Sunday, June 15, 2025 | 3:15 PM

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Isaac Ealy and his dad drove to Oakmont Country Club from Volant in Lawrence County on Sunday to watch the best players in the world compete in the 125^th U.S. Open.

Unfortunately for Ealy and many other fans, their favorite player was not in the field on the final day.

Big bomber and YouTube sensation Bryson DeChambeau did not play well enough in the first two rounds, missed the cut and was not around to play in the final round.

“Bryson was not making smart decisions,” Ealy said.

Mitchell Bitar of New Stanton added: “He drove it OK, but he could not make putts.”

DeChambeau was not the only big name to miss the cut. Other big names who headed home Friday included Patrick Cantley, Wyndham Clark, Phil Mickelson, Tommy Fleetwood, Dustin Johnson, Justin Rose and Justin Thomas.

But DeChambeau was the one player numerous fans surveyed on Sunday wanted to see. The other was Scottie Scheffler, who made the cut, but did not play to his No. 1 status and was not among the leaders as the day began.

Oakmont Country Club President John Lynch said egos sometimes get in the way of golfers when they play a course this challenging.

Oakmont is considered to be one of the toughest courses in the world and is certainly penalizing players who miss the fairways and get into the rough or one of the 168 sand traps.

“Some players are notorious for beating the driver as long as they can,” Lynch said. “Well, when you have five-and-a- half to six-inch rough, good luck beating that driver. You are not getting it out of there.

“So, I do believe sometimes, instead of playing really smart golf, they let their ego get in the way. Just blast that driver everywhere. And that may be why a few of them paid the price this week as well.”

While fans were disappointed that some big names failed to make the weekend, they were happy to see players humbled by the toughness of the course.

Many surveyed felt the course was set up fairly and did not want to hear the players complain about the conditions.

“I do not mind seeing the players struggle,” Ealy said.

Freddie Barr of Pittsburgh added: “There is still a quality field of golfers that made the cut. There were still a lot of highlights.”

So, who were many of the fans rooting for? Adam Scott. Second was Victor Hovland followed by third-round leader Sam Burns.

“I want Scott to win because he is finding success with old-man golf,” said David Protheroe, of Connecticut. “Fairways and greens. It seems to work for him.”

Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at [email protected].