The Open, held at Royal Birkdale in the northwest of England last week, was supposed to be a celebration of golf’s oldest traditions – the brutal links, the pressure of major championship golf and the sport’s strict code of honor.
Instead, it became the latest episode in the never-ending drama that surrounds the 32-year-old superstar, golf pioneer, YouTube sensation and two-time US Open champion, Bryson DeChambeau.
During his second round and following an errant tee shot, DeChambeau was deemed to have violated the rules by trampling down the tall grass behind his ball, creating room for his backswing.
After lengthy discussions with officials, DeChambeau was handed a two-shot penalty.
The decision sparked an angry response from the former champion, who reportedly suggested he could withdraw from the tournament and, as tensions escalated, threatened to call his friend President Donald Trump in an attempt to challenge the ruling.
One of the people who knows DeChambeau best believes the incident exposed a side of the player that fans rarely get to see, but that other pro players may know all too well.
‘I’ve always said to a lot of people that Bryson hides who he really is until the real pressure comes on him,’ Mike Schy, who coached DeChambeau for 14 years until 2018 and helped mold the prodigy into one of golf’s biggest names, exclusively tells the Daily Mail. ‘Then you really see who he is. There’s Bryson.’
But would DeChambeau really leverage his relationship with President Trump to influence the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews?
DeChambeau was deemed to have violated the rules by trampling down the tall grass behind his ball, creating room for his backswing (DeChambeau consulting with Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews official)
The decision sparked an angry response from the former champion, who reportedly suggested he could withdraw from the tournament
‘I’ve always said to a lot of people that Bryson hides who he really is until the real pressure comes on him,’ Mike Schy (right), who coached DeChambeau for 14 years until 2018
‘I know DeChambeau and Trump are buddies, so it wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if he did that,’ says Schy. ‘Bryson is a person who does not accept defeat and he wasn’t getting his way. He was livid.’
In fact, Schy believes DeChambeau’s furious reaction was entirely in keeping with the player he coached from childhood – a competitor whose intensity, he says, could sometimes become impossible to control.
When DeChambeau played his first Open in 2017, also at Royal Birkdale, he arrived full of confidence after winning his maiden PGA Tour title at the John Deere Classic the previous week. But after missing the cut, he struggled to contain his frustration.
‘He had the worst meltdown and it took him hours to get over it,’ Schy recalls. ‘His agent would always get involved and try to get me to talk to him, but you can’t just say “calm down, Bryson” – not unless you wanted a golf club thrown at you.’
A year later at Carnoustie on Scotland’s east coast, DeChambeau’s frustration boiled over again.
Angry with his swing during a practice session, he began throwing clubs before eventually dropping to his knees in frustration.
‘That was one of the most crazy, stupid things I’ve ever seen,’ says Schy. ‘Sometimes you wish you could tackle him in those moments and drag him off the golf course, but you just can’t.’
DeChambeau’s representatives did not respond to requests for comment on this article.
After lengthy discussions with officials, DeChambeau was handed a two-shot penalty
DeChambeau jokes with fans as he walks in the rough on day three of the 154th Open Golf championship at Royal Birkdale Golf Club
Of course, golfers getting upset over poor play is not unique. But Schy claims DeChambeau’s stubborn streak, evident from the beginning of his professional career, extended beyond the ropes.
When the young golfer allegedly refused to sign autographs for fans, Schy confronted him.
‘I said, “You’ve always said you wanted to be like Arnold Palmer, so get in there and sign autographs. These people are your support. They love you. They’re your fans.” And he would literally say, “I don’t care.”‘
Today, DeChambeau has transformed into one of golf’s biggest entertainers, regularly engaging with fans and producing viral content for his enormous online following, including nearly 2.8 million on YouTube and another 4.6 million on Instagram.
Schy acknowledges that DeChambeau appears to have tapped into the public’s fascination, but, he believes, it is part of a carefully constructed image.
‘I do like the fact that he’s made that effort,’ he said. ‘I think that’s awesome, even if it’s for a different reason than just being a really good person.’
Such as?
‘Brand Bryson.’
Eventually, the relationship between player and coach ultimately collapsed in 2020 after Schy accused DeChambeau of reneging on promises to support a junior golf tour operated by Schy.
DeChambeau said Schy failed to develop a coherent business model and hit back by accusing Schy of attempting to extort him for $2 million following his 2024 US Open victory at Pinehurst – a claim Schy denied.
Today, DeChambeau has transformed into one of golf’s biggest entertainers, regularly engaging with fans and producing viral content for his enormous online following
But Schy is not alone in questioning the constant spectacle surrounding DeChambeau. Players, too, have grown increasingly frustrated with what Schy calls ‘the Bryson Show.’
At Birkdale, six-time major winner Rory McIlroy was asked about DeChambeau’s behavior and made his feelings clear.
‘I think a lot of it’s performative. I think a lot of it is for attention,’ McIlroy said. ‘I won’t pretend to be up here and defend Bryson. I’m not particularly fond of him.’
‘To hold the tournament hostage like that, and to have all of us, players, volunteers, everyone waiting on him to depart, I didn’t feel like it was a great look,’ McIlroy continued.
As the debate over the alleged rules violation at Birkdale raged, DeChambeau returned to the practice range and remained there until darkness fell, with cameras and reporters watching from nearby.
‘He has this narcissistic reaction to things where he wants everyone to feel his pain,’ says Schy. ‘But do you honestly think Bryson was on the range until 10.30 at night trying to get better? Really?’
Yet even DeChambeau’s critics stop short of accusing him of cheating.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler defended DeChambeau after the incident, insisting there was no dishonesty involved.
‘I’ve known him for a long time and he’s a lot of things, but he’s definitely not a cheater,’ Scheffler said.
Schy agrees.
‘Everybody’s saying he’s a lot of things, but I know he’s not a cheater,’ he said. ‘He has always been one about the rules, that’s for sure. I just think he was super careless.’
