JUST NOW: PGA officials have issued a tough decision, officially disqualifying Scottie Scheffler. Read the details 👇
A few hours before eventual winner Bryson DeChambeau entered the final round of the U.S. Open, Scottie Scheffler stood on the first hole of Pinehurst’s No. 2 course, where a tough three days had sapped his confidence, and carefully lined up a six-foot birdie chance. The world No. 1 golfer hit the shot with perfect speed and line to the cup, landing bravely on the left edge without dropping out of the cup. Scheffler stared in disbelief for a moment before stepping forward and making the par putt. It’s hard to think of a better example of how the double m works.
The faint chimes from a nearby village chapel could have sounded like a funeral dirge on Sunday morning, when Scheffler shot 2-over 72 (which put him eight strokes behind the championship and 14 behind DeChambeau’s career mark), according to the Masters. Champion. He came here as the biggest betting favorite in a major tournament in 15 years, having won his fifth of eight starts at the Memorial last Sunday. He had already broken the tour’s single-year earnings record with more than $24m (£18.96m) in prize money – nice work if you can get it – and went off on Thursday as the first player to have won five tournaments in a season before the US Open since Tom Watson in 1980.