Bryson DeChambeau leaves Masters, returns to Pinehurst No. 2 to remember 'shot of my life'

PINEHURST — A massive crowd formed a figure 8 around the bunker and 18th green at Pinehurst No. 2 golf course on Monday afternoon, waiting for Bryson DeChambeau to recreate one of the iconic shots in U.S. Open history.

DeChambeau stepped into the bunker for his first swings since the final round of the Masters Tournament, hitting three shots into the wind from roughly 55 yards out. Each time, the 31-year-old, two-time major champion came up short.

“The greens were firmer when I played,” DeChambeau said Monday with a smile.

He’s right. And the only shot that mattered was the third one that occurred on the 72nd hole at the 2024 U.S. Open, when DeChambeau used a 55-degree Ping Glide wedge from 55 yards out to get the ball within 4 feet for a par putt that led to him raising the U.S. Open trophy on the 25th anniversary of Payne Stewart’s iconic victory in 1999 on No. 2.

“That third shot’s what did it for me,” DeChambeau said from just outside of the bunker near the 18th green. “. … That third shot was the shot.”

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DeChambeau’s sand wedge, the same one he used to hit over his house for a hole-in-one in a YouTube video, was donated to the The USGA Experience and the World Golf Hall of Fame in February. The USGA removed it briefly Monday, carrying it with purple rubber gloves, to show DeChambeau before taking it across the street and returning it to the museum.

“That bunker shot was the shot of my life,” DeChambeau said after winning the USGA’s 1,000th championship last year.

Now, there’s a permanent reminder of that shot in front of the bunker by the 18th green.

“At Pinehurst, we have no shortage of trophies and statues,” said Tom Pashley, president of Pinehurst Resort. “But there’s not a single plaque on Pinehurst No. 2. We couldn’t be more proud to have this be our first.”

DeChambeau held up the plaque for photographs before placing it into the ground, kissing his hand before touching the plaque and walking back toward the clubhouse.

“Forever in history by that bunker,” DeChambeau said. “That darn bunker.”

Following DeChambeau’s fifth-place finish at the Masters, which ended with a 75 on Sunday in the final group with eventual champion Rory McIlroy at Augusta National Golf Club, people wondered if DeChambeau would keep his commitment to Pinehurst.

DeChambeau said his agent, Brett Falkoff, had a plane scheduled to fly back to Dallas.

“No, I gotta come (to Pinehurst). They’re putting a plaque in the ground. What are we talking about?” DeChambeau said as he reflected on the conversation with Falkoff after Sunday’s final round.

“Not to throw shade – he protects me a lot – but I had to come. It was the only option.”

2024 U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau returned to Pinehurst No. 2 golf course on Monday as the USGA unveiled a plaque to honor “the shot of my life” from the bunker in front of No. 18 green that helped DeChambeau win his second major championship.

John Bodenhamer, the USGA’s chief championships officer, wouldn’t have blamed DeChambeau if he opted out of Monday’s appearance. But Bodenhamer wasn’t surprised to see DeChambeau.

“A lot of players wouldn’t be here today,” Bodenhamer said. “But I think, with his presence, it speaks volumes for the type of individual he is and the type of champion he is.”

The importance of Pinehurst and its history, along with his connection to Stewart and SMU, had DeChambeau fighting back tears as he reflected on his championship-winning week at No. 2.

“It’s so ironic, too, cause I just lost the Masters (Sunday). But in golf and in life, you lose a lot more than you win. It’s important to celebrate the moments where you win,” DeChambeau said.

“It’s really cool being able to come back from losing the Masters – one of the biggest rounds of my life – to remembering one of the most important rounds of my life. It’s only just the beginning.”

For DeChambeau, “Pinehurst is home” and “now it feels like home” because of his U.S. Open title and the plaque that will be on No. 18 as a reminder of the moment he made in the Sandhills.

“It’s a moment cemented forever,” he said.

He couldn’t recreate that moment with his three shots Monday, but he thinks about the one that mattered “every day” when he wakes up. It helped him make history as the first to get a commemorative plaque at Pinehurst Resort.

“I don’t got a statue,” DeChambeau said with a chuckle.

“But it’s certainly an honor to have a plaque out here by the 50-yard fairway bunker shot. I can’t believe it, to be honest. The USGA doing this for me is an incredible honor, one that hopefully will inspire many in the future. It looks like they have some protective screens up there now.”

The protective screens are up for the golfers determined to emulate DeChambeau’s shot when they see the plaque as they wrap up a round No. 2.

“I just hope I don’t get the bill for the windows this year,” DeChambeau said with a smile.

Rodd Baxley covers Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding those teams? Send them to [email protected].

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Bryson DeChambeau wraps up Masters, returns to Pinehurst No. 2 for plaque

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Bryson DeChambeau leaves Masters, returns to Pinehurst No. 2 to remember ‘shot of my life’

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