Bryson DeChambeau pulled off a remarkable recovery to birdie the 18th in his opening round at the US Open.
He missed the fairway with his drive but was close enough to hit his second shot onto the green only to see it roll right off again.
The unforgiving greens at Pinehurst looked like they might claim another victim.
However, DeChambeau showed he isn’t just about the power game.
He deftly chipped in to complete his round with a birdie.
DeChambeau performed admirably in an environment where mishit shots and bad decisions rarely go unpunished.
He made 15 greens in regulation, hit 12 of 14 fairways (averaging 336 yards), and his short game was spot on, which helped him gain 2.23 strokes on the field around the greens. At the end of the round, DeChambeau admitted to feeling mentally fatigued.
“I would say from a mental exhaustion perspective, this was probably the most difficult that I’ve had in a long, long, long time,” he said. “I can’t remember the last time I mentally exerted myself that hard to focus on hitting fatter parts of the green instead of going for flags.”
The American golf star insists that he is trying to take fewer risks in his game these days.
“I just feel like I’m a little more strategic more often than not,” he said earlier in the week. “I’m not such a risk-taker. I do take risks. I love taking risks. But there are times for it. I feel like as time has gone on, I realize when that time is and when essentially not to go for it, when it doesn’t make any sense.
“Yeah, it stinks hitting a 6-iron off the tee compared to a driver,” he said Tuesday. “But sometimes you’ve got to do it and you’ve got to make the right decision for shooting the lowest score out here.
“If I get my irons in a place where I’m hitting it in the middle of the greens and just playing boring golf, that’s the goal for me this week is try to play as boring a golf as possible.”
