Bryson DeChambeau has paid credit to Rory McIlroy following their intense final-round duel at the 2024 U.S. Open Championship.
The American came out on top to clinch his second Major trophy with a stunning performance over four days at Pinehurst.
However, he was pushed all the way by McIlroy who dropped three shots in his last four holes to squander his chance at ending his 10-year Major drought.
“Rory is one of the best to ever play,” said DeChambeau, who is also now a two-time winner of the U.S. Open. “Being able to fight against a great like that is pretty special. For him to miss that putt (on 18), I’d never wish it on anybody. Luckily, things went my way.
“I even saw on 10 where he made birdie. I’m like, ‘oh, man, he’s gunning, he’s going for it’. So I had to put my foot on the pedal and push down pretty hard.
“I could hear ‘Rory, Rory’ chants. That was fun because it gave me the knowledge of what I had to do. There was also a lot of, ‘go USA, go Europe’. It was a fun battle between us.”
With the victory, DeChambeau moved back inside the top 10 players in the world despite playing on LIV Golf.
It’s well documented the lack of Official World Golf Rankings points available on the Saudi-backed circuit, but his performances in the Majors so far this year have been sublime.
“Golf, it’s a game of luck,” added the 30-year-old. “There’s a lot of luck that has to happen and go your way out there.
“I knew if I could give my 100% effort on every single shot, I’d give myself a good chance this week, just like I did at the PGA, just like I did at the Masters.”
