Bryson DeChambeau goes from petulant pro to man of the people during his US Open triumph
Bryson DeChambeau has gone from being the petulant young pro who seemed to court controversy to a fan favorite and man of the people during a memorable week at Pinehurst No. 2
PINEHURST, N.C. (AP) — It was late on Saturday night at the U.S. Open when Bryson DeChambeau, having hit a few last balls on the practice range in preparation for one of the biggest rounds of his life, could have headed home and gotten some much-needed rest.
Instead, he marshaled a bunch of kids who had stuck around past sunset to one end of the range, and made sure everyone who wanted a picture or autograph — in some cases, a second picture when the first didn't turn out — got exactly that.
The once-petulant young player with a sizeable ego and bigger swing had become a man of the people.
It carried over to the final round on Sunday, too, when thousands of fans lining the fairways under the Carolina pines seemed to be carrying him around Pinehurst No. 2. And when Rory McIlroy, himself one of the biggest fan favorites in the game, missed two short par putts to squander his chance at a long-awaited fifth major, DeChambeau gave the crowd encircling the 18th green one more reason to roar with a save every bit as memorable as Payne Stewart's on the same hole 25 years ago.
