on Sunday as he was unable to get up and down from over the green, dropping back alongside DeChambeau on seven under.
Cantlay missed a good birdie chance on the same hole to remain two behind.
DeChambeau looked to have avoided trouble on the 15th when he safely found the green, only to charge his birdie putt four feet past the hole and miss the return.
That gifted McIlroy a one-shot lead, but he lost it immediately after amazingly missing from two feet for par on the 16th.
DeChambeau narrowly missed birdie chances on the 16th and 17th but found himself in the lead when McIlroy missed another short par putt on the 18th, having pulled his tee shot into the native area and coming up short of the green with his second.
