Golf Channel’s Johnson Wagner Outdoes Bryson DeChambeau While Replicating Clutch Bunker Shot In Front Of The U.S. Open Champ On Live TV

Golf Channel

Bryson DeChambeau won the U.S. Open on Sunday with the help of a clutch bunker shot on the 18th hole—an approach that Golf Channel analyst Johnson Wagner was able to top a couple of hours later while the champion looked over his shoulder on live TV.

Johnson Wagner racked up three victories during his time on the PGA Tour before pivoting to broadcasting by linking up with Golf Channel in 2022, and the 44-year-old has started to make a name for himself in that particular realm thanks to the “Live From” segments that usually revolve around him highlighting challenges players face on the course by analyzing and recreating notable shots.

Wagner was on the ground when the U.S. Open headed to Pinehurst for a tournament where Bryson DeChambeau ultimately won the major for the second time after Rory McIlroy let it slip through his fingers after bogeying three of his last four holes on Sunday.

DeChambeau may have gotten some help from the Northern Irishman, but he still stepped up when it mattered most on the final hole of the tournament by expertly placing a 55-yard bunker shot less than four feet from the pin to set himself up for the putt that would seal the deal.

That was especially impressive when you consider his LIV Golf profile says he considers a 60-yard bunker shot the one that gives him the most difficulty, and in the wake of his win, he estimated he’d be able to convert an up-and-down from that spot four or five times if given a hundred chances.

On Sunday night, Wagner headed back to that bunker on the 18th hole with a camera crew to try to replicate the shot only to see his first attempt sail over the green right before DeChambeau rolled up with the U.S. Open trophy (which he said he filled with sand from the trap in question to commemorate the moment).

He spent a couple of minutes chatting with Bryson about the victory before trying the shot a second time and was not only able to land it on the green but stick it around a foot from the cup before getting his own moment with the trophy.

That had to feel good.