1596966593

[PHOTO: Eakin Howard]

Bryson DeChambeau went ham, bro. On Sunday, during the third and final round of LIV Greenbrier, DeChambeau fired 13 birdies enroute to an astonishing 12-under 58. He capped off his incredible day with a birdie bomb on 18, delivering what was, at least outside the boardroom, among the best LIV Golf moments to date.

Drama fuels Bryson DeChambeau’s winning 58 at LIV Golf Greenbrier, emotion fuels post-round celebration

DeChambeau’s 58 backed up a Saturday 61 and lifted him to his first individual LIV title. It was what DeChambeau said after his round, however, that raised eyebrows across golf:

Call him a prisoner of the moment or simply a Company Man™, but DeChambeau’s soundbite is fascinating for a number of reasons. The biggest happens to be the most obvious: this was a regular-season win on an upstart tour that doesn’t even qualify for Official World Golf Ranking points. In fact, DeChambeau dropped to 109th in the world ranking despite his landmark round.

So why did it mean that much to him? Why did it mean more than lapping the field at the 2020 US Open in arguably the most dominant debut major victory since Tiger Woods’ 1997 Masters? Why was it more important than helping the US team to a double-digit victory at the 2021 Ryder Cup, especially after spending much of that year embroiled in a petty feud with teammate Brooks Koepka?

1343030833
Photo: Warren Little

There are a lot of potential reasons. DeChambeau was an early defector to LIV Golf. He made a cringey pizza shop analogy on Fox News and got meme’d (again) when he walked eyeballs-first into a gallery rope. He suffered through injury and underwent another physical transformation. That leaves a man with a lot to prove. Then last November, his father Jon passed away after a battle with kidney disease. That leaves a man with a lot to play for.

Maybe that’s why DeChambeau’s 58 tasted so sweet – redemption, vindication, validation. Maybe he felt a little different in the morning once the buzz wore off. Maybe he didn’t. If push came to shove, we’d take the US Open trophy, but it’s not our mantle.

Bryson DeChambeau won his first LIV event with a driver used almost solely in long-drive events. Here’s its story