The famous The Grove, in Nashville, welcomes a new event in the LIV Golf tournament calendar this week. And it does so with all eyes on Bryson DeChambeau. The Californian golfer brilliantly won the second US Open of his career last Sunday. He had won the previous one without an audience, during the pandemic. So this time, he celebrated in a big way, trying to let all the fans present touch the trophy.
Now, after a few frantic days, with interviews and visits to television shows, the ‘scientist’ tries to analyse everything he has experienced more calmly, regrets not having the opportunity to represent his country this summer at the Paris Olympic Games and, incidentally, reveals that he is looking for the formula to commercialise his clubs, very different models to those usually used by his competitors and on which he works conscientiously in search of the best performance.
“These last three days have been crazy. Overwhelming gratitude, many thanks from everyone. The support and attention everyone has given me and the love they have shown me has been inspiring. It’s what keeps me going. I’ve probably been running on a total of maybe 12 hours of sleep in the last three days. You are the reason I keep going. It’s been fantastic. Being on Jimmy Fallon‘s show, on The Today Show, on Pat McAfee‘s show and on CNBC, well, it’s been a wild transformation and, of course, a blessing,” began DeChambeau.
On Tuesday, upon arriving in Nashville, he also had a high-profile reception: “The support is incredible. You know, it’s funny, everyone talks about LIV Golf and the team aspect and we have our own stories and all that. They are exactly things like that. It’s not just about team golf and having our own teams or doing our own things. We really care about what we try to offer to the game of golf. We are moving. We are moving in a very positive direction. Having everyone’s support here, all the staff and volunteers, clubhouse employees, whatever, getting out of that car and lifting the trophy, it’s really for LIV and for what they’ve done for me, the opportunity they gave me. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship that I think has been incredible. The gratitude has been simply out of this world. I couldn’t imagine a more incredible situation.”
Many have started to call Bryson ‘the people’s champion’, something that even makes him blush: “I feel humble, very humble. When I was younger, I felt I was called to do something in the game, and to get to this point in my life where I’ve struggled, I’ve done some things I shouldn’t have done, I’ve said some things I shouldn’t have said and I’ve messed up and I’ve learned from those mistakes and I’ve learned with patience, resilience, determination, to keep growing in that capacity and then to get to a place where I can finally show my true self and show others what this great game means to me, it’s given me so much. It’s time to give back. That’s what I love most. That’s why it was so important for everyone to touch the trophy. I wanted everyone to experience it because it wasn’t just for me, it was for the change, for all those who looked at me and said, wow, that person is different from what I thought. It was for them, for those people who saw who I am now. That’s what I wanted people to feel, that involvement, that appreciation from me thanking them. It meant a lot.”
Bryson has been sixth in the Masters, second in the PGA, winner in the US Open. Does he now consider himself the best player in the world? “The funny thing is that in 2018 when I won consecutive events in the FedExCup playoffs, I felt that even though the OWGR didn’t reflect me as such, I felt I was Number One. I felt I was playing well enough to win this week, win again and win again. It was more or less the same as I feel now. I don’t think the stats exactly reflect what they show. But being the 10th, which I think I am, is what it says, it’s impressive. For playing only a few events, most of them majors. Am I the best player in the world? It’s not up to me to decide. I’m just going to go out there and play the best golf I can and try to get that damn ball in the hole faster than the others. I’m not going to put a label or a title on myself. That’s not what I do. I’m here to play the best golf I can, inspire others and give people a great show.”
A pity for the Californian, however, not being able to be at the Paris Games… “Well, it’s funny because in 2020 I was on the team, I got COVID the week before and I couldn’t go to the Olympic Games. It was frustrating. I’ve always loved representing United States, whether it’s in the world amateur team championship, the Walker Cup, the Ryder Cup, the Presidents Cup. They’ve been some of the best moments of my life. Whenever I get the chance to represent your country, I do it. Not being able to go in 2020 was a shame. It was very disappointing. But I got sick, we took the precautions and made the right decisions, and I recovered, got my sense of smell back. Everything’s fine. But that’s done. This time it’s disappointing, but I understand the decisions I made and the way things have unfolded hasn’t been necessarily perfect according to plan. I’ve done everything I could so far to give myself a chance according to the OWGR, but I realise and respect the current situation of the game, even though it’s frustrating and disappointing. Hopefully in 2028 the situation will be a bit different, and that will make it much sweeter.”
When he signed for LIV Golf, Bryson thought that, by this point, there would be a solution on the table and he could aspire to go to the Games or accumulate the necessary points to do so: “Yes, either of the two situations. That’s more or less what I thought. It hasn’t worked out that way, and again, I respect the decision I made, and it is what it is. It hurts, but you know what, there’s another four years later.”
Finally, DeChambeau revealed that he is working on manufacturing a set of golf clubs like the ones he uses to commercialise them: “Right now they are unique models, but we are working on building a set for the mass consumer, although it takes a bit of time to get everything into production in the right way. You’re going to see some very interesting things coming out soon, in the next month, with a driver that could be quite unique to the market, and that will help a lot of golfers.” And you won’t need a 3D printer… “No, we take care of that.”
