Bryson DeChambeau, drawing inspiration from Payne Stewart, in contention for second US Open title

PINEHURST, N.C. (AP) — For inspiration this week, Bryson DeChambeau need only look at his golf bag.

On the side is a Payne Stewart hat, a tribute to his childhood hero who won the U.S. Open at No. 2 Pinehurst in dramatic fashion a quarter-century ago.

“It makes me think of him every time I walk on that field,” said DeChambeau, who chose to attend Southern Methodist after seeing a mural of Stewart on the walls of the university’s athletic department.

“I’m like, ‘Oh, my God, he went to SMU?'” DeChambeau said. “They say, ‘Yeah, you didn’t know that?’ I was like, ‘No, I didn’t know he came here.’

DeChambeau positioned himself to match Stewart’s feat after 36 holes.

On the same 18th hole where Stewart made a 15-foot putt to beat Phil Mickelson in 1999, DeChambeau holed an approach from the middle of the fairway to inches from the cup and tapped for a birdie Friday for a 69, leaving him at 4-under 136 and in contention to win the U.S. Open for the second time in five years.

“I’m excited for the game I have right now,” DeChambeau said. “I feel pretty confident and ready to go this weekend. I feel good where I am.

He should too.

DeChambeau has been as hot as the Pinehurst sun at majors this year, finishing in the top 10 in the rankings after nine of his last 10 rounds.

This week’s effort comes after finishing sixth at the Masters and second at the PGA Championship last month, where he shot 20 under par, one shot behind Xander Schauffele.

DeChambeau’s driving has long been his calling card and that’s what he relied on to shoot 67 on Thursday.

But on Friday, the big man proved once again that he can also roll the ball.

Around the same time USGA officials issued a weather advisory for fans with the heat index approaching 100 degrees, DeChambeau was warming up with the putter — the same one he’s been using since 2018.

He made birdie putts from around 20 feet on Nos. 12 and 13, the latter punctuated by a first emotional pumping.

He needed no such drama on the green of the par-4 18th, where he nearly went off the fairway, provoking a huge roar from the crowd. DeChambeau responded with a smile and a wave of the cap.

He was also all smiles after the round.

“If I can get everything right…driving, ironing, posing, even chipping around the greens, (I’m) going to play really good golf, obviously,” DeChambeau said.

But he knows it won’t be easy.

The Pinehurst No. 2 course continues to dry out under the blazing sun and the greens are getting harder, meaning it could be quite an adventure stopping the ball on the green over the weekend.

DeChambeau went so far as to say the course could be “evil.”

When asked if he would be happy to play the final 36 holes even, DeChambeau paused for several seconds to consider the question before answering: “If I had a crystal ball, I could say that 4 under is going to be a very good shot. ” to win.

“I would like to get to 6 or 7 under,” he added. “I think that would be a position I would feel a little more comfortable in.”

If American fans still have any resentment toward DeChambeau for leaving the PGA Tour to join the Saudi-backed LIV Tour a few years ago, it doesn’t show. A huge crowd of fans of at least 10 people lined the ropes in the morning wave to admire DeChambeau’s length from the tee and cheer him on.

“Go win it, Bryson!” one fan shouted.

Maybe he will, just like his childhood hero.

___

AP Golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf