Tag: 2024 U.S. Open

Photos: 2024 U.S. Open Sunday final round at Pinehurst No. 2

Check out some of the best photos during the final round of the 124th U.S. Open.

The final round of the 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 was a thriller, with Bryson DeChambeau, who won the U.S. Open in 2020 and started Sunday with a three-shot lead, fending off 2011 champion Rory McIlroy.

This was the fourth U.S. Open contested at Pinehurst No. 2 and the first since 2014, when Martin Kaymer took home the trophy. There will be another U.S. Open contested here in 2029 (being conducted back-to-back with the U.S. Women’s Open), as it is one of the USGA’s anchor sites for future national championships.

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Check out our best photos during the final round of the 124th U.S. Open.

Bryson DeChambeau explains the salty golf balls he’s using at 2024 U.S. Open

“Thanks for the salty balls question. I appreciate that.”

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He did’t get the nickname ‘Mad Scientist’ for nothing.

Bryson DeChambeau, leading the 2024 U.S. Open by three shots after 54 holes, is known for experimentation.

At the Masters, it was revealed his golf clubs were produced by 3D printing.

Now at Pinehurst No. 2, the talk on Saturday was the process of floating his golf balls in a salt solution.

“Thanks for the salty balls question. I appreciate that,” began his response. “Yeah, I put my golf balls in Epsom salt. I’m lucky enough that Connor, my manager, does that now. I don’t have to do it. But essentially we float golf balls in a solution to make sure that the golf ball is not out of balance.

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“There was a big thing back in the day where golf balls are out of balance, and it’s just because of the manufacturing process. There’s always going to be an error, especially when it’s a sphere and there’s dimples on the edges. You can’t perfectly get it in the center.

“So what I’m doing is finding pretty much the out-of-balanceness of it, how much out of balance it is. Heavy slide floats to the bottom, and then we mark the top with a dot to make sure it’s always rolling over itself.

“It kind of acts like mud. If there’s too much weight on one side, you can put it 90 degrees to where the mud is on the right-hand side or the mud is on the left-hand side. I’m using mud as a reference for the weight over there. It’ll fly differently and fly inconsistently.

“For most golf balls that we get, it’s not really that big of a deal. I just try to be as precise as possible, and it’s one more step that I do to make sure my golf ball flies as straight as it possibly can fly because I’m not that great at hitting it that straight.”

It’s working so far. DeChambeau is at 7 under and is the first to ever break 70 the first three rounds of a U.S. Open at Pinehurst.

2024 U.S. Open Sunday final round tee times, pairings and how to watch

It’s time for the final round at Pinehurst.

The purse for the 2024 U.S. Open is $21.5 million with $4.3 million going to the winner. It’s the largest major championship purse.

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Here’s everything you need to know for the final round of the 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2.

Sunday tee times

Sunday’s TV information

Golf Channel: Golf Central: Live From the U.S. Open, 8 a.m. – 10 a.m. ET

Featured Groups, usopen.com, USGA App, Peacock, all day

Peacock: U.S. Open All Access, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. ET

USA: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. ET

NBC: 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. ET

Golf Channel: Golf Central: Live From the U.S. Open, 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. ET

NBC’s Brad Faxon shared Rory McIlroy’s ‘eureka moment’ on Saturday and McIlroy was none too happy

Faxon and McIlroy have a unique relationship given that Faxon serves as his putting coach, too.

PINEHURST, N.C. — As Rory McIlroy played the 13th hole of the 124th U.S. Open at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club’s No. 2 Course on Saturday, NBC Sports analyst Brad Faxon shared an insight into McIlroy’s game this week that was telling.

McIlroy shot 1-under 69 to improve to 4-under 206 and tied for second, just three strokes back of 54-hole leader Bryson DeChambeau as he bids for his fifth major and first in nearly a decade. It also means he will enter the final round of the U.S. Open inside the top 10 for the sixth year in a row.

Back to Faxon, who shared that McIlroy turned to Sean O’Flaherty, his agent, and boasted, “Sean, I just figured it out,” during a flight Sunday evening following the Memorial Tournament.

“What do you mean?” Faxon said was O’Flaherty’s response.

“I figured out my swing,” Faxon said McIlroy proclaimed.

“He got up in the aisle and showed him,” Faxon continued. “He started standing a little closer to the ball.”

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Brandel Chamblee, NBC’s lead analyst this week on the telecast, quipped, “That’s harder to do in 23C.”

Faxon and McIlroy have a unique relationship among players and announcers given that Faxon serves as his putting coach, too. This was a rare insight Faxon offered as to one of the reasons why McIlroy ranks first in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green and Strokes Gained: Off the Tee.

But when interviewer Kira Dixon, working on-site for Sky Golf this week, told McIlroy about what Faxon had shared on national TV and asked him to elaborate on what she called his ‘eureka moment,’ McIlroy was none too pleased.

“OK?” he said, eyebrows arching. “Umm, it may be true. I don’t know if I want to disclose it right now. I’m not sure why Fax is giving away sort of all my secrets.”

McIlroy chuckled and continued, finally confirming that Faxon’s story was accurate: “We spend a lot of time on planes and I spend a lot of time thinking about my game when I’m in the air and sometimes things come to me.”

McIlroy didn’t offer any more on what he discovered while flying the friendly skies but for three rounds it seems to be serving him well. And thanks to Faxon for potentially over-sharing to the golf public at-large.

Collin Morikawa got back in the 2024 U.S. Open mix by posting a career day in this statistic

“Numbers don’t lie. I’ll take that.”

PINEHURST, N.C. — After a tough-to-swallow 74 pushed him closer to the cutline than the top of the leaderboard on Friday, Collin Morikawa rallied on Saturday to post an impressive 66 that had him within five shots of the leaders before they teed off.

How’d he do it?

Whether it felt so or not, Morikawa used the best statistical putting day of his career in pulling back to even par for the 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2.

“I think I putted better at the Open, to be honest. The Open I made everything when I won in ’21,” he said of his victory at Royal St. George’s, the second major win of his career. “Numbers don’t lie. I’ll take that. I mean, look, after yesterday’s round, didn’t really do much. I just felt like they were getting really bumpy yesterday late in the day. They got a little crusty. Sometimes they just don’t fall. Today I just kind of made sure I stuck with everything that we’ve been working on.

“It was nice to see the first one go in and build off that.”

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Morikawa posted three birdies on the back nine and while many were struggling with the course’s dome greens, he seemed calm and comfortable. The former Cal star hasn’t won since capturing the Zozo Championship last October, but he’s been consistently in the mix, placing in the top 10 in five of his last seven starts, including a runner-up finish at the Memorial last week.

On Saturday he executed his plan to perfection in trying to get back into the conversation.

“I was trying to get to even,” Morikawa said. “You can’t be aggressive out here. I think if you’re aggressive, it can put you in really bad spots. You got to just kind of take your 30-footers. If you have a wedge, sometimes you’re able to go at pins. Didn’t play the par 5s as well as I have been. Look, you can’t play aggressive out here at all. You play aggressive to the right parts, you take what you can. If you get lucky, you get lucky.”

Now that he’s played his way back within striking distance, what is the game plan?

“To win,” he said definitively. “I mean, look, if I play the way I did today, who knows what could happen. This course is only going to get tougher. I know it’s not going to be easy.

“Today was not easy by any means. I just put it in the right spot, kept the ball in front of me, really just played very simple golf.”

Scottie Scheffler finds Pinehurst No. 2 to be ‘a mental torture chamber at times’

Scheffler has posted four straight over-par rounds for the first time in 120 professional starts on the PGA Tour.

PINEHURST, N.C. – Scottie Scheffler is human.

The world No. 1 and five-time winner this season, shot 1-over 71 at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club’s No. 2 Course on Saturday.

With a 74 to close last week at Muirfield Village Golf Club and rounds of 71-74-71 this week at the U.S. Open, Scheffler has posted four straight over-par rounds for the first time in 120 professional starts on the PGA Tour. The only other time he’s posted four straight over-par rounds dates back to his amateur days and his pro debut: the 2017 U.S. Open (amateur): 73 (R4), 2018 Genesis Open (amateur): 73 (R1), 76 (R2); and 2018 FedEx St. Jude Classic (professional): 71 (R1).

“The game of golf is a mental torture chamber at times, especially the U.S. Open,” said the reigning Masters champion. “Another frustrating day. Today was a day where I thought I played a lot better than my score.”

Scottie Scheffler waits to putt on the 17th green during the third round of the U.S. Open golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Katie Goodale-USA TODAY Sports

Scheffler snuck into the weekend with no room to spare as the 36-hole came at 5-over 145. In the third round, he made two birdies and three bogeys to fall to 6-over 216. He lost more a stroke and a half on the greens and has lost more than 5 strokes on the greens this week.

“I’m having a lot of trouble reading these greens. I had a lot of putts today where I felt like I hit it really good. I looked up and they were not going the way I thought they were going to go,” he said.

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Scheffler’s tee game has been unusually erratic. He’s hit 25 of 42 fairways, including only six on Thursday.

“The first 27 holes, I was in the native area way too much of the times. Everything felt really tough,” he said. “Now that I was able to hit a lot more fairways today, it maybe felt a touch easier to me.”

Asked if he might alter his approach to preparing for tough tests such as the U.S. Open, Scheffler suggested he could tweak his schedule in the future.

“I think going into the major championships, especially the ones we know are going to be really challenging, it may be in my best interest not to play the week before,” he said. “That’s stuff for me to figure out later in the year. That’s some of my thoughts sitting around watching the cut.”

2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 features a record purse. Here’s the breakdown

It pays to be the national champion, and the USGA announced just how much on Saturday.

PINEHURST, N.C. — It pays to be the national champion, and the USGA announced just how much on Saturday.

Earlier this week, Mike Whan, the CEO of the United States Golf Association, announced that the purse for the 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 was going up to $21.5 million, a $1.5 million increase from last year. In addition, the winner will take home $4.3 million, up from $4 million in 2023.

Three amateurs — Luke Clanton, Neal Shipley and Gunnar Broin — made the weekend, but amateurs aren’t allowed to receive prize money. The 69 professionals who didn’t make the cut receive $10,000.

To put this in perspective, the winner of the first U.S. Open in 1895 took home $150.

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Here’s a look at the complete breakdown.

2024 U.S. Open purse breakdown

Position Earnings
1 $4,300,000
2 $2,322,000
3 $1,445,062
4 $1,013,040
5 $843,765
6 $748,154
7 $674,491
8 $604,086
9 $546,720
10 $502,174
11 $458,280
12 $423,729
13 $394,829
14 $364,407
15 $338,332
16 $316,602
17 $299,218
18 $281,834
19 $264,450
20 $247,067
21 $232,073
22 $217,080
23 $202,521
24 $189,048
25 $177,314
26 $167,319
27 $159,713
28 $152,977
29 $146,458
30 $139,939
31 $133,420
32 $126,901
33 $120,382
34 $114,515
35 $109,735
36 $104,954
37 $100,391
38 $96,045
39 $91,699
40 $87,353
41 $83,007
42 $78,661
43 $74,315
44 $69,969
45 $65,623
46 $61,712
47 $57,801
48 $54,107
49 $51,934
50 $49,761
51 $48,457
52 $47,370
53 $46,501
54 $46,067
55 $45,632
56 $45,197
57 $44,763
58 $44,328
59 $43,894
60 $43,459
61 $43,024
62 $42,590
63 $42,155
64 $41,721
65 $41,286
66 $40,851
67 $40,417
68 $39,982
69 $39,548
70 $39,113
71 $38,678

 

Cameron Smith’s shirt at the 2024 U.S. Open is a periodic table of alcohol — and you can own it, too

This is too good from the Aussie.

Cameron Smith played solid golf during the first two rounds of the 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina. After scores of 71-72, the Aussie star was 3 over after 36 holes and comfortably made it to the weekend, eight shots behind solo-leader Ludvig Aberg.

Many liked Smith’s chances around the Donald Ross design due to its resemblance to many golf courses found in the Australia Sandbelt. On top of that, he made both weekends at the previous two major championships this year, highlighted by a T-6 finish at the Masters in April.

However, the best part of Smith’s week at Pinehurst might be the shirt he’s wearing during the third round.

The periodic table of alcohol. It’s just unreal.

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Original Penguin Pete's Flash Cards Print Golf Polo
Original Penguin Pete’s Flash Cards Print Golf Polo (Photo: Original Penguin)

The shirt is from Original Penguin and it’s called the “Pete’s Flash Cards Print Golf Polo.” It’s available for $90.

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Francesco Molinari made the U.S. Open cut after an unbelievable hole-in-one at Pinehurst

Pinehurst No. 2 wasn’t kind to Tiger Woods and others, but Francesco Molinari found a bit of magic with his 7-iron.

Friday was cut day on Pinehurst No. 2 at the 2024 U.S. Open, and as Francesco Molinari approached the Par 3 ninth hole – his final of the day – he needed an ace to secure his spot above the cut line.

And so, a lot of folks thought Molinari was toast. The best he could do, many figured, was to hit a good shot onto one of the unforgiving dome-like greens designed by Donald Ross more than a century ago, then putt-in for a birdie.

Molinari swung with his 7-iron, then watched his ball sail toward the flag, and hoped for a bit of magic.

And he got just that.

Molinari, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, became the first player in U.S. Open history to make a hole-in-one on his 36th hole to make the cut right on the number. He also became just the fourth player to ace a hole during the U.S. Open at Pinehurst, joining Peter Jacobsen in 2005, Zach Johnson in 2014, and Sepp Straka earlier in the day on Friday. All four players secured their aces on hole No. 9.

Here’s a bit of what Molinari said afterwards:

“I don’t even know what to say. Just incredible. … It was the last chance to have a chance to play the weekend. … Standing on the 9th tee it was just put a good swing on it and see what happens. But the chances are incredibly small, so I don’t know what to say.”

Pinehurst No. 2 hasn’t been as kind to other golfers this past week. Tiger Woods missed the cut, and a trio of pros had a tough time with hole No. 5.

After missing the cut, Max Homa is rooting for carnage at the 2024 U.S. Open this weekend

Max is just like us.

Max Homa made a great run at the Masters in April — tying for third — but has struggled in the two major championships since, finishing T-35 at the PGA Championship and missing the cut at the 2024 U.S. Open this week. (He wasn’t the only big name to trunk slam on Friday.)

He opened with a 1-over 71 on Thursday, but signed for a disappointing 5-over 75 Friday and missed out on the weekend by one shot.

Homa will be watching the tournament from home this weekend and he’ll be rooting for the golf course to provide some carnage.

No one in golf does social media better than Max.

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Homa is in the field for next week’s Travelers Championship, the final signature event of the season. He missed the cut at TPC River Highlands last year.