Whatever you think of LIV Golf, it cannot be denied that a number of their players have seen their stock rise since joining from the PGA Tour – with Bryson DeChambeau one of those near the very top of the list.
It has been quite the career for Bryson DeChambeau. Fans have always been fascinated by the way he goes about the game – from wearing a flat cap and using one-length irons from the early stages of his career, to the dramatic body transformation he underwent in late 2019.
That does not mean that they have always warmed to him. However, since joining LIV Golf, DeChambeau has arguably become one of the most popular players in the game.
It was remarkable to see the scenes as he won the US Open in 2024, with fans lining the 18th fairway at Pinehurst in the hope of getting to touch the trophy he had snatched from the grasp of Rory McIlroy.
Denny McCarthy praises what Bryson DeChambeau has done since joining LIV Golf
Of course, that win was a little while in coming. DeChambeau led after the first two rounds of the Masters, while he was a missed putt away from finding himself in a playoff with Xander Schauffele at the PGA Championship.
And perhaps he has not got enough credit for how he has stepped up in the sport’s biggest events. Speaking to Subpar, Denny McCarthy suggested that it was an amazing achievement to play so well in the majors given the different demands of LIV Golf events.
“I always felt like Bryson’s an interesting cat. He started this whole one lie angle, one length thing, and when we were in Japan for the World Am, the Japanese media just ate Bryson up, they were all about his clubs, always photographing his clubs. It was me, Bryson and Beau Hossler. It felt like Bryson was the king and we were his jesters or something. All the attention was around him and we were just there, along for the ride,” he said.
“I could sense it could blossom into this, I didn’t ever see it getting this big for him. But it’s awesome. Obviously, he’s got a huge following. It seems like he’s shifted a little bit. It seems like people at a time maybe didn’t like him, and it seems like more and more people now like him, root for him, cheer for him. So it’s cool to see. He’s playing some great golf. It’s not that easy to do what he’s done where you play these LIV events, three rounds, shotgun, totally different format and then you just hop into a major championship scene and contend. He won a major and almost won another one last year – it’s pretty impressive.”
Some may be surprised by how DeChambeau performed on LIV in 2024
It may come as a surprise to those who do not watch LIV that DeChambeau actually had quite an unspectacular year in the league itself in 2024. He finished eighth in the individual standings, while his best result was a tied third finish in Nashville.
He did win twice on LIV in 2023, including at Greenbrier where he shot 58 in the final round. But he will be hoping to contend more often in 2025.
Perhaps DeChambeau’s fortunes in 2024 – coupled with how his fellow LIV players fared in the majors – highlight the difficulties for players in their league to jump between the two types of tournament they now play.
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