Blake Davis
LOUISVILLE – After leaving a long birdie putt short on the 17th hole on Sunday afternoon, Bryson DeChambeau put a new golf ball into play. It was fitting that, after marking his new ball with permanent ink, he held it close to his lips and blew on it. DeChambeau played with fire and was on fire during the final round of the 2024 PGA Championship.
No one did better on Sunday. No one played with more joy in life. No one was more beloved by Louisville fans at Valhalla Golf Club than Bryson DeChambeau. Hang on. What?!
How did we get here? How did Bryson, who was almost universally derided for much of his time on the PGA Tour, suddenly become the golfer behind everyone on the property as he tried to win what would have been his second major championship?
There are probably several different answers to this question, but at least one of them – I can’t believe I’m typing this – is YouTube. DeChambeau’s YouTube channel hosts videos with titles like “random golf swing challenge with the wheel of chaos” and “can I get to 50 with a long-distance champion?”
This content is engaging and engaging and is clearly resonating with golf fans. DeChambeau even addressed the topic after his runner-up finish at the PGA Championship, where he briefly shared the all-time scoring record until Xander Schauffele came through and beat him by one.
“Yes, it’s really funny, YouTube helped me understand [being a showman and celebrating big moments] a little more,” he said. “When the moment comes, knowing what to do, what to say, how to act is very important. You know, when I was younger, I didn’t understand what it was.
“Yes, I would have big celebrations and everything, but I didn’t know what that meant and what I was necessarily doing it for. Now, I’m doing a lot more for the fans and the people around me and trying to be an artist who plays good golf once in a while.”
An artist who plays golf from time to time.
DeChambeau is something of a throwback to professional golf. Sure, the medium is different, but the message is the same. Sixty or seventy years ago, golfers used to supplement their meager earnings with exhibition matches and trick clinics for the paying public. His entertainment and his competitive golf may not have interacted, but they definitely fulfilled both duties, which undoubtedly intermingled.
The primary ability is different in each arena, but they certainly match. Being a great golfer helps you thrive when making YouTube videos. And learning how to be good at making YouTube videos helps you thrive when performing for the masses on Saturdays and Sundays.
This is currently the DeChambeau intersection, and like many others, I found it charming. Part of the reason Bryson has always been a bit difficult—in terms of fandom—is because he always seemed confused about when he should compete and when he should entertain. Now? He has a way to do both.
DeChambeau still has absurd moments, like trying to win majors with 3D-printed irons (which he used again this week just as he did at the Masters), hitting balls in the dark at major championships and hitting the second-lowest score in 164 years. history of the majors with what he called the “B” game. But that’s all in the models, and in the right dosage, it can be captivating.
Yes, DeChambeau is somehow a fan favorite these days. I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t been there to see it, but it’s true. He always considered himself an innovator and a pioneer. What he probably didn’t know is this. although the medium is modern, it is much more equivalent to the golfers of old than he probably ever realized.
Viktor Hovland is back
I couldn’t believe what Hovland brought to the table on Sunday. I thought the feeling he had found would melt under pressure. Instead, he went the other way. It got better. This would have been impossible to imagine a week ago. Hovland himself said he considered withdrawing from the PGA Championship. Still, for much of the day he looked like he would win the second major of 2024.
Why the quick turnaround after appearing lost in the woods and finishing outside the top 10 in every start this year before this? The return of head coach Joe Mayo is likely a significant reason.
“When I went to see Joe earlier in the week, we had dinner and I said, ‘You don’t seem too worried,’” Hovland revealed on Saturday. “He kind of identified the feeling that as soon as I kept working on it, everything immediately got better. And I thought this would potentially be a small project and maybe it would take six, eight weeks before I would see an immediate improvement.
“Yes, that was the best possible scenario.”
While it didn’t lead to a big win this week, Hovland now appears to be back on the path to what I thought he would be this year: a top contender and someone who will get his first in the next year and a half.
Another missed opportunity
It was all good on Rory McIlroy’s front this week. He came off two straight wins in which his tee to green game looked much more on point. He got the better side of the draw and had the tournament to play on Friday afternoon. Instead of accepting, however, he shot 71; It was an uphill climb from there. That’s a big miss for someone who said they feel like they’re pursuing their first major again.
“Obviously I started the week well and obviously played well over the weekend,” he said on Sunday. “Like I said, that kind of six-hole stretch on the back nine yesterday, not being able to hit any putts, I’m probably going to regret that. So the 71 on Friday was also obviously not what I was looking for. Obviously, I’m very ago. Overall I’m playing solidly, the game is in good shape and I have a week off and then another busy period.
The fun here is that McIlroy filed for divorce on Monday and clearly has a lot going on personally. The accountant? He stunned the field at the Wells Fargo Championship just a week ago. McIlroy remains as fascinating to discuss as ever, but as the great drought approaches 10 full calendar years, he is officially running out of opportunities, at the height of his career, to add to that grand four total.
The stolen beat?
Scottie Scheffler shot his first round over par in 266 days on Saturdayjust over 24 hours after being handcuff and throw in jail for what seemed like a complete misunderstanding when he tried to walk past the golf course entrance on Friday morning. Coming off that rush of adrenaline, he seemed lost on the golf course for the first time in a long time. (He also played Saturday’s third round without his regular caddy, who was attending his daughter’s graduation.)
I can’t help but wonder what might have happened if Scheffler had had a normal week. Especially since I believe Scheffler will win the US Open at Pinehurst – a perfect course for him. If he doesn’t get arrested on Friday, will he shoot 66-66 instead of 66-73? Would he win in Valhalla if it weren’t for the insane distraction of being arrested? Will the Grand Slam bid still be alive if he spends four normal days in Valhalla?
Scheffler wasn’t going there on Sunday.
“I got arrested on Friday morning, showed up here and played a good round of golf too,” he said. “So I’ve been good throughout my career or I would say I’ve gotten better throughout my career at leaving distractions outside of the course at home and keeping a pretty quiet personal life, and this week obviously that was not the case.
“I’m not going to sit here and say I played poorly [Saturday] because of what happened on Friday. I just had a bad day on the field and I was proud of how I got here and bounced back today.”
This topic will be discussed long after the dust settles on the 106th PGA Championship. It was, from my perspective, one of the craziest days in major golf history, and its effect on the best player in the world – and his quest to win all four majors – was unfortunate, absurd and downright crazy.
Unfortunately for Scheffler – at least from my point of view – it is also undeniable.
Justin Thomas’s maturation
I was struck this week by the way JT reflected on his childhood and upbringing. Remembering like this often brings gratitude, and it seemed to happen for 30-year-old Thomas over the weekend.
“This week exceeded all of my expectations,” Thomas said after shooting a 67 in the third round. “It was better. It was more fun. It was more enjoyable than anything I really thought or could have imagined. I mean, I’m really, really excited to [Sunday], and it should be a lot of fun. I’m really upset because the week is almost over. Just enjoy [Sunday] as much as I can and see what happens.”
All this in the wake of an emotional reception he received from the city a few weeks ago.
It’s always interesting to see the emotional and vulnerable side of different players. And while we’ve seen it from Thomas – at least from the standpoint of yelling and screaming at Ryder Cups and team events – we haven’t seen it that way from the standpoint of gratitude and joy.
This week has been wonderful and seemed to have a great effect on him as a person, as indicated by his tears on Sunday as he walked off the golf course.
Rick Gehman, Greg DuCharme, Patrick McDonald and Mark Immelman recap the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla. Follow and listen to The First Cut on Apple Podcasts It is Spotify.
