U.S. Open 2024: Pinehurst No. 2 – 7th Hole
Hole No. 7 at Pinehurst No. 2
Yards: 426 | Par: 4
2014 U.S. Open scoring: 4.143 average (ranked 11th in difficulty in relation to par)
The final round of the of the 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina is underway and – based on early play and conditions – the field appears to be wide open.
Bryson DeChambeau is carrying a modest lead as he nears the turn, with Rory McIlroy and Patrick Cantlay on his heels. Matthieu Pavon, who started the day in second place and is DeChambeau’s playing partner for the day, is also within striking distance.
The course at Pinehurst is proving to be challenging, especially on the greens. They are playing slower, requiring golfers to trust their reads and put enough pace on them. The result: birdies have been infrequent and hard-earned.
Stay tuned for updates from the U.S. Open’s deciding day:
2024 US Open leaderboard
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Perhaps Bryson DeChambeau is aware of the leaderboard and saw that Rory McIlroy birdied No. 9 to get to within one stroke. Perhaps he just knows what’s at stake.
Either way, DeChambeau – as he has much of his final round Sunday – had to piece together some remarkable shots to scramble. His tee shot at the eighth sailed well right of the fairway and into the tree line. His second was blasted through the pine straw, though it settled below a ridge on the back side of the green, a very difficult location.
DeChambeau’s third shot was well played and left him with a makeable, 12-foot putt to save par. DeChambeau was fired up and fist-pumped toward the crowd.
Still, even as he holds a one-stroke lead, DeChambeau did not record a single birdie on the front-nine.
Following up on a strong showing at Augusta, Neal Shipley claimed low amateur honors at the U.S. Open by two strokes over Luke Clanton.
Shipley battled Clanton head-to-head on Sunday, only the second time in the past 40 years that two amateurs have been paired in the same group for a final round of the U.S. Open.
With Shipley up by a shot going into the final hole, Clanton missed the fairway off the tee, but somehow managed to hit his approach shot to five feet. After Shipley converted a routine par to finish the tournament at 6-over, Clanton just missed his birdie putt to tie, then missed a comebacker and had to settle for bogey.
Shipley, who played collegiately at James Madison and as a postgraduate at Ohio State, was also the low amateur at the Masters – a feat accomplished by a select few in golf history, including Jack Nicklaus and Phil Mickelson.
Patrick Cantlay very nearly birdied the par-3 No. 6 as he tried to close the lead, but his putt attempt just missed. He would go on to capitalize on the next hole. Cantlay recorded his first birdie of the day, on the seventh, to move into 4-under par and a tie for second place with Rory McIlroy.
They are both chasing Bryson DeChambeau who uncorked an absolute bomb of a drive on No. 7 that cleared a bunker and traveled 341 yards. It left him just 88 yards to the pin, and an excellent chance to build his lead.
What appeared to be inevitable through the first three holes took place at No. 4.
Bryson DeChambeau recorded his first bogey of the day after a failed up-and-down attempt just rimmed out. DeChambeau had to scramble to set himself up with a very difficult par save. He read the putt quite well, and it appeared to be on line, except that it curved around the cup and sloped away.
The good news for DeChambeau was that Rory McIlroy, who was within striking distance, bogeyed the par-5 fifth to drop to 4-under par.
The bad news for DeChambeau is that his tough start continued on No. 5; his tee shot found thick rough to the right of the fairway and his second shot sailed into a greenside bunker off to the left.
Bryson DeChambeau came into the final round at Pinehurst with a three-stroke lead; it’s currently down to two after Rory McIlroy (-5) birdied No. 1, but the more concerning thing is that DeChambeau’s play to open the final round has been rather uneven.
DeChambeau has seen his driver on No. 2 find the brush on the right side of the fairway, his tee shot on No. 1 land in a divot on the fairway and his putt on No. 3 end up well short. Still, DeChambeau converted par on all three of those holes to stay at 7-under par on the tournament and in the lead.
McIlroy, after birdying his first, converted three straight pars to remain at 5-under.
Starting the day with a three-shot advantage, Bryson DeChambeau has begun his final round at Pinehurst.
The 2020 U.S. Open champion finds himself in uncharted territory as he has never in his career held the lead entering the final round of a major. He’ll be paired with Matthieu Pavon, who’s looking to become the first Frenchman to win a major since 1904.
The penultimate group has Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, the 2014 U.S. Open champion and the runner-up last year, matched with American Patrick Cantlay.
McIlroy immediately birdied the opening hole to cut DeChambeau’s lead to two strokes.
NBC Sports will televise the final round of the U.S. Open from Pinehurst. Here is Sunday’s broadcast schedule:
- 9 a.m.-noon: USA Network
- Noon-7 p.m.: NBC/Peacock
Live streaming coverage of select featured groups is available on USOpen.com and on Peacock.
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.
Faxon told the story of McIlroy turning to Sean O’Flaherty, his agent, during a flight Sunday evening following the Memorial Tournament and boasting, “Sean, I just figured it out.”
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.”
Faxon and McIlroy have a unique relationship among players and announcers given that Faxon serves as his putting coach, too.
If there’s some Sunday afternoon drama at this year’s U.S. Open, a potential turning point could be on Pinehurst’s short par-4 13th hole.
The USGA has moved the tees up for today’s final round, so the hole measures just 316 yards from the tee markers to a very accessible pin placement.
With a slight breeze at their backs, golfers will be tempted to drive the green and give themselves a possible putt for eagle. Daniel Berger did just that, becoming Sunday’s first to record an eagle when he hit his drive to within 12 feet of the hole and nailed the putt.
Roughly half the field of 74 golfers to make the 36-hole cut have begun their final rounds, and Pinehurst isn’t showing a whole lot of mercy. Only 21 players shot rounds under par 70 in Saturday’s third round, led by Collin Morikawa’s 66 and DeChambeau’s 67.
So far on Sunday (as of 11:15 a.m. ET), only eight players are under par for their rounds. Seonghyeon Kim has the best round of the day so far — a 2-under 68.
The lowest round of the week came on Thursday, when Patrick Cantlay and Rory McIlroy opened with 5-under 65s. Both of those players remain in striking distance, starting the day just three shots behind leader Bryson DeChambeau.
The greatest 54-hole deficit ever overcome to win a U.S. Open happened in 1960, when Arnold Palmer stormed from seven shots back to win at Cherry Hills Country Club outside Denver. Palmer birdied six of his first seven holes on his way to a 6-under 65 and a two-stroke victory over Jack Nicklaus.
Unless someone can somehow top Palmer, this year’s U.S. Open champion will be one of the 11 golfers who begin today’s final round at even par or better. In fact, in nine of the last 10 U.S. Opens, the winner has come from one of the top two spots entering the final round.
As it’s been all week, the weather forecast for Sunday’s final round of the U.S. Open will be for partly sunny skies with hot and humid conditions and a high temperature around 90. Winds will be out of the east at 7 mph, with gusts up to 11 mph.
US Open Sunday tee times for final round
Tee times for the final round of the U.S. Open:
All times Eastern
- 7:30 a.m.: Seonghyeon Kim, Gunnar Broin (amateur)
- 7:41 a.m.: Matthew Fitzpatrick, Jackson Suber
- 7:52 a.m.: Brandon Wu, Austin Eckroat
- 8:03 a.m.: Francesco Molinari, Ben Kohles
- 8:14 a.m.: Dean Burmester, Ryan Fox
- 8:25 a.m.: Sepp Straka, Martin Kaymer
- 8:36 a.m.: Greyson Sigg, Cameron Young
- 8:47 a.m.: Nico Echavarria, Brendon Todd
- 8:58 a.m.: Justin Lower, Sam Bennett
- 9:09 a.m.: Adam Scott, Brian Campbell
- 9:25 a.m.: Matt Kuchar, Frankie Capan III
- 9:36 a.m.: Adam Svensson, Harris English
- 9:47 a.m.: Jordan Spieth, Si Woo Kim
- 9:58 a.m.: Max Greyserman, Sahith Theegala
- 10:09 a.m.: Daniel Berger, Keegan Bradley
- 10:20 a.m.: Scottie Scheffler, Tom McKibbin
- 10:31 a.m.: Brooks Koepka, Tim Widing
- 10:42 a.m.: Nicolai Højgaard, Emiliano Grillo
- 10:53 a.m.: Isaiah Salinda, Christiaan Bezuidenhout
- 11:04 a.m.: Cameron Smith, Wyndham Clark
- 11:15 a.m.: J.T. Poston, Tommy Fleetwood
- 11:31 a.m.: Shane Lowry, Zac Blair
- 11:42 a.m.: Billy Horschel, Chris Kirk
- 11:53 a.m.: Denny McCarthy, Min Woo Lee
- 12:04 p.m.: Neal Shipley (amateur), Luke Clanton (amateur)
- 12:15 p.m.: Sam Burns, Stephan Jaeger
- 12:26 p.m.: Brian Harman, Mark Hubbard
- 12:37 p.m.: David Puig, Thomas Detry
- 12:48 p.m.: Akshay Bhatia, Russell Henley
- 12:59 p.m.: Davis Thompson, Xander Schauffele
- 1:10 p.m.: Sergio Garcia, Taylor Pendrith
- 1:26 p.m.: Aaron Rai, Tom Kim
- 1:37 p.m.: Corey Conners, Collin Morikawa
- 1:48 p.m.: Tony Finau, Tyrrell Hatton
- 1:59 p.m.: Ludvig Åberg, Hideki Matsuyama
- 2:10 p.m.: Patrick Cantlay, Rory McIlroy
- 2:21 p.m.: Matthieu Pavon, Bryson DeChambeau
While he hasn’t won a major tournament yet this year, Bryson DeChambeau has arguably played better than anyone else has in the three majors to date. He finished tied for sixth in the Masters and runner-up in the PGA Championship before leading the field through 54 holes at the U.S. Open.
And he’s been remarkably consistent in doing so. Saturday’s round of 3-under 67 was DeChambeau’s seventh consecutive round of 69 or lower in major championship play. If he can do it again today, he will tie the all-time record. Rickie Fowler (8 in row during 2014) and Greg Norman (8, 1993) currently share that record.
The U.S. Open had the largest purse of the four men’s major championships in 2023, and that amount has gone up in 2024.
Mike Whan, the CEO of the United States Golf Association, announced Wednesday the purse for the 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 will be $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.
The winner of the first U.S. Open in 1895 took home $150.
In addition, every player will make at least $10,000, as players who miss the cut will pocket that amount.
At the Masters, the purse was $20 million with $3.6 going to the winner, Scottie Scheffler. The PGA Championship had a record purse of $18.5 million, with Xander Schauffele taking home $3.33 million.
The Donald Ross-designed Pinehurst No. 2 is no ordinary U.S. Open test, and many of the shots and decisions required will be entirely different than those typically employed by tour professionals. The layout is ranked by Golfweek’s Best as the No. 1 public-access course in North Carolina, the No. 3 resort course in the U.S. and the No. 18 Classic course in the U.S.
It’s not just the chipping – or putting – onto No. 2’s notoriously domed greens. As we’ve seen this week, Open contestants have been forced to deal with acres of sandy scrub, where luck holds great influence on outcome. Additional wiregrass was planted in the sandscapes just off the fairways for this U.S. Open, adding even more intrigue as any ball bounds off the firm but ample fairways.
Moving day didn’t mean much for Scottie Scheffler, who stayed in nearly the same position after posting a 71. The Texan is in an uncharacteristic tie for 42nd at 6 over for the tournament.
“The game of golf is a mental torture chamber at times, especially the U.S. Open,” the reigning Masters champion said. “Another frustrating day. Today was a day where I thought I played a lot better than my score.”
Scheffler barely made it to the weekend and he hasn’t improved on his position since then, losing 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.
Matthieu Pavon was even with leader Bryson DeChambeau after 10 holes and slipped a bit down the stretch, but still finds himself in a tie for second at 4 under with Rory McIlroy and Patrick Cantlay, and will be part of the final pairing.
So if he does win, what will Pavon want Americans to know about him?
“Nothing special. I just love golf. That’s the thing. I’m just so happy to compete here in America. It has been a remarkable journey for me. I just love so much competing here, and this is what I like people to know about me. I’m a pretty regular guy, and it’s just awesome to be here,” he said. “It’s so much different. The golf courses here feels like − playing the signatures so far, it feels like we play majors every week.
“This golf course, there is nothing even close on the European Tour. Nothing which comes even close. This is really different. I’m not really used to hitting it in the rough and not being capable to go to the green.”
Coming to the 10th tee Saturday, Bryson DeChambeau was tied with Matthieu Pavon at 6 under, when his hip started to tighten. Per the rules, the 2020 U.S. Open champ called for physio help and after a session that was caught by overhead cameras, he came back to boom a pair of his best drives and subsequently took command of the tournament.
By day’s end, the session seemed a turning point as the SMU product stretched out to a three-stroke lead, and he’ll now enter Sunday with a second major title well within his grasp.
As for the magic session, DeChambeau said it was fairly routine, and even insisted some renovations to his home could have contributed to the tightness.
“It was tougher to get through on a couple shots. It’s okay. I’ve had it for a long time now. It’s just something that popped up,” he said. “I’ve been playing a lot of good golf lately, and working on my house, trying to get my house finished, so I haven’t really had time to rest like I want to. The two weeks I had off after PGA, I was really grinding and focusing on some stuff there. I wasn’t really able to rest. I’ve just been pushing myself a little bit, pushing the horse a bit. Consequently, that’s going to happen.
“But I’ve got a great team around me to help fix some stuff up.”