Bryson DeChambeau, formerly known almost as much for his eccentricity as his championship abilities, is atop the golf world after his remarkable victory Sunday in the 124th U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2.
DeChambeau’s decisive, spectacular blast from 55 yards to within 4 feet of the cup on the 72nd hole will no doubt go down as one of the greatest shots in golf history.
Few today would bet against the charismatic Californian to win more major championships. Despite continuing to put himself in trouble in No. 2’s waste areas, he bravely kept finding ways to make crucial par saves.
Everybody knows the 30-year-old DeChambeau can play even better.
But what about the flip side. Can Rory McIlroy, who left the course silently and dejectedly without congratulating DeChambeau then pulled out of this week’s PGA Tour event, recover to win another major title?
Many of golf’s best-known commentators aren’t sure. Yeah, Mcilroy is a fantastic talent with four major titles to his name. So he’s had plenty of success. But though he’s only 35, none of his major titles have come in the last decade.
Plus, it seems obvious that the Northern Irishman wilted under the intense pressure resulting from his major drought. Perfect on short putts for 69 holes, McIlroy missed two shorties in the final three holes.
McIlroy opened the door with an astounding, terrible miss from 2 feet on No. 16. At 18, with what looked like a chance to sew up a victory with a putt inside 4 feet, he offered a tentative effort that started above the hole then slipped below it.
Television cameras captured McIlroy’s dejected departure from the scorer’s room after DeChambeau sank the winning putt.
So how will McIlroy respond to the meltdown on a major stage?
“That’s going to haunt Rory for the rest of his life, those two misses,” said Nick Faldo on Sky Sports.
When asked Monday on GolfChannel, Notah Begay refused to dismiss the possibility that McIlroy’s career won’t be fully repaired.
As painful as it is to list, Arnold Palmer never added to his collection of seven major titles after Billy Casper rallied from a seven-shot deficit on the back nine at Olympic Club on Sunday to tie The King then win a playoff the next day at the 1966 U.S. Open.
History is full of great players who rebounded and others (some also great) who didn’t. Here’s a look at some who made major recoveries, and some who didn’t:
The Major Successes
Bernhard Langer — The 5-foot putt Langer missed to allow the United States to escape with a victory in the 1991 Ryder Cup easily could have been devastating to the German’s career.
For those too young to remember (I was there and will never forget the roar from U.S. fans) , the “War at the Shore” at Kiawah’s Ocean Course was probably the most contentious weekend of golf ever played. None other than Jack Nicklaus offered consolation to Langer by saying he didn’t think anybody could have made that putt in that atmosphere.
Langer was 34 at the time. A marvelous ball striker, putting was always his nemesis. The miss of the deciding putt in arguably the most hotly contested Ryder Cup of all time could have ruined him. Though the U.S. won, Mark Calcavecchia never fully recovered from his embarrassing collapse that gave Langer and Europe a chance to retain the Cup.
Langer rebounded to win the Euro Tour’s German Masters the next week. His later highlights went on to include a second Masters victory in 1993 and several other victories throughout the world before dominating the Senior/Champions Tour with 56 victories, including 12 majors.
Phil Mickelson — Leading the U.S. Open by a single stroke, Mickelson hit a driver on the 18th tee Sunday and bounced it off a hospitality tent. Johnny Miller called it “one of the worst collapses in U.S. Open history.” Mickelson has never won the U.S. Open despite six second-place finishes. Remember, he was the victim of Payne Stewart’s 15-foot winner at No. 2 in 1999. But he recovered to win four more major championships, giving him six for his career.
Never the Same
Jean Van de Velde — The obscure French pro needed only a double bogey on the final hole to win the 1999 British Open. But he made triple-bogey 7, with three horrible shots. Van de Verde got his only European Tour victory in 2006 and players in only nine additional major championships, though he managed a tie for 26th in 1999 PGA Championship.
Mark Calcavecchia — The 1989 British Open champion had a commanding 4-up lead with 4 holes to play and a chance to win the deciding points for the U.S. in the 1991 Ryder Cup. Plus, he only needed to find land with his approach on the par-3 17th to close out Collin Montgomerie (he could also be on this list), who hit first into the water. Calcavecchia skulled his 3-iron into the hazard, but still could have clinched the Cup for the U.S. by making a 2-foot putt for par. But he missed then lost 18 with a bogey, leaving the stage for Langer. Calcavecchia went on to add seven PGA Tour titles, but was rarely a factor in majors.
Greg Norman — OK, the Shark is remembered for not fulfilling his remarkable potential And to be fair, he was a victim of terrible luck and remarkable shots by opponents. For these purposes, let’s return to 1996, where he squandered a 6-stroke lead in a head-to-head pairing against Nick Faldo at the Masters. Norman went on to win two PGA Tour events in 1997 and became a business mogul in apparel and design as well as force behind creation of the LIV Tour. But the Shark lost his most of his bite after the Masters collapse.
Others Who Suffered Devastating Major Losses
Scott Hoch — Much maligned for failing to sink a 2-foot, breaking, downhill putt to win the 1989 Masters, the Wake Forest golfer and Raleigh native had a solid career, but never won a major title.
Mike Donald — Hard to blame Donald for failing to close out Hale Irwin in the 1990 U.S. Open at Medinah. Irwin stole his way into a playoff by sinking a 45-foot putt on the 72nd hole. Donald matched Irwin the next day in an 18-hole playoff, but lost on the 19th hole. A few years later, he was on the Korn Ferry Tour.
Bobby Clampett — Yes, kids. Clampett was a player before his announcing career. He had a seven-shot lead on Saturday in the 1982 British Open at Royal Troon before taking three shots to get out of a pot bunker and falling to a 10th-place showing. He won the PGA Tour’s Southern Open later that year, but never won again or contended in a major tourney.
Gil Morgan — A dominant player on the Senior Tour after turning 50, Morgan became the first player to reach 10-under in a U.S. Open in 1992 at Pebble Beach. But after getting to 12-under, he fell apart. To be fair, only Tom Kite held on during severe winds and the resulting slick greens on Sunday, and he needed a miraculous chip-in birdie at the par-3 seventh hole as a catalyst. He was never in contention at another major.
Doug Sanders — The best-dressed golfer of the 1960s and early 1970s, Sanders missed a 3-foot sidehill putt to win the 1970 British Open then lost a playoff to Jack Nicklaus. He bounced back with top 10 finish in the nest two British Opens and added a top 10 in the PGA Championship in 1972. But he never won a major. He had two PGA Tour wins after the British Open disappointment to reach 20 Tour victories in a hampered by injuries,.
