OLYMPIA FIELDS, Ill. (AP) – SMU senior Bryson DeChambeau won the U.S. Amateur on Sunday to become the fifth player to win the tournament and NCAA individual title in the same year.
DeChambeau, a Clovis East graduate, beat Virginia junior Derek Bard of New Hartford, NY 7 and 6 in the 36-hole final at Olympia Fields.
Jack Nicklaus (1961), Phil Mickelson (1990), Tiger Woods (1996) and Ryan Moore (2004) are the only other players to sweep the NCAA Amateur titles in a season.
DeChambeau had a 2-up lead after the morning round, and won seven holes in a nine-hole stretch to go 8 up with eight holes to play.
Photo Credit: PGA.com
Bard didn’t make a birdie after the sixth hole of the morning round, while DeChambeau had nine birdies in the 30 holes and was 20 under in six matches.
DeChambeau was 4 up through 23 holes, then won the par-5 sixth – the 24th of the match – with a birdie, and made a 10-foot par save
to halve the par-3 seventh just when it appeared Bard would close the gap. DeChambeau birdied the eighth hole and Bard bogeyed the next two to move DeChambeau to 8 up.
