Four takeaways from a thrilling U.S. Open

We questioned at the start of the U.S. Open whether anyone would be able to tame the vicious Winged Foot course. With its tight fairways, thick unforgiving rough and difficult greens, it was going to take a majestic performance to tackle the beast.

Step forward Bryson DeChambeau.

The American was simply scintillating on Sunday as he shot 67 to win by six shots and be the only player to finish under par after 72 holes. Here are four takeaways from Winged Foot – starting with the dominant DeChambeau.

Bryson’s maiden major

There’s no getting away from what was a fine 72-hole display from Bryson DeChambeau. Nobody drives the ball further off the tee on tour and BDC ranks in the top 10 for shots gained putting, showing he’s as hot with the flat stick as he is with the driver.

Since the start of June, DeChambeau now has six Top 10 finishes in 11 tournaments including this win and a fourth-place finish in the PGA Championship. He is a man in red-hot form, although it may be worth skipping over him next week.

After winning the Rocket Mortgage Classic in May, he missed the cut at the Memorial seven days later, and after finishing fourth in the PGA Championship last month he missed the cut in The Northern Trust next time out. The U.S. Open hangover might mean another weekend off for DeChambeau next time out, but he is a live chance for the Masters in November.

Rory McIlroy’s diaper dimension

Or the nappy factor as we call it this side of the pond!

It’s a theory coined by author and analyst Keith Elliott in 1996 and is well worth googling in your spare time. In a nutshell it deducts that becoming a father (especially for the first time and especially if you have a son) can have a profound affect on any sportsman.

And Elliott was keen to point out the impact it had on Arnold Palmer, Greg Norman, Nick Price, Larry Mize and more.

McIlroy became a father for the first time a fortnight ago as wife Erica gave birth to a baby girl, Poppy. Since then he finished eighth in The Tour Championship and eighth in the U.S. Open – a result that could’ve been so much better after shooting 67 on Thursday and 68 on Saturday.

The diaper dimension is working, and it would be no surprise to see Rory winning very soon.

Forgive Schaufflele’s Sunday struggle

Xander Schauffele shot four-over-par on Sunday to finish fifth and he’ll no doubt be disappointed after playing very well over 54 holes prior to that. But that shouldn’t put you off backing Schaufflee for Major glory again – particularly with the Masters around the corner.

One of the key stat lines at Augusta is how well you play the par 5s. Schauffele was ranked fourth on the PGA Tour last season for how well he played them and at Winged Foot he was four-under-par for the eight par 5s that were played over the tournament.

The American has six Top 15 finishes in his last eight tournaments, including a Top 10 in the PGA Championship and a Top 5 here at the U.S. Open. After finishing runner up at The Masters last year, could this be his moment?

Oosthuizen’s fast start catches the eye

Louis Oosthuizen shot 67 on Thursday which left him third as the players finished up on the opening day at Winged Foot. The South African finished the tournament in third after his fast start, and we shouldn’t be too surprised – last season Louis was in the Top 10 for round one scoring so he’s no stranger to starting hot.

That catches the eye with Augusta in mind, because that course is not set up for a big comeback. The last 14 winners of the Masters were all in the Top 11 at the end of the first round. In fact, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are the only players to buck the trend and win the Masters after being outside the Top 10 on day one in over two decades.

Oosthuizen was a runner-up at Augusta in 2012 and has three Top 20 finishes in his last five Masters. A fast start like Winged Foot might make Oosthuizen an intriguing bet in November.