COVERAGE: New Irons In Bag, DeChambeau Prepares for Title Defense

OAKMONT, Pa. — It has been a successful season thus far for Bryson DeChambeau, having won in Korea with LIV Golf and recording four top-five finishes in each of his last four starts to go along with a fifth placement at the Masters and runner-up at the PGA Championship.

Now DeChambeau returns to Oakmont, a course he believes is “probably the toughest course in the world right now” to defend the U.S. Open title he won at Pinehurst.

“It’s been an amazing year,” he summarized. “So grateful to have won the U.S. Open. Worked hard to win at Pinehurst and have been playing some good golf after that. (I am) still fine tuning and working hard on my game. Played well this year in the majors, didn’t get across the line in the Masters, the PGA.

“It’s just been a lot of fun, and the fan support, the people that even are out here this week. It’s hearty, crazy, and I love them. It’s been a lot of fun just experiencing what the fans are giving me. The only reason why I’m still here with this much energy is because of them, and even last week in Virginia, the crowds were really great and pumping me on. Am I tired? For sure. But am I excited? I’m more excited than I am tired.”

Following the PGA Championship, DeChambeau told reporters some changes were coming, specifically with equipment, and now there are new irons in the bag.

These irons have been optimized, something he hopes helps the “overdraw” miss that has plagued him on approaches this year. He further explained that his team iterated on the design of the face, where the heel is flatter on the curvature.

DeChambeau’s development in recent years has been one that has seen changes both on and off the course. He cited losing his father among the things he experienced that helped him realize the fun of what he was doing — his ‘why’ and how he can inspire future generations.

This is not limited to winning golf tournaments but what he can do outside of the game, using that as a standard to hold himself to.

“I think once I became more authentic to myself, just realizing who I am, especially doing YouTube content and being okay with who I am, I felt like I just became more comfortable and kind of let my guard down in a sense,” deduced DeChambeau. “What’s funny is as much as my guard has been let down, I feel like I’m more strategic in how I deliver things and how I give perspective on things. Before, I was pretty up front and would just say things the way I wanted to whenever I wanted to. Now it’s more strategic in the way I do it and deliver it because I think there’s a lot of good that can come from that.

“There’s some cool style points that come from it, all in good ways. Just being different, being more authentic and having a higher passion of caring for the game of golf has really led me to believe what I believe now.”

One thing DeChambeau certainly was open about was his contract with LIV Golf expiring next year. Negotiations are expected to begin at the end of the year, something which excites him.

“They see the value in me,” he said. “I see the value in what they can provide, and I believe we’ll come to some sort of resolution on that. I think that LIV is not going anywhere… and whether everybody believes in it or not, I think it’s a viable commercial option. I think it’s a viable commercial option.

“I’m excited for the future of what golf is going to be.”