Bryson – bringing power and personality to golf’s biggest events
He may have come up just short in the recent PGA Championship, however American Bryson DeChambeau enhanced his reputation as one of the most exciting and watchable performers in professional golf with a sizzling final round and a second-place finish.
Returning a Sunday 64, for a 20-under par total, DeChambeau failed to reel in eventual champion Xander Schauffele, but it was his power and personality which shone through at Valhalla.
DeChambeau, the 2020 US Open champ who now plays on the LIV Golf Tour, was in a three-way battle on the last day with Schauffele and playing partner Viktor Hovland when he pulled his tee shot left and in the direction of a row of trees on the par four 16th.
Captain Bryson DeChambeau of Crushers GC waves to the crowd on the 12th hole during the second round of LIV Golf Adelaide at the Grange Golf Club on Saturday, April 27, 2024 in Adelaide, Australia. (Photo by Charles Laberge/LIV Golf)
Fortuitously, his ball bounced back into the fairway, leaving DeChambeau with a second shot approaching 200 metres (218 yards). What followed was a display of his immense power, with DeChambeau lacing an 8-iron to within three feet of the hole, the birdie three helping to continue his incredible last day charge.
A seventh birdie of the day on the par five finishing hole wasn’t quite enough for him to claim a second major championship trophy, however with his swashbuckling style and impressive power DeChambeau quickly became a fan favourite with the Kentucky crowds.
“Pretty proud of myself,” DeChambeau said following his round. “I gave it my all. I put as much effort as I possibly could into it, and I knew that my B game wouldn’t be enough. It’s just clearly somebody played incredibly well. Xander’s well deserving of a major championship and, emptying the tank, I certainly love to do that and give the fans everything I can.”
After also challenging at the US Masters in April, where he finished in a tie for sixth, DeChambeau again displayed a game suited for the world’s biggest and most significant championships.
The 30-year-old DeChambeau, who was due to head to the US Open at Pinehurst in the weeks to follow the PGA Championship, joined LIV Golf in June of 2022, has eight victories on the PGA Tour, two wins in Europe and two on LIV to his credit, and is arguably the most exciting player to watch in world golf at the present time.
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