The sun had long set over the picturesque Pinehurst golf course, leaving the area cloaked in a comfortable darkness, when Johnson Wagner stepped back into the massive sand bunker lurking about 50 meters from the final hole. Wagner, once a notable golf professional and now a 44-year-old TV analyst for the Golf Channel, aimed to demonstrate the brilliant final shot of the 124th US Open on that very course. Wagner set up, swung, and the ball soared over the putting green, the neatly trimmed area around the hole. His attempt failed spectacularly, live on US television.
At that exact moment, Bryson DeChambeau appeared like a mirage. Wagner could hardly believe it; both men laughed, and then DeChambeau urged Wagner to try again. This time, as if scripted, the ball landed right next to the hole. DeChambeau, who had made this incredible shot earlier in the actual tournament, exclaimed, “That was the shot of my life,” and handed the astonished Wagner the silver trophy he had just won. Not only did the trophy sparkle, but Wagner’s eyes did too, adding a quirky finale to a remarkable day in North Carolina.
Golf is typically a solitary sport, often ruthless, requiring a certain degree of egotism to succeed. Yet rarely has there been a winner at a major tournament who shared his triumph so generously with others as the unconventional DeChambeau from Modesto, California. Throughout the days leading up to this summer evening, and especially on that Sunday, he made many people happy.
Known as Hulk, Popeye, or the Scientist for his analytical approach to both his game and body, DeChambeau, who no longer appears as bulked-up as he once did, connected with the crowd during his four rounds. At one point, he stopped to interact with a severely disabled boy in a wheelchair, signing his cap and tenderly patting his hand. He then casually continued, all amidst a competition where the winner stood to gain four million euros in prize money.
Later, everyone in the audience was invited to touch DeChambeau’s trophy, allowing them to share in his experience of winning his second US Open after his 2020 victory. Back then, he had won by brute force, hacking through the thick, dense grass of Winged Foot Golf Club in New York with his newly acquired muscle mass. This time, on the iconic Pinehurst No. 2 course, he displayed emotion both in his play and his interactions, even offering verbal consolation to the tragic runner-up, Rory McIlroy, assuring him he would win “many more majors.” DeChambeau’s sincerity was evident, and the image boost he now enjoys is likely as valuable to him as the victory itself.
DeChambeau has often struggled with the public’s perception of his work, which has been decidedly mixed. This is partly because he embodies multiple personas, making it difficult for others to fully grasp his character. He doesn’t fit neatly into a single Superman category like Tiger Woods but rather occupies many smaller ones.
