Bryson DeChambeau shows no signs of slowing down heading into this month’s 152nd Open Championship at Royal Troon.
After snatching the US Open title from Rory McIlroy in June, the LIV Golf star lit up social media on Saturday with an eagle during an event in Andalusia, Spain.
And it wasn’t just any eagle.
After lining up his shot from the fairway on the 14th hole at Real Club Valderrama, the 30-year-old Californian holed an estimated 98-foot approach shot that only hit the flag on its descent to the back of the hole.
“Oh my God,” the LIV Golf announcer said. “No nonsense. Straight up. One shot on target for Bryson.”
The 30-year-old Californian holed an approach shot of about 98 feet that just missed the pin on its descent to the back of the hole in Andalucia on Saturday.
It wasn’t a perfect day for DeChambeau, who also made a few bogies, but the remarkable shot is just one of several from the former PGA star in recent weeks.
DeChambeau is coming off a sparkling performance at last month’s U.S. Open in North Carolina, where he rallied from a two-shot deficit late in the match to Rory McIlroy and bogeyed three of his final holes at Pinehurst.
In the end, DeChambeau would seal his second US Open title from the bunker on the 72nd hole, getting up and down in two shots to seal his second major victory.
Earlier this year, DeChambeau finished sixth at the Masters and second at the PGA Championship.
The British major has been tougher for DeChambeau, though, who has just one top-10 finish at The Open Championship, which came at St. Andrews in 2022.
Crushers GC captain Bryson DeChambeau greets fans before round two in Spain
Despite all his recent success, DeChambeau has faced what he describes as a $2 million extortion attempt by a “disgruntled” former coach.
“He’s not going to shake me down for $2 million,” DeChambeau, 30, told Golfweek of his former coach, Mike Schy.
Also at issue is DeChambeau’s omission of Schy’s name when thanking his team and family for last month’s US Open victory.
“Mike was hurt,” DeChambeau’s agent Brett Falkoff told Golfweek. “That’s what ultimately led to all of this.”
The dispute is a major shift for the couple, who worked together until 2018. DeChambeau claims to have paid Schy $1 million for his services, and has even referred to him as “a second father.” Now, however, DeChambeau says Schy is a “disgruntled former employee.”
News of the disagreement first emerged earlier this week when Schy announced that the Central Valley Jon DeChambeau Memorial Junior Tour would cease operations “due to lack of funding.”
DeChambeau (left) with Mike Schy (right). The photo still appears on Schy’s Instagram page.
Schy then specifically named his former student as the culprit.
“Bryson has decided that this was not a priority for him and has only offered a loan of money to his father’s namesake,” Schy’s statement reads. “We made every effort to secure alternative financing for 2024 and 2025, but were unable to acquire what was needed to operate and staff the tour. We believed we had the support necessary to operate, but were unable to do so.”
In response, DeChambeau told Golfweek that Schy’s claim is a “complete and utter lie.”
“We’ve had numerous conversations and it just hasn’t worked out from a business standpoint,” said DeChambeau, who had $22 million in PGA Tour earnings before defecting to the LIV tour in 2022 for an estimated $125 million.
“It’s pretty disappointing how he’s manipulated this,” DeChambeau continued. “This was a non-recourse loan. I gave him my father’s name, image and likeness for free assuming we would have a good business plan and it just hasn’t worked out.
“I’m going to do a lot for my community, just in a different way, with a proper business plan and done correctly.”