Bunker Save on Final 18th Hole by Choi Jong-il
1-Stroke Victory, Second Tournament Win, 6 Billion Won Prize Money
McIlroy Tears Up After Bogey on Last Hole, Runner-Up
Kim Juhyung 26th, Kim Siwoo 32nd, Kim Sunghyun 56th
‘The fantastic bunker shot on the final 18th hole (par 4).’
Bryson DeChambeau is cheering after securing victory with a par save on the 18th hole of the 4th round at the US Open. [Pinehurst, USA = AFP·Yonhap News]
‘The Hulk’ Bryson DeChambeau (USA), a member of LIV Golf, has become a major champion. On the 16th (local time), at the Pinehurst Resort & Country Club Course No. 2 (par 70, 7,548 yards) in North Carolina, USA, the third major tournament of the year, the 124th US Open (total prize money $21.5 million) concluded. Despite losing one stroke in the 4th round, he secured a one-stroke victory (6 under par, 274 strokes).
This is his second major win in four years since winning this tournament in 2020. He received a winner’s prize of $4.3 million (approximately 6 billion KRW). He was strong in this year’s major tournaments, finishing tied for 6th at the Masters and runner-up at the PGA Championship. He earned his 9th PGA Tour win in total after 3 years and 3 months since the Memorial Tournament in March 2021. As a LIV Golf player, he followed Brooks Koepka (USA), who won the PGA Championship last year, in claiming a major championship trophy.
DeChambeau started with a 3-stroke lead but recorded 2 birdies and 3 bogeys. He exchanged 2 birdies and 2 bogeys over 14 holes, struggling to reduce his score, and lost the lead with a bogey on the 15th hole (par 3). However, he managed pars on the 16th and 17th holes, and despite hitting his second shot into a bunker on the 18th hole, he completed a thrilling victory with a brilliant bunker save.
L Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland), the 2011 champion of this tournament, fiercely chased DeChambeau in the 4th round and at one point took a 2-stroke solo lead but missed a short par putt on the 18th hole, failing to push the contest into a playoff. He finished as runner-up (5 under par, 275 strokes). Patrick Cantlay and Tony Finau (both USA) tied for 3rd place (4 under par, 276 strokes), and Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) performed well, finishing 6th (2 under par, 278 strokes).
Kim Joo-hyung lost 6 strokes and dropped to a tie for 26th place (6 over par, 286 strokes) but posted the best score among Korean players, effectively securing his spot for the Paris Olympics this August. Along with An Byeong-hun, who missed the cut in this tournament, he is expected to compete on the Olympic stage. Olympic qualification is based on the official Olympic ranking, which is derived from the world rankings. As of the 17th, the top two players qualify for the Olympics. Kim Si-woo recorded an even-par round with 1 eagle, 2 birdies, 2 bogeys, and 1 double bogey. He finished tied for 32nd place (7 over par, 287 strokes). Kim Sung-hyun tied for 56th place (12 over par, 292 strokes).
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