When Dustin Johnson’s approach at the par-5, 18th hole at the U.S. Open settled within 12 feet, it appeared that Carl Bassewitz’s unlikely run to a first-place finish in the DraftKings Millionaire Maker would fall just short.
Bassewitz, an apparent first-time player, had consistently moved up the leaderboard all afternoon—mostly on the strength of Louis Oosthuizen’s final-round 67, which included six birdies in the final seven holes. But now, in order to hold off user ‘Headchopper’ for first place—and a $1 million payday—he needed Johnson to miss.
Not just once, but twice.
Johnson’s eagle putt skated past the hole, settling to within three feet.
Here was his second putt:
The miss cost Johnson a chance at an 18-hole playoff against eventual champion Jordan Spieth.
The implications were just as large in the DFS world, as the putt was essentially for $900,000—the difference between first place ($1 million) and second ($100,000). In the end, Bassewitz came away with the victory, while Headchopper, a well-known DFS pro, took his second-place finish in good spirits.
DraftKings later pointed out that Bassewitz, who joined the site on June 11, submitted just one $20 entry.
Here’s his winning lineup:
Overall, the tournament proved to be a huge success for DraftKings, which is already taking entries for its next Millionaire Maker at the British Open. As of this posting, there are 4,400 entrants out of the maximum 171,700 entries allowed. (The tournament costs $20 per entry and has a $3 million guaranteed prize pool.)
The U.S. Open Millionaire Maker sold out its roughly 143,000 entry limit hours before the tournament began.