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Pinehurst No. 2 looked spectacular… the Diamond Heels, not so much.
Rarely, if ever, has the state of North Carolina received national attention as it did for eight hours on Sunday. The U.S. championship of professional golf was on display from Pinehurst followed by the UNC baseball team from the College World Series.
The course management crew that allowed the historic Donald Ross layout to survive the blistering heat were as much the superstars as the golfers who delivered a classic return of the U.S. Open to the Sandhills.
And on the 25th anniversary of the late Payne Stewart’s dramatic win on No. 2, one of his disciples beat the heat and the pressure to be the first American to hoist the Open trophy there since Stewart in 1999, four months before his tragic death in a plane crash. Down the stretch, it looked like Ireland’s Rory McIlroy would keep that streak alive.
Thirty-year old Bryson DeChambeau was five when Stewart won and perished, but he heard about it from his father so much that he decided to attend the same college and play golf for SMU. When DeChambeau made a near impossible up-and-down from a bunker 50 yards away on the final hole, he pointed to the sky to honor Stewart.
Bryson DeChambeau celebrates with fans and the trophy after winning the U.S. Open golf tournament Sunday, June 16, 2024, in Pinehurst, N.C. (Photo via AP Photo/Frank Franklin II.)
McIlroy, the controversial but popular star, was trying to win his first major in 10 years and appeared to have done it with a two-shot lead on the final holes of the back nine. But he missed two three-foot putts that he had not done this entire season so far.
The tournament on NBC ended just as ESPN was showing the first pitch of the Carolina-Tennessee game in Omaha after both teams had rallied to win first-round walk-offs Friday in the NCAA baseball championship tournament.
The Volunteers are the No. 1 team in the country and showed why they have 177 home runs this season, 26 more than the second team in that stat category. They broke open a scoreless game with two blasts deep into the stands at expansive Charles Schwab Field and sent the Tar Heels into a win-or-go-home game against Florida State Tuesday at 2 p.m.; the winner faces top-seeded Tennessee on Wednesday at the same time.
Besides Vance Honeycutt’s 27th home run of the season, Carolina was neutered at the plate with four singles in the 6-1 defeat.
UNC has looked like a very good offensive team all season, especially going 37-3 at Boshamer Stadium (only 11-12 out of Chapel Hill). The Volunteers sent up bigger, free-swinging batters and had three pitchers who shut down the Heels before and after Honeycutt’s homer.
The same day Carolina defeated Virginia 3-2 on Honeycutt’s RBI, Florida State had 13 hits against Tennessee and led 11-8 going to the ninth inning before the Volunteers scored four runs to walk-off the win.
Carolina will have to recreate at least some of that Boshamer magic to stay alive and play another day in Omaha.
Featured image via Associated Press/Mike Buscher
Art Chansky is a veteran journalist who has written ten books, including best-sellers “Game Changers,” “Blue Bloods,” and “The Dean’s List.” He has contributed to WCHL for decades, having made his first appearance as a student in 1971. His “Sports Notebook” commentary airs daily on the 97.9 The Hill WCHL and his “Art’s Angle” opinion column runs weekly on Chapelboro.Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
