50 observations from the U.S. Open

June 17, 2024

Bryson DeChambeau on Sunday after his U.S. Open win at Pinehurst.

Getty Images

INSIDE THE ROAST OFFICE, PINEHURST, N.C. — I guessed that I was late. I was frustrated.

But apparently, Rory McIlroy was more so. And he’d called it a day a little early.

On my end, shortly after the U.S. Open’s final round, shortly after McIlroy missed a 4-footer for par on the 18th hole, and Bryson DeChambeau made a 4-footer to win, I was a bit far from the post-round media scrum. There were a few questions to ask of McIlroy, of course. Maybe you were thinking about them, too. On the NBC broadcast, analyst Brad Faxon — also McIlroy’s putting coach — had noted that before a costly short miss on 16, McIlroy had stood over his ball longer than he had any other putt on Sunday. What happened there? How would he move on? Do things remain status quo after this gut punch, the latest in a few? Or would he consider shaking things up?

I jogged over, though mid-90s temps and a weeklong diet of grease aren’t a fit for such a thing. When I stopped, McIlroy was marching to his car with a bag. Some folks were following him. Caddie Harry Diamond then dropped his bag in the trunk, the doors closed — and McIlroy peeled away, the car’s tires slightly squeaking.

Did I miss his interview? I asked around. Actually, I saw everything.

McIlroy was gone. Not too long after, he was on a jet back to his home in Florida.

He shoulda talked. I understand the moment and the frustration. And he probably wouldn’t say much of anything anyway. In that regard, I’m often surprised when there’s frustration that our athletes aren’t citing Shakespeare in these proceedings. But it’s part of the gig. He knows that.

That said, maybe a better response will come later, after some reflection. Late Monday afternoon, in announcing that he was withdrawing from this week’s Travelers Championship, he called Sunday one of the toughest days of his career.

As we look back at the U.S. Open week that was, we’ll make that observation No. 1 then. Let’s try for 49 more as we post up at the perfectly named Roast Office, a post office converted into a coffee shop (and book store). Various folks with golf-logo polos have been wandering in, and they’re no doubt reflecting too.

2. Let’s pause on McIlroy for a second. Let’s talk about the winner.

DeChambeau appears to have things engineered to make a run. Distance. A calming caddie. Gear tweaks. He’s an explorer. I appreciate that. He’s looked into every nook and cranny and golf bag to find that extra yard, which as noted above, was about the distance McIlroy missed putts from late Sunday, and DeChambeau made from on 18 (though, yes, he whiffed on a shorty on 15).

3. Where do you hit a 50-yard bunker shot with a chance to win the U.S. Open?

Off the face of the bunker?

Off the Pinehurst clubhouse in the distance?

DeChambeau’s winner is an all-timer.

4. Johnson Wagner’s shot wasn’t too bad, either.