Greg Bodine has revealed what Bryson DeChambeau said to him on the first hole of the final round of the US Open which actually really surprised him, as the American went on to clinch his second major title.
Bryson DeChambeau edged one of the all-time great major championship battles on Sunday, with the 30-year-old finishing one shot clear of Rory McIlroy at Pinehurst No. 2 to seal his second major title.
All of the pressure before the final round was definitely on DeChambeau, with the LIV Golf star boasting a three-shot lead over McIlroy, Patrick Cantlay and Matthieu Pavon.
DeChambeau’s preparations were also not at all ideal, as he was seen changing his driver head on the range just before teeing off on Sunday.
Greg Bodine reveals how Bryson DeChambeau shocked him on the first hole of US Open final round
Previously, DeChambeau had arguably been one of the most divisive figures in the game, with some of his comments and antics coming in for a lot of criticism down the years. So it would have been no surprise to see him tense up in the early stages of his round, particularly as McIlroy birdied the first hole.
But it turns out that DeChambeau was incredibly calm, with his caddie telling Fried Egg Golf that he was taken aback by what he said in the very early stages in North Carolina.
“In the last few years, I’ve seen a lot of changes in Bryson as a person and as a character. A funny story, on the first hole, this actually did surprise me a bunch, he looked over and, I forget exactly what he said, but basically, ‘we could shoot 80 or 62 today, and things are going to be okay’,” he said.
“And I looked at him and it’s not what I’m used to hearing, because when we started, he was struggling and there was a lot going on in his life. His dad had just passed, the LIV thing was in full effect, wasn’t playing great golf.
“So I’ve seen some of those moments that we’ve all seen, and I’ve caddied in the same group as him before I even started caddying for him, and when he said that on the first tee, I don’t love the whole it’s your time thing or he’s ready, I knew he was ready. I didn’t know if it was our time, Rory could have shot 65 and we could have shot 69 and it’s not our time, it’s Rory’s time because he shot 65. But when he said that, I was like I feel like we’re not going to beat ourselves today.”
DeChambeau clearly in a fantastic place in his life right now
Some will debate how genuine DeChambeau is when he makes such an effort to interact with fans. Some will clearly always be convinced that it is something of a manufactured charm offensive given the problems he has had in the past.
But the world probably never finds out about that story on the first hole unless Bodine shares it, and it is things like that which hint that DeChambeau has indeed changed considerably.
Of course, an almost charming story does not clear everything up, but it does highlight how he appears to be in such a good place. He would have known what the headlines would have been had he not won with a three-shot lead. And yet, he seemed to be at peace with what was to come.
So perhaps it is no surprise that when things were not going to plan, it was DeChambeau who ultimately emerged on top.
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