DeChambeau rallies for first PGA Tour win
SI LVIS, I LL . Bryson DeChambeau left SMU in 2015 after becoming the fifth golfer to win the NCAA and U.S. Amateur titles in the same year.
Then he turned pro in 2016, when he mustered one top-10 finish. In 2017, he missed eight consecutive PGA Tour cuts from April to June and entered this weekend ranked 114th in the FedExCup race.
Now, he’s the John Deere Classic champion.
After starting Sunday four strokes behind leader Patrick Rodgers, DeChambeau ripped off six birdies in his final nine holes to shoot 65 and finish at 18 under, one stroke ahead of Rodgers.
The win moves DeChambeau to 34th in the FedExCup standings and qualified him for this week’s British Open. Is he packed for the trip? “I hope so. I don’t know yet,” DeChambeau said, with a laugh. “I think my agent’s helping me out with that.”
DeChambeau entered the John Deere with two top-10 finishes to his name. His best career result was a tie for second in this year’s Puerto Rico Open.
He hit 17 of 18 greens Sunday and sank a 14-foot birdie putt on No. 18 to tie Rodgers at 18 under. Rodgers then bogeyed the 17th hole and parred the 18th.
“It feels like it’s been a long time coming, even though I’m 23,” DeChambeau said. “I think that Jordan (Spieth) set the tone quite a bit for us (young golfers). Especially after winning the 2015 NCAAs and U.S. Amateur in the same year, I was kind of on a high from that and was playing incredible golf. And I went into a bit of a lull, trying to understand my golf swing a little bit more and was messing around with some things.
“Unfortunately, (that) took me off track, but I realized quickly what I needed to do to get back on track and I was able to right the ship about three or four weeks ago. And it’s been steady Eddie ever since.”
Rodgers shot 1-under-par 70, with two of his four costly bogeys coming on the 14th and the 17th.
He nearly forced a playoff, though, chipping his 51-foot birdie attempt within about a foot of the hole on No. 18.
“Obviously, a few holes I wish I had back,” Rodgers said, “but my caddie and I were a great team today. I’m going to hold my head high and move forward and expect to win soon.”
Zach Johnson’s third-round 70 came back to bite him Sunday. Johnson, who won the tournament in 2012 and finished in the top three six times in his last eight appearances, shot 67 in the final round, leaving him in a tie for fifth at 15 under, three strokes off the lead.
“This was probably the best round I played. I just didn’t score,” Johnson said. “Certainly my last 36 holes there was plenty of opportunities. I just didn’t capitalize.”