Welcome to GOLF.com’s “Seen & Heard” video series, in which we give you an inside look at golf’s biggest events through the eyes and ears of our onsite crew. On deck this week: the 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 in Pinehurst, North Carolina. Let’s go!
ICYMI: Tiger’s new coach, ‘borderline’ greens | Seen and Heard at Pinehurst
ICYMI: ‘The world’s hardest patience test’ | Seen and Heard at Pinehurst
ICYMI: Tiger’s last U.S. Open? Diabolical conditions | Seen and Heard at Pinehurst
How does one put into words what it was like to witness the final holes of the 2024 U.S. Open on Sunday? GOLF’s James Colgan had a few.
“I cannot believe what I just saw,” he marveled. “I don’t know if I’ve ever had so much fun at a golf tournament in my entire life. That was legitimately the craziest ending to a golf tournament. I feel a sense of gratitude that I just witnessed that with my own two eyes.”
Golf fans already know the “that” Colgan is referring to: Rory McIlroy’s shocking short misses and Bryson DeChambeau’s heroic 55-yard up-and-down from the bunker to win the U.S. Open by one.
How 19 shots and just 31 minutes decided the U.S. Open
Anyone who plays golf knows the game delivers agony and ecstasy, oftentimes in unequal measure. For McIlroy, it was a brutal defeat and yet another close call. For DeChambeau, it felt like destiny. On the 25th anniversary of Payne Stewart’s stirring victory at Pinehurst, DeChambeau followed in the footsteps of his boyhood idol, putting on a show for the ages, and the fans embraced him.
“I’m just passionate,” DeChambeau said in the aftermath of his win. “I really care about doing well out here and showing the fans a side of me that was locked up for so long.”
What a week, what a champion. The year’s final major, the Open Championship, can’t come soon enough.
To catch up on all the GOLF team’s activities at Pinehurst, check out the video above, and watch the full Seen & Heard playlist below.
