CNN —
Bryson DeChambeau lay sprawled on his back, gazing up at the towering pine trees as a physiotherapist worked him over. Then he got up, dusted himself down, and wrenched control of the US Open.
North Carolina’s sweltering Pinehurst No. 2 course became an impromptu stage for the big-hitting, fist-pumping DeChambeau show on Saturday, as the American surged into a three stroke lead with a captivating third round performance.
The in-form LIV Golf star rolled in six birdies en route to a three-under 67 – the second-best score of the round – to take a giant step closer to a second US Open title, having powered to a six-shot victory at Winged Foot Golf Club, New York in 2020.
“Amazing. Made a lot of great putts today, I’ll tell you that,” DeChambeau, who finished tied-sixth at the Masters and runner-up at the PGA Championship, told reporters.
“Tomorrow, it’s the same quote I’ve said all week: Trying to have boring golf. Middle of the greens never move, so I am going to try and hit a lot of the greens, give myself some good looks on some holes and two-putt a lot.”
Few would have described DeChambeau’s golf as boring on Saturday. Tournament organizers issued an extreme heat warning ahead of tee off as temperatures ticked past the 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius) mark, yet DeChambeau showed little interest in playing it cool.
Fired up from the outset, the Californian’s animated reactions to shots wooed those behind the ropes. Once maligned by some golf fans, DeChambeau – whose personal YouTube channel continues to amass subscribers – has embraced his new-found role as a crowd-favorite.
After one of many booming tee drives, the 30-year-old paused his walk down the third fairway to sign autographs, yet the most personal interaction would follow at the 13th tee box. Weighing up which club to choose, DeChambeau jokingly begged for fans not to boo him as he opted not to drive the 368-yard par four.
“I can’t thank them enough,” DeChambeau replied when asked about the fan support. “It was a blessing. Man, they riled me up.”
“Just thinking back three years ago, the landscape was a lot different,” he added later. “I tried to show everybody who I was. I didn’t do it the right way and could have done a lot of things better.
“I’m lucky enough to have a great team around me to help me move in the right direction with the content that we’re producing, social media, and then also just a great perspective on life.
“Those combination of things have allowed me to not only have a new perspective but an opportunity to show myself in a different light and to entertain the fans out there on the golf course.”
