DeChambeau working through right hip injury during third round (2024)

Bryson DeChambeau beat Rory McIlroy in a thrilling duel on the back nine at Pinehurst in North Carolina to win the U.S. Open by a single shot, in his second major championship victory.

McIlroy led by two with five to play but then blew the chance to end a 10-year wait for a major title by making three bogeys in his final four holes, including a heart-breaker at the 18th where he missed from inside four feet.

And DeChambeau, who also won the tournament at Winged Foot in 2020, showed his class to save par when in desperate trouble at the last to clinch the title, which he dedicated to his late father as well as boyhood hero Payne Stewart, who passed away in 1999.

Final leaderboard:

• -6: Bryson DeChambeau (71)
• -5: Rory McIlroy (69)
• -4: Patrick Cantlay (70), Tony Finau (67)

Bryson DeChambeau is apparently working through a right hip injury during the third round of the U.S. Open.

DeChambeau called for a physiotherapist as he was making the turn to the back nine at Pinehurst No. 2 and has been receiving treatments in between holes.

It has not to this point affected his play — DeChambeau hit his drive on No. 8 375 yards, parred the par-3 ninth and then made birdies on No. 10 and No. 11 to rise to the solo lead at 7-under-par.

NBC drone cameras caught DeChambeau with the physio in the moods near the No. 11 hole, then DeChambeau drove the golf ball 359 yards.

DeChambeau is seeking to win his second U.S. Open — he won the 2020 Open at Winged Foot in the thick of his burly phase. He’s since lost a dramatic amount of weight but retained elite length and ball speed.

The scene harkened back to Scottie Scheffler at March’s Players Championship when he dealt with a neck issue during a round and had to receive treatments for it during play.

Rory McIlroy had some missed opportunities on the par 5s during his third round.

He's still in the mix and is one off the lead after a birdie on the par-4 12th.

McIlroy is at 5-under-par alongside Matthieu Pavon and Ludvig Åberg.

Bryson DeChambeau is the solo leader at the U.S. Open.

He birdied the par-5 10th to improve to 6-under-par.

DeChambeau, after bogeying the fourth hole, has three birdies on his card.

Ludvig Åberg just hit one of the shots of the tournament.

He hit his 7 wood on the par-5 10th hole to nine feet for eagle.

Åberg missed the eagle putt but got the birdie to improve to 5-under-par.

As the final group makes the turn, there's a three-way tie atop the leaderboard.

Matthieu Pavon recorded his first bogey of the round on the par-4 11th.

Bryson DeChambeau pared the par-3 9th and Ludvig Åberg recorded a bogey.

It's Pavon, DeChambeau and Tony Finau tied on top at 5-under-par.

Åberg and Rory McIlroy sit one back at 4 under.

Rory McIlroy goes even on the two par 5s Saturday with two pars.

He had a makeable birdie putt on the par-5 5th that he missed.

And then in the fairway on the par-5 10th, McIlroy hit his second shot in the left greenside bunker. He hit his bunker shot well short of the hole, resulting in a par.

McIlroy still sits two off the lead at 4-under-par. But those are missed opportunities to make up ground.

At a more difficult par-3 9th hole Saturday, Rory McIlroy and Tony Finau both drained birdies.

McIlroy is 4-under-par for the tournament making the turn. Finau is 5-under-par, one off the lead.

Buckle up.

Matthieu Pavon goes out with a bogey-free 32 on the front nine.

He has three birdies on his scorecard so far.

An impressive start for Pavon, who has a one-shot lead at 6-under-par.

We saw a pair of aces at No. 9 on Friday but only five birdies so far today — with 17 bogeys and two doubles. Why? The pin position has been moved up into the front, making a very small ideal landing zone. We've seen a lot of players not be able to stay up on the green when attacking short, and if you're Matthieu Pavon and you hit it long you're in just as much trouble with the speed of the putt.

It's playing to a scoring average of 3.24 today — the ninth-toughest hole on the course.

Matthieu Pavon is 3 under through his first seven holes.

His lengthy birdie make at the 7th puts the Frenchman in the solo lead at the U.S. Open.

Some absolute short-game magic from Akshay Bhatia at the 8th to get to 2-under for the championship. He hit a low, skidding bump and run from just off the green on a down slope — a much harder shot to execute than one might assume — for his second consecutive birdie.

Earlier this spring Bhatia hired short game guru and two-time PGA Tour winner Gabriel Hjertstedt to help revamp his chipping. Looks like the work is paying off. He's ranked first in strokes gained short game, gaining 2.5 shots on the U.S. Open field.

Rory McIlroy just missed a 12-foot birdie putt on the par-5 5th to get within one of Ludvig Åberg's lead, and he looked extremely frustrated with the misread, pointing at where he thought his putt would have gone.

All week the top players have been talking about taking advantage of birdie opportunities at Pinehurst No. 2.

There is no room for error when you have short-range putts on these turtleback greens, because they are extremely hard to come by.

McIlroy's par on the first of Pinehurst's two par-5s might come back to bite him.

Ludvig Åberg got a fortunate break after his tee shot at the short par-4 3rd hole.

He took advantage of the drop, landing his second shot on the green.

Then Åberg drained the 28-foot putt for birdie.

Åberg leads by two.

Tyrrell Hatton is right in the mix at the U.S. Open.

He just eagled the par-5 5th hole, launching him to 4-under-par and one off the lead.

The USGA has a statement on Neal Shipley's penalty shot on the 13th hole today at Pinehurst No. 2. Shipley was 2-under for the tournament at one point during his third round, but had a rough finishing stretch, posting a back-nine 38 for a 1-over 71. That stretch included the penalty shot.

"On the 13th hole of round 3, Neal Shipley’s second shot came to rest on the upslope short of the green. In preparing to make the stroke, Neal set the club down behind the ball and then adjusted the club when the ball then moved. Because the ball had been at rest for some time and then moved immediately after he adjusted his club, it is virtually certain that he caused the ball to move.

Shipley got one penalty stroke under Rule 9.4 and replaced the ball on the original spot."

Belgium's Thomas Detry just showed exactly how things can change in an instant at Pinehurst No. 2.

He three-putted on the first hole and doubled the second to go three over for the day through two holes.

On the 514-yard par-4, Detry drove it in the native area, put his second shot in the bunker, failed to find the green from there, and then chipped on and two-putted for a six.

It can happen to anyone, and it can happen fast.

Rory McIlroy took advantage of the short par-4 3rd hole.

He recorded his first birdie of the day, moving into a tie for second.

McIlroy, along with Tony Finau, Bryson DeChambeau and Matthieu Pavon, are one back of leader Ludvig Åberg.

Another mind-boggling Ludvig Åberg note: The 24-year-old has the chance to become the first golfer to win in their U.S. Open debut since Francis Ouimet won as an amateur at The Country Club in 1913.