Moneyball – Bryson’s Millions

Bryson DeChambeau’s exploits at Pinehurst earned him millions of new fans in addition to the whopping $4.3 million cheque for first prize, but even with a record major championship purse up for grabs, it is the U.S. Open Championship trophy he’ll treasure most.

In a similar vein, Rory McIlroy’s $2.3 million will be scant consolation for a heartbreaking finish when he looked poised to end his 10-year major championship drought.

Shane Lowry’s fine form returned over the weekend as the Offaly man shot rounds of level par and one-under on Saturday and Sunday respectively to climb 36 places on the leaderboard and take home just over a quarter of a million dollars.

Tom McKibbin’s major championship debut will be a little bittersweet as a fantastic week on a personal level included a 36th hole birdie to make the cut and a final-round pairing with world number one Scottie Scheffler saw the 21-year-old match the reigning Masters champion blow for blow, but the celebrations with fellow Holywood man and mentor McIlroy were denied at the death.

Meanwhile, on the European Challenge Tour, Conor Purcell shot 64, 68 over the weekend to climb to eighth place at the Kaskáda Golf Challenge in the Czech Republic and collected a shade under €10,000 for his efforts. More importantly, the Portmarnock man climbs back into the top 20 on the Road to Mallorca rankings at the expense of Gary Hurley who slips to 21st.

At the PGA Professional Championship in Conwy, North Wales, Colm Moriarty finished in fifth place overall and collected £2,240 for his efforts. More importantly, he secured a place on the Great Britain and Ireland PGA Cup team that will face the United States in Oregon in September.

Leona Maguire’s defence of the LPGA Meijer Classic petered out in disappointing fashion as the Cavan star continues to search for her top form and she collects $6,477, with Stephanie Meadow who was two strokes better earning $8,356.

Former world number one Lilia Vu signalled her return to fitness with a playoff victory over Lexi Thompson and Grace Kim. Thompson, who has announced her intent to retire from regular competition at the end of the season, adds another $234,649 to her retirement fund with Kim collecting the same, while Vu, who rolled in a five-footer for birdie on the third playoff hole, takes home $450,000.