For a sport built on tradition, the PGA Tour has often raised questions about embracing the unorthodox. And in Bryson DeChambeau—golf’s one of the most analytical, polarizing, and unapologetically unconventional figures—it may have found a challenge it couldn’t contain.
After Bryson DeChambeau made his way into his former employee’s rival league, LIV Golf, he offered four specific reasons for the split: “a personal business decision,” “to give me more resources and opportunities to reinvest in my local community in Dallas,” “give me more time to rest,” and “That [LIV Golf inagural London event] was exciting to me, and I wanted to be a part of something like that.” But for a golfer seeking “freedom” at its former league, something else was also troubling him, according to an insider.
Recently, GOLF Magazine‘s senior writer, Michael Bamberger, sat down for a conversation on 5 Clubs with Gary Williams. Talking about the golfer and his exit from the Tour, Bamberger said, “PGA Tour, you know, which you and I have been around a lot. One of the things that’s really interesting about it, I’ve written this many times, but I will repeat it, is that the players look like conformists, but they think like cowboys. But for Bryson, that wasn’t working. Whatever you want to say about Bryson, he truly is a non-conformist, but the PGA Tour was sort of clamping down in pace of play. And you’re strange and your sling is strange and your grips are strange, and he couldn’t really be himself. When he got on that LIV Tour, he did, I think what you said is entirely correct, he was very comfortable being himself, and it’s and it’s worked for him.”
For The Scientist, who inarguably marches to the beat of his own drum, his innovative, uber-analytical approach to the sport has often faced one major issue: pace of play. In fact, Bryson DeChambeau’s pace of play became such a significant concern at the 2020 Northern Trust in New Jersey that it prompted the PGA Tour to ask, “Is there a better way to do it?” At that time, the Tour kept players “on the clock,” giving each player 40-50 seconds to take a shot.
However, that wasn’t the only issue. Talking about the heavy baggage on the American golfer, Mike Schy in 2022 said, “All of a sudden, these guys were coming after him. It was like that for a long time. There’s probably bad blood on both sides.” In 2017, Bryson DeChambeau, a rising star on the PGA Tour, made headlines by adopting a sidesaddle method of putting. This unconventional technique involved positioning the putter in a way that deviated from traditional styles, citing a clampdown from the USGA and the PGA Tour, according to a 2022 interview with Mike Schy.
Talking about this, then, the golfer said, “I was very disappointed with the way they handled it. They’ve said to me, too, that they don’t like the way I’m doing it. But it’s within the rules, and I don’t know why they don’t like it.” Undoubtedly, the pressure has always been there, so while others trashed his move, for many, his LIV Golf entry wasn’t surprising. However, just because the golfer shares “bad blood” with the Tour doesn’t mean he doesn’t have complaints against his current circuit.
Bryson DeChambeau has a complaint against LIV Golf’s course
Before hearing his complaint, here’s the context: As the final round in Mexico City approached, DeChambeau faced a challenge. He struggled on the course, making two bogeys and a double bogey, which left him at even par for the day and resulted in a T2 finish, allowing Joaquin Niemann to take the title. However, the American golfer was not impressed with the course, just as the course had not been impressed with his performance.
A video captured DeChambeau during a practice round at Club de Golf Chapultepec, where he expressed his frustration with the state of the bunkers. Loudly declaring, “Worst f—ing bunkers ever! It’s so bad. This is better, but it’s so bad,” he made his displeasure clear. He wasn’t happy with the LIV Mexico’s greens either, stating, “You can break somebody’s wrist. You can’t even get it out. It’s so bad.” His frustration was visible as he tried to get out of several bunkers, throwing his arms up in disgust and complaining about the conditions. When someone asked if the wet sand was the problem, he quickly responded that it wasn’t, explaining that the design of the bunkers made it hard to escape.
For an analytical player like DeChambeau, unpredictable course features can seem annoying, clapping back at the PGA’s pace-of-play rules. When precision is your brand, and the clock is your enemy, every second—and every grain of sand—counts. What do you think about Michael Bamberger’s perspective on Bryson DeChambeau’s unconventional golfing? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
The post Insider Asserts PGA Tour’s Unending Clampdown on Bryson DeChambeau Cost Them Fan-Favorite Star appeared first on EssentiallySports.
