It’s hard to imagine how Bryson DeChambeau’s 2026 could have gone much worse.
On the golf course, he’s missed the cut embarrassingly at both major championships, triple-bogeying the final hole at The Masters, and performing disastrously poorly at the PGA Championship.
Meanwhile, off the golf course, the Saudi Public Investment Fund has withdrawn its financial backing of LIV Golf, which DeChambeau is the face of, potentially leaving him in golfing limbo in 2027.
But all of DeChambeau’s biggest issues come back to one key issue, and there isn’t an obvious fix. That means his time as one of the best golfers on the planet could well and truly be over.
Bryson DeChambeau’s biggest problem doesn’t appear to be solvable
The source of DeChambeau’s biggest issues is his ego, which relates to his course problems and on-course struggles.
As LIV Golf threatens to collapse around him, DeChambeau is in talks with the PGA Tour about a potential return, but his ego is costing him his opportunity to come back.
The tour has told DeChambeau he must agree to a deal, as Brooks Koepka did, if he wants to play on the tour, but the two-time US Open winner seems to be unwilling to do so. He said it’s a shame, “because of what I could do for them”.
And in an attempt to gain some leverage, he’s repeatedly stated he’s willing to do content creation full-time and only play the major championships. This may have started as a negotiation tactic, but he might have talked himself into a hole.
What do you think is the biggest issue within Bryson DeChambeau’s game?
He's missed the cut at both of the first two majors this year
Because of his major championship performances, the tour can’t be in any rush to buckle to DeChambeau’s demands. He’s showing that he isn’t a top-tier player right now.
But his ego won’t allow him to give up ground in these negotiations, so he may be forced to do YouTube full-time next year. This won’t help his chances of competing at majors. How can he expect to be major championship-ready after a break 50 video?
By believing he’s above the PGA Tour’s demands, DeChambeau might have put an end to his time as one of the best golfers on the planet. And his ego is costing him on the golf course, too.
Bryson DeChambeau’s biggest weakness is tied to his ego
DeChambeau seems desperate to make his same-length irons work.
All of the irons in his bag are the same length, as he looks to create repeatability in his golf swing. He used this to great effect almost immediately by winning the 2024 US Open, but recently, these clubs have had their disadvantages exposed.
Having your wedge be the same length as your six iron can be helpful on a perfect lie, because you swing the club the same every time. But these long wedges lack the touch and artistry required on difficult lies around the green.
That was abundantly clear at Augusta and Aronimink, as DeChambeau lost 1.8 strokes and 2.1 strokes around the green, respectively.
DeChambeau is famous for his bomb and gouge strategy, where he hits it as far as he can and relies on his short game around the green to do the rest of the work. But this strategy doesn’t work when you cannot rely on your wedge game.
So his recent struggles around the green are exposing the rest of his game, and whether it’s because he had success at previous majors, or if it’s because of plain stubbornness, he won’t accept that this is the wrong direction.
Even if he only shortened his wedges, he’d see massive improvements. But his ego won’t allow it, and it’s costing him dearly.
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