Browsing: DeChambeau

Apparently, when golfers need some specialized accessories, it’s a good thing to have Bryson DeChambeau in the field.

Why? Because on the True Temper Tour Truck this week, the only Tour truck on-site for the Ryder Cup, DeChambeau had stashed a “first-aid kit” of anything a golfer could possibly need for his gear.

And as GOLF’s Fully Equipped co-host Johnny Wunder revealed on this week’s podcast, that almost came in handy for Matt Fitzpatrick at Bethpage Black.

Earlier in the week, Wunder was on the True Temper truck when someone came in looking for a spike for Fitzpatrick. With no other trucks available, the True Temper truck is the only place to get everything from re-gripping to golf shoe cleats.

“True Temper’s Connor [Olsen] was on the truck, and Connor opened up the Bryson Golf first-aid kit, which is a suitcase with gloves and tees,” Wunder said. “So he had bags of spikes. So Connor’s pulling out spikes.”

DeChambeau changes his spikes often, so he had bags of spikes in the suitcase that also had things like gloves, towels, wrenches and grips. It was lucky because Fitzpatrick and DeChambeau both use the Champ Pro Stinger spike, but the issue was that Fitzpatrick had four pairs of golf shoes that needed fresh spikes.

Olsen was worried DeChambeau wouldn’t be happy if Fitzpatrick took four sets of spikes from the handy kit.

Luckily, Wunder had his own backup plan to call SoftSpikes Tour rep Charles Woodward.

“I called him, I said, ‘Charlie, I need two sets of nails for some Skechers from Matt’s Fitzpatrick and I need them delivered tomorrow,’” Wunder said of the call on Wednesday. “And they showed up today at Fitz’s hotel.”

Fitzpatrick didn’t end up taking from DeChambeau’s stash, but it’s still wild to think about how much stuff DeChambeau travels with for emergency situations like this.

For more from Wunder and fellow Fully Equipped co-host Jake Morrow, listen to the full episode of GOLF’s Fully Equipped here, or watch it below.

Want to overhaul your bag for 2025?Find a club-fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

While the New York crowd peppered Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry with insults on Saturday afternoon at the Ryder Cup, tensions flared inside the ropes with the four-ball match closest behind.

The confrontation occurred on Bethpage’s 15th green, ignited by Justin Rose telling Bryson DeChambeau’s caddie, Greg Bodine, to back off while he read his 15-foot birdie putt. Cameras showed Bodine encroaching on Rose’s line as he and DeChambeau were preparing for an 11-footer of their own.

After Rose and DeChambeau traded makes, maintaining the European’s 3-up advantage, several arguments ensured, involving not only Bodine and Rose but DeChambeau, Rose’s partner Tommy Fleetwood, Scottie Scheffler’s caddie Ted Scott and European assistant Francesco Molinari. The only person that appeared to refrain from the jawing was Scheffler, who walked toward the 16th tee with his arm around U.S. assistant Kevin Kisner.

At one point, Ian Finnis could be heard telling DeChambeau to “chill out†as he exchanged words with Fleetwood while they exited the green. Scott was shown screaming at Rose, and a few moments later, he got in Molinari’s face after the European captain looked to have accidentally bumped Scott as he walked up to him. Fleetwood had to then step in.

When the group reached the 16th tee box, NBC on-course reporter Smylie Kaufman said, “No exaggeration guys, every single person on this tee is heated.â€

Eventually, everyone cooled, and after the match ended in a 3-and-2 European victory, Rose explained what happened to NBC’s Damon Hack.

“It was a shame that the match got to that point because it was actually a really great match,†said Rose, who moved to 2-0, one of three Europeans still undefeated this week along with Fleetwood (4-0) and McIlroy (3-0-1).

“I was waiting to putt, the boys were obviously working on their read, obviously going through a lot of their sort of whatever, calculations and bits and pieces, so I sort of waited a few seconds and then I felt like they came up again and I was sort of – I was like, ‘It’s my putt,’ right, or however I said it. Maybe I didn’t say it as politely as I could have said it in the moment, but by no means was there any disrespect or anything like that, but obviously it was taken the wrong way.

“Yeah, I don’t think we should dwell on that, honestly. I said to the boys, if you want me to say, ‘Excuse me, please,’ then yeah, my bad.â€

Keegan Bradley said he was seeking “fire†from his United States team from the outset of the Ryder Cup after selecting Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Thomas to open the hosts’ attempt to reclaim the trophy in New York. In what is likely to be an emotionally charged opening foursomes clash, DeChambeau and Thomas take on Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton at 12.10pm BST (7.10am ET).

“Besides the fact that he’s a world-class player and one of our best on the team, we wanted to send out a fiery group to lead us out with these fans that have been waiting years to see this tournament,†said Bradley, the US captain, when asked about DeChambeau’s position.

“Bryson just relishes these opportunities. He wants them. He’s one of these guys you hear on a basketball team who wants the ball for the last shot. He’s one of those guys and so is Justin. Let’s not forget, Justin is the heartbeat of our team. They are to go out and be a really tough team to beat.†Bradley raced the length of the 18th hole at Bethpage Black on Friday afternoon, waving a US flag to whip up spectators.

“I’m stoked to be playing with Bryson,†said Thomas. “I think trying to set the tone in that first match is always important. I think all of us were in agreement that Bryson needed to be in that first match, and being his partner, I’m very excited that we get to do that together.â€

In match two of the foursomes the world No 1, Scottie Scheffler, will play alongside Russell Henley for the US. Ludvig Ã…berg and Matt Fitzpatrick will represent Europe. This marked a slightly surprising call by the European captain, Luke Donald, given Ã…berg combined with Viktor Hovland to trounce Scheffler and Brooks Koepka, 9&7, in a 2023 foursomes contest.

Hovland instead has Robert MacIntyre as his partner in match four, with Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay in opposition. In the penultimate game Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood don European colours against Collin Morikawa and Harris English. “I think it’s our strongest eight to go in foursomes,†said Donald. “We have so many options that it’s really quite fun for me as a captain.â€

Bryson DeChambeau revs up the crowd during practice. He has been chosen to lead out the US in the morning foursomes. Photograph: Paul Childs/Reuters

Europe’s captain denied he intended to jab at the US team during his opening ceremony speech on Wednesday. In that, Donald made multiple references to money. A theme of the Ryder Cup buildup has been the payment that will be made directly to the US players for the first time. “It wasn’t directed at the US,†said Donald. “My speech was directed at my players. I wrote that speech six months ago. We have been very consistent where we stand and what we play for. We’re not concerned about what the US are doing.â€

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The foursomes selections mean Shane Lowry, Sepp Straka, Rasmus Højgaard and Justin Rose will sit out the morning for Europe. JJ Spaun, Sam Burns, Ben Griffin and Cameron Young are the US foursome absentees. All but Burns of that American quartet are Ryder Cup rookies.

Bryson DeChambeau often finds himself in the middle of golf’s viral moments. Sometimes, that’s by design. Other times, it’s based on who he is and the polarizing nature of his place in the professional golf ecosystem.

But where DeChambeau once felt uncomfortable being in the middle of an attention storm that might skew negative (think his rivalry with Brooks Koepka and the heckling that ensued), he is now more comfortable in his own skin. Since the move to LIV Golf, DeChambeau has settled into his role as an occasional lightning rod. Even if the comments that come his way are negative, that’s OK, because, well, attention is currency.

As DeChambeau has embarked on his stated goal to “grow the game” through his YouTube channel, the Crushers frontman has understood that all eyeballs are good eyeballs.

So it shouldn’t be a surprise that when DeChambeau was confronted with Rory McIlroy’s latest jab about his need for attention, he easily shrugged it off as a way to raise the interest level at this week’s Ryder Cup.

“All I’m trying to do is inspire kids on YouTube, and we’ve amassed quite a big audience on YouTube,” DeChambeau told Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis on Monday ahead of the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black. “I’m continuing to focus on that train of thought. Whatever Rory says and whatnot — granted, I didn’t mean anything by it other than I’m excited. I hope we can have some good banter back and forth, and if not, if he wants to do what he’s doing, great, no problem. Crowd is going to be on our side. We’re going to have a fun time. But ultimately, my job is to get a kid out there who is looking at me hitting a golf ball smiling.

“There’s a rivalry between every one of us golfers. Is it heightened with Rory? Sure. You can make it that way. But look, anytime we go out in the arena, we’re trying to be the best we can possibly be, and if it helps the game of golf out to then great, so be it.”

Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee, who has been consistently critical of every player who left the PGA Tour for LIV Golf, wasn’t impressed by DeChambeau’s attempt to take the high road with McIlroy. Chamblee pointed out that DeChambeau didn’t really address McIlroy’s comments and just pivoted to his YouTube channel, whose subscription numbers Chamblee doesn’t completely buy.

“I thought it was pretty pointed there when he [was] asked about the retort of Rory, that he didn’t mention the goal this week of a Ryder Cup,” Chamblee said on Golf Channel. “Nope, he didn’t do that. He didn’t talk about playing on a team and how much that meant. Nope, didn’t do that. What he did do was talk about his YouTube channel, which, you know, if we want to talk about the numbers that are generated from that, it’s pretty dubious. I have no doubt bots are generating a lot of those views. There may be some interest as well. But that’s what he wants to talk about. Not the team, not the Ryder Cup.

“It’s one of the reasons why I think he’s going to be such a difficult person to get paired with. No doubt he’s one hell of a golfer. No doubt he has his moments of generosity with fans; I have heard about them. But he’s an odd duck when he’s trying to blend in with the team, and he has so many potential bulletin-board mistakes. I think he would be a captain’s nightmare.”

The idea of DeChambeau being a captain’s nightmare was dismissed by several of his teammates, all of whom praised his talent and all-in, team-first attitude.

As for Chamblee’s shot at his YouTube numbers, DeChambeau, again, was just happy to have what he believes is a lighthearted back-and-forth that increases the eyeballs on the Ryder Cup and golf. Jousting is, after all, entertainment.

“I think it’s great,” DeChambeau said on Thursday at Bethpage Black when asked about Chamblee questioning his viewership numbers. “I think any time that people can throw stuff at me like that, I enjoy it. I appreciate it. I think it’s good for ultimately the game of golf because it starts to spur conversation on. Ultimately, on YouTube, you have to be verified to be able to subscribe and whatnot. So I don’t think it’s really that honest or true. But it is what it is. I mean, any time you can say something like that and create more buzz for the game of golf, it’s great.”

In short, any publicity is good publicity.

Bryson DeChambeau is not shying away from the spectacle as golf’s matchplay carnival touches down on America’s toughest public course. On the eve of the Ryder Cup, the 32-year-old admitted he sees it as his responsibility, and his privilege, to feed off Bethpage Black’s notoriously rowdy galleries and leverage their energy into a weapon.

“This week is an amazing opportunity,†he said on a soggy Thursday in Farmingdale. “New York fans are incredible. As rowdy and raucous as they get, they still love the game of golf. I couldn’t be more excited to hopefully get them riled up and excited for what’s to come.â€

It is a role he believes he is far better prepared for than four years ago at Whistling Straits, when the United States ran roughshod over Europe 19–9 for their most lopsided Ryder Cup victory in history. Then, he was still navigating the fallout of a highly public feud with Brooks Koepka. His résumé at that point included a single major win, the 2020 US Open, and a reputation for tinkering and petulance. Now, after three years of reinvention – a high-profile jump to LIV Golf, a string of strong major finishes, his outsized success as a YouTuber and almost nuclear charm offensive – DeChambeau insists he is equipped to channel the noise, not be consumed by it. “Four years ago, I wouldn’t have been as open or ready,†he reflected. “The experience helps. Hopefully I can use that to the best of my ability and hit some great shots when it matters most.â€

Missing the last Ryder Cup in Rome remains a sore point. “It sucked,†he admitted on Thursday. “I wanted to be there. Didn’t play well enough in the majors. Knew what I was up against when I went to LIV … but seeing the guys lose really put a fire in my stomach. I wanted to make the team this time around.†He likened it to another painful absence: being forced out of the Tokyo Olympics after contracting Covid, which he called “a pretty big shot to the heartâ€. Those moments, he said, left him determined to treat a Ryder Cup return as “a passion projectâ€.

That determination paid off. Though LIV golfers have fewer routes to qualify, his results in the majors – including the kind of prodigious driving that makes him a tailor-made fit for Bethpage’s 7,352-yard brute – punched his ticket. “Making this team was A1,†he said. “It was the thing I wanted to do most, represent my country.â€

For a player once caricatured as golf’s mad scientist, more loner than teammate, DeChambeau has relished the camaraderie this time. “The amount of calls I got when I was on the team from players was amazing,†he said. “It made me more passionate and excited to be a part of what we can accomplish this week.†Ryder Cup rookie Ben Griffin, who played practice rounds with him on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, praised his energy and even teased that he managed to outdrive DeChambeau once. “He’s been awesome to have on this team,†Griffin said. “He’s unique, but a huge asset.â€

That duality – the eccentric technician who breaks out a protractor on the greens and the unlikely crowd-pleaser who engages in mid-round banter with the galleries – has come to define him. As recently as 2021, his online presence barely existed. He was a polarizing figure in the golf world even before going full heel by defecting to the Saudi-backed LIV tour. He publicly ripped his equipment manufacturer, made brazen proclamations of neutering Augusta and engaged in a petty feud with Koepka, all of which incrementally cost him fan support. Now, with more than 2.4 million YouTube subscribers, he has become a crossover figure who draws kids to the autograph line as readily as he impresses the diehards with ball speed. Teammate Harris English admitted being baffled by the digital world until DeChambeau gave him a crash course at the opening ceremony. “That’s his plan,†English said. “Growing the game as much as possible, relating to kids, bringing them into golf. I think that’s really cool.â€

Not everyone is convinced. Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee has dismissed DeChambeau as “a captain’s nightmareâ€, questioning whether his online following – slingshotted into the stratosphere by a viral video of a round with Donald Trump – is authentic and suggesting he is more focused on content than competition. DeChambeau shrugged it off. “Any time people can throw stuff at me like that, I enjoy it. It spurs conversation. And if it creates more buzz for golf, that’s great.â€

Trump himself will attend Friday’s opening session, just days after he lashed out at European leaders in a UN broadside, becoming the first sitting president to appear at a Ryder Cup. DeChambeau, who remains a darling of the American right, sees that presence as another lever to stir the crowd. “I hope he will inspire us to victory,†he said. “He’ll be a great force for us to get a lot of people on our side. It’s going to be an electric environment.â€

That line will divide opinion, as the Ryder Cup often has. For decades, the event has mirrored politics and national moods: the chest-thumping War on the Shore in 1991, the Brookline celebrations of 1999, the confrontation between Rory McIlroy and Patrick Cantlay’s caddie in Rome two years ago. Bethpage Black, the Long Island track with its history of heckling and hostility, offers another combustible stage. This week, as America continues to reel from political violence at home, it offers a fleeting chance for unity with Republicans and Democrats each yearning for the same red numbers to fill the scoreboard.

DeChambeau knows he will be one of its central actors, not only because of his drives but because of his persona. His rivalry with McIlroy has turned into a subplot: McIlroy accusing him of seeking attention, DeChambeau threatening to “chirp†back. Yet he was careful on Thursday to stress respect. “Rivalries are good for the game,†he said. “I have the ultimate respect for Rory. Would I love to go up against him? Yeah. He’s a fierce competitor, a great competitor.â€

Still, he frames himself less as lightning rod than support system. “Whether it’s emotionally or leadership, it’s more about pumping people up, giving good energy out there,†he said. “Helping people realize why we are playing this week is a top priority for me.â€

That blend – the entertainer signing autographs till the queues thinned in Thursday’s drizzle, the math prodigy explaining single-length irons, the partisan cheerleader and champion of the Maga movement – makes DeChambeau the rare figure who seems as likely to rile as to inspire. In a competition defined by noise and jingoism, he is ready to meet the moment head-on. “I just want to be part of this team,†he said. “This has been a mission project for me. Hopefully I can provide some fun stuff this week and hopefully we can get that Cup back.â€

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — If there is a brewing rivalry between Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy, then the Ryder Cup could be a perfect setting for another dramatic duel.

While both star golfers downplayed any animosity between them, DeChambeau and McIlroy also acknowledged that being matched up against each other this week at Bethpage Black would be welcomed.

“Would I love to go up against him? Yeah. It would be a lot of fun,” DeChambeau said Thursday. “Is it going to happen? It’s not likely. I mean, maybe once. You never know.”

“If I come up against Bryson at some point, I think that’s great,” McIlroy said. “I think that’s wonderful for the championship and wonderful for us, as well, in some ways.”

DeChambeau, when asked earlier this year about potentially facing McIlroy in the Ryder Cup after the two were paired in the final round of the Masters Tournament, said that he intended to “chirp in [McIlroy’s] ear” at Bethpage.

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McIlroy responded to those comments last month during an interview with the Guardian.

“I think the only way he gets attention is by mentioning other people,” McIlroy told the Guardian. “That is basically what I think of that. To get attention he will mention me or Scottie [Scheffler] or others.”

When asked about DeChambeau on Thursday, McIlroy joked that he had promised European captain Luke Donald that he would talk only about the European team.

“It’s so easy to play into narratives this week and to get swept up in this whole rivalries and Ryder Cup and whatever it is,” McIlroy said. “All I want to do is go and try and put blue points on the board. I don’t care who it’s against.”

As DeChambeau pointed out, whether it’s in foursomes, four-balls or Sunday singles, there’s no guarantee that the two will face off given the fact that captains select their teams and order ahead of knowing the opponent’s choices.

“I don’t know if there’s planning behind the scenes or whatnot,” DeChambeau said with a smile.

Even if they don’t face off against one another, the fact that DeChambeau and McIlroy are on opposite sides this week is emblematic of the kind of relationship they have had during the sport’s biggest events as of late.

Aside from Scheffler, no two players have performed better in major championships over the past two years than DeChambeau and McIlroy. In the process, their paths haven’t just crossed; they have met each other head-on.

The two finished first and second in the 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst, where McIlroy’s missed short putts on two of the last three holes and DeChambeau’s miracle bunker shot on 18 gave the LIV Golf star his second major victory.

This year at the Masters, both played in Sunday’s final group. And as McIlroy emerged with the green jacket and the career Grand Slam, DeChambeau was quick to point out that McIlroy did not talk to him the entire round. McIlroy responded that he didn’t know what DeChambeau expected.

On Monday, DeChambeau was asked by Golf Channel if he had a response to McIlroy’s recent comments to the Guardian.

“Whatever Rory says and whatnot is great. He didn’t mean anything by it,” DeChambeau said. “I’m excited. I hope we can have some good banter back and forth and if not, and he wants to do what he’s doing, great, no problem. Crowd’s going to be on our side.”

McIlroy, who is playing in his eighth Ryder Cup, has dealt with an away crowd several times and said he is prepared to manage an environment he doesn’t typically have to deal with.

“I’m very lucky, I get a lot of support pretty much everywhere I go when I play golf, and it’s going to feel a little different for me this week,” McIlroy said. “But that’s to be expected. … I feel at times in the Ryder Cup, I have engaged too much with that, too much with the crowd.

“But then there’s times where I haven’t engaged enough. So it’s really just trying to find the balance of using that energy from the crowd to fuel your performance.”

With competition starting Friday, the crowds on hand at Bethpage so far this week have been rallying around the U.S. team and specifically DeChambeau, who has given them plenty to cheer about.

“I think rivalries are good for the game of golf,” DeChambeau said. “And albeit I have the ultimate respect for Rory as a player. It’s going to be fun to go up against him this week.”

Bryson DeChambeau has called on Donald Trump to “inspire†the US team to Ryder Cup glory at Bethpage Black. DeChambeau’s rallying call arrived on the eve of the president making an appearance for day one of the contest between the US and Europe.

The American’s message contrasted sharply with the approach of Europe’s Robert MacIntyre, who shrugged off any notion Trump could influence proceedings in New York.

“I hope he [Trump] will inspire us to victory,†said DeChambeau. “I think he’ll be a great force for us to get a lot of people on our side. It will be interesting and exciting to see how the crowd and everybody reacts. It’s going to be an electric environment.â€

It will also be a fraught one, with an intense security operation in place around Trump’s visit. The president is expected to appear by the 1st tee before Friday afternoon’s fourball session gets under way.

MacIntyre was characteristically blunt when asked whether Trump’s arrival could serve as a distraction to the European team. “It’s just another spectator,†said the Scotsman. “As a European, we’ve got a job to do; try and compete as hard as we can and hopefully win the Ryder Cup.â€

DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy had entered into some verbal jousting before arrival at Bethpage. The Northern Irishman refused to re-enter that territory on Thursday but admitted he would relish coming up against the Californian over the three tournament days.

“It’s so easy to play into narratives this week and to get swept up in rivalries, Ryder Cup and whatever it is,†McIlroy said. “All I want to do is go and try and put blue points on the board. I don’t care who it’s against.

“If I come up against Bryson at some point, I think that’s great. I think that’s wonderful for the championship and wonderful for us, as well, in some ways. I just want to go out there do what I can for the European team.â€

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McIlroy was effusive in his praise of the US as a country, as if to prove this golf rivalry exists in a bubble. “It’s the land of opportunity,†McIlroy said. “And I still believe it’s the best country in the world. If you come here and work hard and dedicate yourself, you can be or do whatever you want.

“There’s a wonderful sense of work ethic. I live here, my wife is American. My daughter is American. I have a lot of affinity towards this country, and I think everyone that lives here should have that same affinity because it is a wonderful place.â€

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — It is just past 3 p.m. on Tuesday of Ryder Cup week, and the mostly-empty driving range at Bethpage State Park has transformed into a stage.

The spectacle is standing room only, taking place on the far left side of the range where a red-faced Bryson DeChambeau is launching balls into the Long Island sky in search of the magic number: 200 mph ball speed. There seems to be no obvious purpose to this quest beyond what DeChambeau is hyperaware of as he does it: the crowd around him wants to see it.

“Rory can’t do that, Bryson!” a fan calls out.

“I heard he’s nervous!” shouts another. 191.

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This is what DeChambeau’s stump speech looks like, his every lash at the ball a type of creed he knows how to propagate. 193. With a giant screen left of the range showing exactly how far and fast each ball is going, there’s drama in every swing. 196. The congregation only gets louder. A “USA” chant begins. At one point, a smiling J.J. Spaun walks over to DeChambeau and joins in.

“Come on, show me something,” Spaun says. DeChambeau doesn’t respond. He just swings again. 198. 199.

The two-time U.S. Open winner isn’t just leaning into it all; he’s feeding off of it, determined to give them what they want. DeChambeau lets another one rip and the recoil nearly knocks him off his feet. 200 mph. 361-yard carry. Turning back toward the crowd, he flashes a wry smile and shrugs.

“Bryson, this is his arena,” Xander Schauffele said. “If he views himself as a gladiator golfer, this is as good as it gets.”

This will be the third Ryder Cup that Bryson DeChambeau has played in. Harry How/Getty Images

The Ryder Cup presents a unique scenario: DeChambeau’s persona — call it antics, histrionics, showmanship or an acquired taste — is tailor-made for this week. The sport’s most dramatic event presents a setting that allows DeChambeau to be the most unabashed version of himself, a combination of towering thespian and crowd-pleasing rock star. Could that translate to a winning formula?

“I was telling Keegan, I feel like Bryson could be like the difference for us, in a strange way, from the standpoint of feeding into these fans, the style of golf he plays,” Schauffele said. “I think his points might hit harder than my points.”

When DeChambeau stepped up to the first tee at Whistling Straits in 2021 and drove the green, the way in which he ignited the crowd and went on to win that match is remembered with fondness to this day.

Since that dominant 19-9 American victory, that kind of frenzy around DeChambeau has only skyrocketed. Despite leaving for LIV in 2022 and not being on the 2023 Ryder Cup team that lost in Rome, his popularity was at an all-time high after winning the 2024 U.S. Open and continuing to appeal to fans online with his YouTube channel.

It’s no secret that DeChambeau takes every opportunity to promote and mention YouTube and how, in his mind, it has both helped his game and helped this notion of “growing the game.” But this character pivot — this evolution — to some, feels inauthentic and self-centered.

“Bryson plays most of his golf on a tour where he mostly could be in the witness protection program,” Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee said Monday during the network’s coverage of the Ryder Cup. “Nobody watches, he doesn’t get any attention. So when he does come out, there’s a bit of a circus-barker element to it to drum up some interest for himself.”

Other players have bristled at his approach in the past (see: Brooks Koepka) or in the present, including Rory McIlroy, who did not speak to DeChambeau at the Masters when they paired together for the final round. Recently, DeChambeau said that he would be “chirping in [Rory’s] ear” this week at Bethpage. McIlroy’s response?

“I think the only way he gets attention is by mentioning other people,” he said.

Whether it’s real or facetious, whether you like it or not, or whether it’s for attention or self-satisfaction, there’s no doubt that DeChambeau has become an exhibitionist who plays the part well. This version of DeChambeau — the swashbuckling, raucous, people-pleasing, gallery-interacting, I’ll-sign-autographs-until-my-hand-falls-off version of him — projects a vibe that, depending on which side you’re rooting for, can come off as either exhilarating or grating.

“I’ve always enjoyed Bryson,” the typically temperate Russell Henley said. “Explosive is a great word for how he plays … I think we operate a lot differently on the golf course, and he plays a much different game than I do.”

In some ways, Bryson’s approach is antithetical to the way golf, especially 72-hole stroke play golf, has come to be. Most players are normally quiet, keeping to themselves throughout a round while avoiding showing any emotion, good or bad. DeChambeau often processes, feels and reacts out loud and through his body language. Watching him chart his way around a golf course by smashing 340-yard drives and hitting irons that are all the same length is impossibly compelling. Now, throw match play and playing for team and country into the mix, and DeChambeau’s method suddenly becomes a rare commodity.

Bryson DeChambeau finished T-10 or better in three of four majors this season. ERIK S LESSER/EPA/Shutterstock

“His golfing ability alone is an X factor for our team, but also, he’s a really fiery player,” U.S. team captain Keegan Bradley said. “When you come to a Ryder Cup, you don’t want guys to try to be something they’re not. We have a lot of calm, mellow guys, so we need the energy from Bryson, and he brings that every day.”

In a team event with just two sides and one goal, the Americans are far more inclined to embrace everything that comes with the DeChambeau experience. It helps that, all week and even going back to the Ryder Cup boot camp in Napa, players have praised DeChambeau for the effort he has put in to be around the team despite playing on a different tour.

“He’s made every effort possible and been incredible in the team room,” Bradley said.

And yet managing that energy he brings is crucial too. Despite the fact that he and this event feel like a match made in heaven, his record is a middling 2-3-1 and 0-2 in foursomes. The decision of who DeChambeau will play with has been highly anticipated. Chamblee called him a “captain’s nightmare” and an “odd duck” in reference to Bradley’s task of finding a match for him, while Scottie Scheffler, who paired with him in 2021, called him a “great partner.”

Through three days of practice rounds, DeChambeau has played alongside the same three players: Ben Griffin, Cam Young and Justin Thomas. Griffin, in particular, has made a lot of sense as a partner: a rookie bursting with confidence who may be able to draft off the way DeChambeau interacts with the crowd.

“I hope I can bring a lot of energy and a tsunami of a crowd that’s going to be rooting for Team USA,” DeChambeau said after this year’s Open Championship.

Glimpses of what that dance is going to look like are starting to show themselves. As he has stalked the grounds at Bethpage, DeChambeau has, more so than normal, engaged fans at every turn. On Tuesday, after finishing a nine-hole practice round, he strutted over to the first tee and it was as if someone began to turn up the volume of the crowd.

Bryson DeChambeau tees off on No. 1 during a Ryder Cup practice round. Michael Reaves/PGA of America via Getty Images

DeChambeau took out his driver and lined up aimed right toward Bethpage Black’s first green, which is hidden by a small forest of trees in the distance. He hit five balls at full speed, asking assistant captain Gary Woodland and other U.S. team staffers — who had a spotter by the green — if the ball had made it. DeChambeau hit another.

“Give the people what they want!” one fan yelled. He asked for one more ball.

After a pause, it seemed DeChambeau might be done, but he gave the crowd a small glimpse, raised his eyebrow and then a single index finger as if to ask permission to hit another. The noise hit a crescendo again as if a band had just come back on stage for an encore.

“Are you not entertained?” another fan asked.

The carry number they needed, DeChambeau’s caddie Greg Bodine later shared, was 360 yards. Only one of DeChambeau’s seven shots made it onto the front edge of the green, but it almost didn’t matter, especially to those who witnessed it. The showman had given the Tuesday crowd its show. Come Friday, as the United States will try to harness his energy, DeChambeau’s show will only get bigger.

“The people love him,” Scheffler said. “I’m excited to unleash him this week.”

Having just completed a Tuesday-morning spin through Bethpage Black’s back nine, Bryson DeChambeau wasn’t done. He strutted from the 18th green to the adjacent first tee box, plopped down his launch monitor, and started swinging away alongside teammate Justin Thomas.

The goal? To drive the first green, like he did in singles four years ago at Whistling Straits, and it took seven mighty lashes before DeChambeau was satisfied. His caddie, Greg Bodine, told ESPN’s Paolo Uggetti that he thought one caught the front edge with a 360-yard poke over the right trees. Not that it mattered either way. To the throng of observers, many of whom had been following the American superstar the entire morning, just the spectacle of it all was both wildly entertaining and energizing. Keep in mind, it was only Tuesday.

Scottie Scheffler, the world’s top-ranked golfer, may be the Americans’ best player.

And Thomas, the now savvy veteran, may be their emotional leader.

But DeChambeau, the popular-yet-polarizing LIV and YouTube poster boy, is arguably the U.S. linchpin.

Xander Schauffele shared as much with Keegan Bradley, telling his captain upon arriving on Long Island, “I feel like Bryson could be the difference for us.â€

“This is his arena,†Schauffele explained. “If he views himself as a gladiator golfer, this is as good as it gets. … I’m excited to sort of see what he can do, and hopefully [he can] get a lot of points up on the board because his points might hit harder than maybe my points, for example, just because of how he might celebrate and get these fans into this tournament quickly.â€

Bethpage is colloquially known as the People’s Country Club. The municipal has previously hosted U.S. Opens, a PGA and soon a Women’s PGA, along with numerous Met section and state tournaments, while still costing just $80 for New York residents to play on weekends.

Some may fancy DeChambeau the modern-day People’s Golfer, as he’s helped supercharge his fanbase by fully embracing social media; his YouTube following alone is nearly 2.5 million strong. And when he shows up to majors these days, the electricity in DeChambeau’s galleries is as palpable, if not more, than the crowds that follow Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and other PGA Tour heavyweights. This week, in what Thomas predicts to be the “biggest golf event ever,†expect the DeChambeau effect to be amplified.

“He’s a showman out there,†Patrick Cantlay said. “I think he’s going to get the crowd fired up.â€

There are still three more days until the 45th Ryder Cup officially begins, and DeChambeau is already heating up Bethpage’s burners. As he signed autographs on Tuesday, multiple security guards and tournament staff had to hold onto the metal railings to keep them from failing over as fans jostled to score signatures and photos. For those who couldn’t get close, they later resorted to sliding their flags and Sharpies through crevices between some mesh fencing and a brick walkway; DeChambeau, without hesitation, obliged, bending down to scribble his John Hancock on a few more items as he slowly made his way to the range. It was there that he incited more roars, beating ball after ball like a lead guitarist ending a song by strumming the final chord multiple times, each harder than the last.

Not every stage, of course, has been DeChambeau’s element. When DeChambeau made his Ryder Cup debut in Paris in 2018, he was a slender, oft-misunderstood scientist with a Hogan cap – and that week, he lost points alongside Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson before also dropping his singles match to end an 0-3 performance. Three years later, DeChambeau had not only transformed his body into a beefy, long-drive type, but he’d become a lightning rod, too, after beefs with Brooks Koepka, the media and galleries at nearly every Tour stop. He and Koepka would put their differences aside in a dominant U.S. victory in Wisconsin, but by the next summer, they were both off to LIV Golf, where, mostly free from weekly scrutiny, DeChambeau began to recraft his image.

While he’s become a force in majors (seven top-8s since joining LIV, including his 2024 U.S. Open triumph) and as a moonlighting golf influencer, DeChambeau’s popularity has followed a similar trajectory. If he hasn’t changed the minds of critics who still question the genuineness of this glow up, judging by the volume of his following, both outside the ropes and online, he’s won over just about everyone else, including his Ryder Cup teammates.

With DeChambeau banned from competing in PGA Tour events, he might’ve easily been excused from a team dinner ahead of the Procore Championship two weeks ago in Napa. And yet, DeChambeau showed up – and just days after he spent two days supporting the U.S. Walker Cup team at Cypress Point. That’s not the only time that he’s charmed Bradley, who applauded not only DeChambeau’s commitment but his feat of earning one of six automatic selections despite only being allowed to play the majors.

“He’s made every effort possible and been incredible in the team room,†Bradley said.

Scheffler called DeChambeau a “good friend.†Russell Henley recalled a story from 2021, when DeChambeau, amid all that Koepka drama, took the time to encourage Henley after a tough finish at the Wyndham Championship.

“I was leading the tournament, and I choked it away,†Henley said. “Two weeks later … he walked up and he goes, ‘Hey, man, keep your head up. That happens to everybody. You’re playing some great golf,’ and just encouraged me. I’ll always remember that.â€

FARMINGDALE, NY – SEPTEMBER 23: Bryson DeChambeau of Team United States signs autographs on the 18th hole on the Black Course during the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage State Park on Tuesday, September 23, 2025 in Farmingdale, New York. (Photo by Michael Reaves/PGA of America)

Michael Reaves/PGA of America/PGA

But all that’s not to completely absolve DeChambeau, who still possesses the ability to stir the pot and get under people’s skins. Case in point: McIlroy, whom DeChambeau has irked more than once since he sent McIlroy peeling rubber out of the Pinehurst parking lot last summer. After McIlroy exacted his revenge while paired with DeChambeau on Sunday at the Masters, DeChambeau told reporters that McIlroy “didn’t talk to me all day.†He then said to People magazine in July, referencing the Ryder Cup: “I’ll be chirping in [McIlroy’s] ear this time. Now, if we go up against each other, I mean, you can be sure of it.â€

The latter comments might’ve been harmless and playful, but McIlroy didn’t appear to be amused. In a recent interview with The Guardian, he said of DeChambeau, “I think the only way he gets attention is by mentioning other people. That is basically what I think of that. To get attention he will mention me or Scottie or others.â€

DeChambeau responded to McIlroy in an interview Monday with Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis.

“All I’m trying to do is inspire kids on YouTube, and we’ve amassed quite a big audience on YouTube,†DeChambeau said. “I’m continuing to focus on that train of thought. … I didn’t mean anything by [my comments about McIlroy] other than I’m excited. I hope we can have some good banter back and forth, and if not, if he wants to do what he’s doing, great, no problem. Crowd is going to be on our side. We’re going to have a fun time. But ultimately, my job is to get a kid out there who is looking at me hitting a golf ball smiling.â€

Asked if he saw a rivalry between he and McIlroy, DeChambeau answered: “There’s a rivalry between every one of us golfers. Is it heightened with Rory? Sure. You can make it that way. But look, anytime we go out in the arena, we’re trying to be the best we can possibly be, and if it helps the game of golf out, too, then great, so be it.â€

After listening to DeChambeau, Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee sounded off. Not only did Chamblee question DeChambeau’s YouTube metrics – “I have no doubt bots are generating a lot of those views†– but he wondered aloud if DeChambeau cared more about the Ryder Cup or his social channels.

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — As U.S. Ryder Cup rookie Ben Griffin was practicing chip shots from the rough behind Bethpage Black’s 15th green Tuesday afternoon, one got away from him. High, hot and bound for … Bryson DeChambeau’s dome. The ball could have left a mark (or worse!), but it didn’t. That’s because Griffin’s quick-thinking caddie, Alex Ritthamel, leapt in front of the orb and swatted it out of the air like an NBA center defending the hoop.

“You could have killed him!” a fan barked at Griffin.

Not missing a beat, Griffin deadpanned, “He’s indestructible.”

DeChambeau, his broad shoulders, muscular frame and superhuman tee shots notwithstanding, is, in fact, not indestructible. But his shell has hardened over the years, the result, he’ll tell you, of arriving at a place in his life where he feels like he can express his true self, be that on a golf course, swarmed by autograph-hungry fans or starring in one of his much-watched YouTube videos. “Once I became more authentic to myself,” he said at the U.S. Open in June, “I feel like I became more comfortable.”

Which isn’t to say DeChambeau isn’t still polarizing, and not only because he ditched the PGA Tour for the riches of LIV Golf in 2022. Still hanging over DeChambeau, at least in some circles, are questions about his motives, a reality of which golf fans have been reminded in the run-up to this 45th Ryder Cup. The first barb came from European star Rory McIlroy, who in an interview with the British paper, The Guardian, was asked to respond to DeChambeau’s assertion that he intends to “chirp” McIlroy at Bethpage.

McIlroy sounded unperturbed, saying that the “only way” DeChambeau stays in the public eye is “by mentioning other people.” McIlroy added, “To get attention he will mention me or Scottie [Scheffler] or others.”

The tit-for-tat continued Monday at the Ryder Cup when DeChambeau, in response to McIlroy’s remarks, told Golf Channel: “All I’m trying to do is inspire kids on YouTube, and we have amassed quite a big audience on YouTube and I’m continuing to focus on that train of thought, and whatever Rory says and whatnot, granted I didn’t mean anything by it. I’m excited. I hope we can have some good banter back and forth.”

Those remarks — we’re almost done here, promise! — in turn caught the ear of Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee, who took out his flamethrower and accused DeChambeau of being more interested in his YouTube channel than he is in the U.S. Ryder Cup team. Chamblee added: “He’s an odd duck when he’s trying to blend in with the team, and he has so many potential bulletin-board mistakes. I think he would be a captain’s nightmare.”

Harsh! But is it true?

Every American player who was asked about DeChambeau’s place on the U.S. team Tuesday went to bat for him. Predictably? Maybe. You would not expect any Ryder Cupper to pick apart a teammate three days before the matches begin. But still, the U.S. team’s feedback on DeChambeau was so universally positive than you couldn’t help but buy into it.

Scottie Scheffler called DeChambeau a “tremendous competitor” and said that “the people love him.” Patrick Cantlay said, “I’m glad he’s on our side. He’s a showman out there. I think he’s going to get the crowd fired up.” Xander Schauffele characterized DeChambeau as a “gladiator golfer,” adding, “I feel like Bryson could be like the difference for us.”

And U.S. captain Keegan Bradley, whose opinion matters most? He said DeChambeau has been “incredible in the team room,” adding, “We need the energy from Bryson, and he brings that every day.”

DeChambeau certainly did on a warm and breezy Tuesday at Bethpage Black, where he played a nine-hole practice round (10 through 18) with Cameron Young and two of DeChambeau’s likely partners this week, Ben Griffin and Justin Thomas. While his playing partners largely were focused on assessing aim lines and green slopes and club selections, DeChambeau also made time for the galleries. Fist bumps. High fives. Arms waving upward to stoke the cheers. On the 13th green, DeChambeau was greeted by a woman and two young boys perched in the grandstand behind the green. They were holding a homemade sign that read, “Bryson, we skipped school to caddy for you.”

Bryson out here full-sending corner-cutting drives off first tee. This was his seventh attempt. Crowd lapping it up. Not hard to imagine him opening this Ryder Cup with bomb on same hero line. pic.twitter.com/G2ZA30rM2u

— Alan Bastable (@alan_bastable) September 23, 2025

From the galleries’ warm receptions on every tee box and green, you also got the sense more than a few adults played hooky for a glimpse of DeChambeau. However you feel about the guy, he is undeniably the most popular player on the U.S. team. For every cry of “Justin!” or “Cam!”, there were two dozen clamors for Bryson.

It’d be foolish to try and read too much into a nine-hole practice round, but the vibes between DeChambeau and his teammates also seemed sound. After Thomas chipped a ball from the back of the 12th green to within five or six feet of the hole, Griffin assured Thomas the chip was “good enough” because, in foursomes play, DeChambeau would assuredly clean it up. On 18, Thomas and DeChambeau collaborated on a read, and as things were winding down, DeChambeau traversed the green, shaking hands with or patting the shoulder of each of his playing partners.

But DeChambeau’s practice session wasn’t over just yet.

With players, coaches and other hangers-on still milling around the 18th green, he marched to the adjacent 1st tee. There has been speculation about whether DeChambeau will drive the green on the opener, a 430-yard par-4 that plays considerably shorter for players who can muscle their tee shots over the corner of the rightward dogleg. DeChambeau, the tee to himself, put a peg in the ground and blasted a tee shot on the hero line. Then another. And another. And another. The crowds in the towering grandstand that looms over the 18th green and 1st tee were eating it up — and egging him on, with cries of “You got this, Bryson!” and chants of “U-S-A!”

His sixth blast looked to be his last, but then DeChambeau looked up at the grandstand — and with showman cap squarely on — mouthed, “One more?”

Hell, yes, one more!

DeChambeau teed up another, took two waggles and unloaded. As he followed through, he grunted and his driver recoiled. Who knows where the ball went, and who cared?

Friday can’t get here soon enough.