Bryson DeChambeau’s late-night practice pays off as he roars into contention at the PGA Championship and bids to emerge from golfing obscurity

Bryson DeChambeau was the last man standing on the driving range Friday night, his shadow illuminated by the floodlights.

Racing through the darkness, DeChambeau had sneaked into the clubhouse before the sun set on the second round of the PGA Championship, but long after the last shards of light had withered, play had been suspended and everyone had gone home, the 30 year old was still grinding.

It’s a sight that many golf fans have not become accustomed to. Not that of a player burning the metaphorical midnight oil in search of an epiphany, but that of DeChambeau himself.

Still, we’ve seen more of the controversy in this year’s first two majors than we have in the last two years.

With his money-grabbing move, DeChambeau – now a part-time LIV golfer, part-time YouTuber – has faded into obscurity. But this week in Valhalla, a resurgent DeChambeau has worked his way up the leaderboard and become relevant again.

If there were any doubters about DeChambeau’s renaissance after 53 holes of the PGA Championship, they only had to look at the scenes on the 18th, where he reeled in an eagle from the green.

It moved him into a tie for fourth place, two shots behind the lead. He roared as he jumped into a fist pump as fans gathered in front of the sunlit clubhouse, matching his passion.

“Exciting,” DeChambeau said of the moment at age 18 after his round. ‘I haven’t felt like this in a long time. The only other time I felt like this was when I shot 58 at Greenbrier. That was quite exciting there. I was pretty excited.”

He beamed as he high-fived spectators along the green and stopped to sign balls. DeChambeau was back and, unlike 12 months ago, the crowd loved it.

“I’ve been working really hard to help people hopefully understand who I am a little bit better,” he admitted on Saturday. YouTube is a great platform to help with this.

‘It keeps my brain fresh and in entertainment mode, and makes me realize what the game is about, not just for myself and winning money or winning trophies, but also being entertaining. Of course we all want to win trophies.

“But being able to entertain the fans is what we’re all about, and I think that’s the most important thing.”

This DeChambeau 2.0 had made its debut at The Masters when he and his 3D printed irons fired off his long-awaited, self-prophesied “Augusta par-67” and put him in contention heading into the final round.

He got the crowd going with his antics on the green side and hoisting signposts out of the ground, making him a constant source of entertainment in Augusta. And the show has continued in Valhalla, where he is once again in contention on his way to a major championship on Sunday.

DeChambeau’s four-under 67 and Friday’s six-under 65 have him in the mix for a second straight major. And that’s something he can not only take comfort in, but is also an encouragement – ​​an encouragement that the comeback is really coming.

The DeChambeau we see this week is a world away from the one we saw two years ago.

When DeChambeau left the PGA Tour for LIV Golf in June 2022, he was still following his 3,500-calorie diet of meat, potatoes and protein shakes in an effort to grow and improve his game.

The efforts were successful: the American reached 17th place and had the largest average driving distance in the 2019-2020 season with 322.1 meters.

But they also made him sick. Doctors warned that his regimen was taking years off his life. It was a wake-up call that resulted in a weight loss of 18 pounds in 24 days.

Even without the added muscle, DeChambeau’s play this week still resembled the beautiful long drives and putting of his only major victory at Winged Foot. DeChambeau has also shown maturity with a newfound respect that hallowed courses like Augusta and Valhalla deserve.

With his constant experimentation, obsessive fixation on number crunching, one-length clubs and bold claims, DeChambeau’s antics are often the focus of attention, but he is still a character that golf needs.

It looks like Marmite. But love him or hate him, he moves the needle. It’s made for TV, delivers the most absurd headlines and is a ready-made marketing tool for golf.

According to the PGA Tour, he was one of the most popular players. He was ranked fifth in the initial PIP rankings, behind only Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth. Had he remained faithful, he probably would have continued to collect a juicy bonus from the Tour’s popularity contest without having to lift a finger.

But instead he took the LIV money and ran away – completely out of public consciousness. His past high-profile appeal is undoubtedly why LIV Golf wanted him. But while DeChambeau received a $100 million payday, he and his Mad Scientist character were locked behind a paywall.

He briefly broke out from behind the paywall at the 2023 PGA Championship, where he finished tied for fourth as fellow LIV rebel Brooks Koepka claimed his fifth major.

Last year at Oak Hill, DeChambeau was booed as an LIV defector. This year he was welcomed with nothing but cheers – the occasional “mind the ropes, Bryson” quip being an exception – which is a sign of how much has changed not only in the game’s political warfare, but in DeChambeau himself. .

Twelve months after the icy reception in New York, DeChambeau was optimistic about LIV Golf’s chances of repeating Koepka’s feat.

“I think we LIV golfers are as ready as ever to play major championships,” he said at a press conference in Singapore earlier this month. ‘[It] It gives us the opportunity to occasionally have a little more time to prepare for those majors.

“But I think we all have the firepower to play well and win a major championship. There are a lot of great champions here who know how to get it done, so it’s only a matter of time.”

That moment could be now for DeChambeau as he heads into the final round of the American PGA. Bryson is back. And golf should be joy.