BEST FOOT FORWARD
DeChambeau ends with an eagle as course puts his rivals in a flap
WHen Bryson DeChambeau declared on the eve of the US Open that he was going to bludgeon Winged Foot into submission, it is fair to say that gales of laughter broke out once that rather broad back was turned.
Who bullies this venue, for heaven’s sake? Well, on a compelling second day when Winged Foot truly put the boot in following the indignities of the opening round — the second easiest first day in tournament history — practically the only man still standing from the battered morning wave was the scientist who might not be quite so mad after all.
On his final hole, the par-five ninth on the course, the fascinating 27-year- old American flexed those enormous muscles for a 365-yard drive and lofted an iron next to the flag for an eagle three and a wonderful 68.
It gave him the leading 36-hole score of three under par from his half of the draw and set the scene for a seismic battle of wills this weekend between the game’s macho man and a course with a DnA designed to repel such wanton aggression. Who’s your money on?
‘It’s all about hitting fairways and if I can do that I can continue to score well,’ insisted DeChambeau, who, following his first round 69, had opened with consecutive rounds under par for the first time in a major.
Whatever you think of his bulkedup frame and determination to bulldoze the game’s accepted wisdom, one thing you can’t question is his dedication. He was out there practising late on Thursday night because he had heard the weather would be cooler on Friday morning and wanted to hit shots in similar temperatures.
He got his reward as Winged Foot exacted a terrible revenge for all those scores in the sixties on day one, when the USGA got the set-up horribly wrong.
All it took was a little wind, a slight firming of the greens and tougher flag positions for the slippery slopes on this forbidding venue to do their diabolical work. Who wants a birdie-fest at this major?
What a rude awakening for Justin Thomas and Rory McIlroy, two of the low- scoring merchants from the opening day. Twenty-four hours later, Thomas followed his 65 by playing his first nine in three over.
McIlroy, imperious on day one with a 67, played his first eight holes in five over before a welcome birdie at the ninth. As for Tiger Woods, he was heading for a missed cut — just as in 2006 — on eight over for the event with nine to go.
Among the morning wave casualties was Lee Westwood, who reversed the figures on his opening 67 for a 76.
Gifted Belgian Thomas Pieters got to six under for the event at one point but had fallen all the way back to level par by the finish. He was gutted signing his scorecard but sensible enough to know that his halfway total will look an awful lot healthier when he wakes up this morning.
Bubba Watson showed all the craft and imagination that saw him win two Masters titles to stand at three under for his round playing the 18th hole. Just under 500 yards from sanctuary but what a third of a mile in front of him. The maverick lefty saw one chip to the viciously sloping green come back to his feet as he became yet another casualty of this brutal closing hole — yet another to run up a double bogey.
World no 1 Dustin Johnson and no 2 Jon Rahm were also among the early starters. The American had work to do following a disappointing opening round of 73 and duly got down to business. Rahm had opened with a useful 69 but uncharacteristically regressed to the point where he was locked on the same score as Johnson coming to the closing holes.
The Spaniard played his way back into it with birdies at his 16th and 17th but a bogey on his 18th, the par-five ninth and the easiest hole on the course, was a real setback. He finished five shots behind DeChambeau, with Johnson a further stroke adrift following a 70.
Two more sufferers were england’s Matt Fitzpatrick (73) and Tommy Fleetwood (74), who were both staring at a missed halfway cut, alas, on seven and eight over respectively.
Westwood knew from the off this was going to be a wildly different experience from day one. His opening iron shot plunged into a cavernous greenside bunker.
He played a really good shot but he had left himself in a spot where ‘really good’ simply didn’t cut it. His ball flirted with finishing close to the hole and then took off down another mean slope, leaving him 30ft away.
Westwood’s three gains from his first round had all gone in the first six holes but he showed the grit that has been the key to his longevity. He actually got to one under for the event, before Hells Bells — the unholy trinity of evil finishing holes — took four shots to leave him on three over.