U.S. Open 2024: If not Bryson, then who? Assessing the Sunday chasers at Pinehurst

PINEHURST, N.C. — The game’s afoot at the 2024 U.S. Open.

That phrase is most often associated with Sherlock Holmes, but it actually goes back to Shakespeare and his play Henry V, when the great king was on the verge of battle. In both cases, it carries a sense of anticipation and drama, and the closest modern equivalent is something like, “it’s on.”

It is very much on in Pinehurst, the game is afoot, but it’s not quite as tight as it looked at around 6:30 p.m. Saturday, when there was a crowded leaderboard with a half dozen players within a shot. By the time the third round finished a little more than 90 minutes later, Bryson DeChambeau had carved out a distinct advantage, leading by three shots after posting a three-under 67 to reach seven under for the championship.

Beyond him, only seven other players remain under par and within seven shots of the lead. Starting with the relative longshots and working our way up the leaderboard, let’s take a look at each of those contenders and figure out how they can pull out a win—or go down swinging.

Tyrrell Hatton (-1)

Alex Slitz

Why he could win: The greatest quote of the week came from Hatton on Thursday, when he said, “I guess in some ways, with it being harder, a lot of guys sort of losing their head, it sort of brings them to my level because I just lose my head every week.” If frustration and chaos are the order of the day Sunday on a tough Pinehurst No. 2, maybe the Englishman will pull the rest of the field into the raging muck and beat them with experience.

Why he’ll lose: Being six shots back of a player who can’t miss.

Tony Finau (-1)

David Cannon

Why he could win: If he makes one birdie for each of his five children, he’ll finish at six under, and then he only needs Bryson to lose a shot, and then he can beat him in a playoff, and life will be groovy.

Why he’ll lose: We’re getting word in our earpieces, here at media central, that golf doesn’t work that way.

Hideki Matsuyama (-2)

Andrew Redington

Why he could win: Indulge me in the “Pinehurst continental theory.” The three winners of U.S. Opens at Pinehurst thus far have been Payne Stewart (USA), Michael Campbell (New Zealand) and Martin Kaymer (Germany). Each of them is from a different continent, and for that trend to continue, this year’s winner has to be from Asia, Africa or South America. At this point, Japan’s Matsuyama is the only contender, so why not? If you’re looking for something less superstitious, he was the best player on the back nine Saturday by far, rocketing from even par to three under. Plus, he’s got that Masters fortitude; he knows how to win a close major.

Why he’ll lose: It’s been a little too long since Hideki was in contention at any major (he only has one top-five since his Masters win), and as we saw with Brooks Koepka at last year’s Masters, even for players with proven clutch pedigree, it takes a close call to remind you how to win. He’s not quite ready, and he’s too far behind a couple players who are ready.

Ludvig Aberg (-2)

Alex Slitz

Why he could win: Through about 48 holes, the young Swede was the most consistent, impressive gamer on a course that was rewarding his patience and accuracy. Even after he made the disastrous triple bogey on the 13th hole, he kept his head well enough to play even par the rest of the way. He’s still got a ton of firepower and talent, and if someone’s going to shoot a 66 and win this, why not him? He already posted that number on Thursday, and he doesn’t have enough scar tissue to get rattled by the stakes.

Why he’ll lose: Seriously, though, the triple bogey tells you everything you need to know. Mr. Steady suddenly got pretty shaky when the concept of leading a U.S. Open after 54 holes became realistic, and if by chance he gets close to the lead tomorrow, the lack of oxygen on the course will be even more pronounced. These are great reps for Aberg, but he showed on Saturday that he’s not yet primed to win the major that he absolutely will win one day.

Rory McIlroy (-4)

David Cannon

Why he could win: In a word, resilience. He hasn’t been anything close to perfect through three days at Pinehurst, but every time he’s met adversity, he’s controlled the damage and rebounded. This is a course where you have to absorb some blows, and he’s absorbed them all, particularly late on Saturday with two tough bogeys on 15 and 17 just as DeChambeau was surging. Even with those unfortunate hiccups, he finished under par for the round and gave himself a credible shot to at least scare DeChambeau a little.

Why he’ll lose: Have you followed Rory for the last decade? His M.O. is finding ways to lose majors, and though he’s avoided some typical pitfalls thus far, including the Thursday early ejection, the Friday letdown and the Saturday disappearance, he could still pull out another Rory hit and go into neutral on Sunday, never making a key putt, never surging. And about that putting—he’s 47th in strokes gained in that category, far worse than his extremely strong off-the-tee and approach numbers. That’s how he failed to catch Wyndham Clark last year at LACC, and in a more dramatic way, it’s how he lost his lead at St. Andrews at the 2022 Open Championship. Even the way he managed to fall out of the final group late on Saturday feels a little too typical.

Patrick Cantlay (-4)

Alex Slitz

Why he could win: Cantlay has made a name for himself off the course this year by blocking efforts at a PGA Tour-LIV merger, which has pissed off PGA Tour players like McIlroy, who want it to happen, and LIV players like DeChambeau, who are after the same thing. So what better thematic way to end this tournament than for Cantlay to stubbornly make himself an impediment to either of these guys winning? Here’s something more important: He’s the third-best putter by strokes gained in the entire field this week, best among the remaining contenders, and the most likely to just go on a heater on Sunday. We’ve seen him do it before in high-profile situations against these very same opponents, at the BMW Championship in 2021 when he outlasted DeChambeau in a playoff, and at the Ryder Cup last September when he absorbed the crowd pressure and beat Rory on Saturday night. He’s the most likely to catch fire and spoil everyone’s fun.

Why he’ll lose: He just doesn’t have the pressure experience in a major, and his strokes-gained numbers off the tee and on the approach haven’t been good enough to insulate him from a few costly errors. This is a guy with just a single top-five in his major career, and that was five years ago. He won’t be ready for the pressure coming his way at Pinehurst, and he’s too far behind to begin with.

Matthieu Pavon (-4)

Andrew Redington

Why he could win: He’s been feeling the pressure at various times, particularly at the end of his second and third rounds, when a couple of bogeys cost him a few spots on the leaderboard. Still, he got it under control on both occasions, and when the sandhill dust settled on Saturday, he’d shot a strong 69 and held steady to fight his way into the final group.

Why he’ll lose: Credit to the 31-year-old for emerging seemingly out of nowhere this year, and for winning at Torrey Pines, and for getting into the final pairing at an American major. But sorry, the way he limped to the clubhouse Friday and Saturday tells you all you need to know—he’s not ready for primetime. This is too much, too soon for the Frenchman.

Bryson DeChambeau (-7)

Gregory Shamus

Why he could should win: Any difficult position you put him in on Saturday, he was completely at ease. In the bunker off the tee on 13? No problem, he’ll drop it six feet from the hole. Off the tricky greens after his approach? No problem, he’ll chip it close and make a stress-free par. And when he wasn’t in difficulty, he was in attack mode, threatening constantly to leave the rest of the field in his wake. He looks completely in command of his game. On top of that, he’s won a U.S. Open before playing a similar style, and this year in particular, he’s on the Brooks Koepka 2023 trajectory—come close in one major, work out the pressure kinks and dominate the next one. He looks as good as he’s ever been, and on a course that tries to destabilize players, he seemed basically unflappable—the birdie on 17 after the unfortunate double, his only real mistake, proved the point. Oh yeah … he’s also got a three-shot lead, and he’s getting all the breaks, whether it’s the TIO laugher on Thursday or just hitting it so far right that he ends up with a perfect lie and approach angle, like his dagger birdie on 14.

Why he could lose: Did it seem like he was hurt at times Saturday, requiring special stretching attention? The physical wear and tear of swinging that hard for that long in the intense Carolina heat might be the only way anyone gets back in this thing, and that sounds a lot like wishful thinking. The only other solace anyone can take is that a couple swings did look a bit shaky down the stretch, including the drive on 18. Maybe he’s got a few big blunders left in him on Sunday. Maybe.

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