Bryson DeChambeau enters Sunday in a tough PGA tournament.
Getty Images / Andrew Redington
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The legend of Bryson DeChambeau, a golf genius who can distort reality.
Not that DeChambeau isn’t a smart guy. Curious about ways to escape most of his professional golf colleagues, he’s not afraid of deep internet rabbit holes, physics textbooks and YouTube algorithms. His hilarious breakdown of something called “deterministic factor analysis” on Saturday night reminds us that he’s a regular (and sometimes over-the-top) villain for the world to see.
There are many geniuses in the world, but not many who work this hard. And after so many hours of distance and impressive practice, what Bryson DeChambeau can do with a golf club in his hands these days seems more of a skilled worker than a virtuoso. But it doesn’t end there. You see, the key to DeChambeau is that he is human entertainer, and in the second major episode of the season, he is i having fun on a course full of golfers. The fact that he is back and among the favorites to lift the Wanamaker trophy doesn’t hurt either.
“Genius” is not enough.
Evidence of DeChambeau’s excitement was everywhere on the PGA Saturday, but nowhere more than on the 18th green at Valhalla, where he poured in a 30-foot chip for eagle to close out a third-round 67. Bryson exploded as the ball landed in the cup. , releasing a furious fist pump and a long celebration from the 18th. As he walked off the green, his performance came in a flash: he gave Greg Bodine a bear hug, launched a signed golf ball 30 yards into the crowd, flashed a happy smile to the CBS camera and, in the best delivery possible. , mouth “Let’s go!”
It’s unclear whether DeChambeau knows exactly what he looks like in these moments, but there’s little doubt he knows he’s being watched. This, remember, is the same man who went into deep hibernation and during the Covid lockdown, spent a year working hard in an Orgain-induced state of distance chasing, began competing in long-distance driving competitions in an apparent effort to improve society. the idea of her vitality, then she lost a lot of weight in a few really bad weeks after realizing that she was sick of that food. Now he has completely redefined his game. He knows how to keep us guessing.
Bryson keeps us guessing. That is the key to everything. You never know when you’re going to do something weird, weirdly profound, or shockingly careless. You never know if he’s playing with a set of one irons that uses a weird piece of theoretical physics, or if his driver just took a shower.
You just know it’s going to be fun, too he you know it too, what makes you roll your eyes some days but happy in his presence on others.
Attention, after all, is the golden goose at the heart of the sports economy. Golfers are rich because of their ability to hit the golf ball straight, they are rich because they attract the attention of millions of people when they do it. Without attention – from fans and sponsors – sports TV rights are worthless, and without TV rights money, neither are professional athletes. Even the Saudi PIF will not be able to avoid this cold market reality, which is why it spends millions a year recruiting people who intend to turn LIV into a profitable business.
At the individual level, the facts are no different: After golf, attention is something that can dramatically change the financial fortunes of a professional golfer. That’s how Joel Dahmen found his list of sponsors growing after starring on Netflix Full Change, and that’s why Tiger Woods rarely misses the media coverage of his life. It’s also another reason why DeChambeau, a major leaguer and potential multimillionaire, has found himself in the limelight as a YouTuber.
“It keeps my mind clear and in a fun mood, and I realize what the game is about: not only me and winning money or winning trophies, but also having fun,” he said on Saturday. “Obviously we all want to win trophies. But being able to entertain the fans is what we came to do, and I think that’s the most important thing.”
Having fun and doing well. At the PGA Championship, DeChambeau has a unique opportunity to get both. His performance throughout Valhalla has been “exciting” in part because of the fans, who have welcomed him all week with a warm Kentucky hug. The crowds are friendlier to Bryson than they were a few years ago — a product of his maturity, certainly, but also theirs.
“I’ve worked hard for people to understand who I am better,” said Bryson. “YouTube has been a great platform to help that. I love doing it. Very sweet.”
On Sunday, DeChambeau won’t need a YouTube login to bring entertainment to the masses. He will play in the third-to-last round of the PGA Championship, broadcast live on national television to several million viewers. He’ll have a legitimate shot at his second major title, and he’ll be trying to get it in front of the biggest tournament crowd of the year.
In other words, the perfect cocktail of more Bryson madness. Love it or hate it, well, you’re either going to love it or hate it. That’s why you’ll be opening to see it.
That’s Bryson’s gift. And on Sunday at the PGA, it might be smart.
