Four years after winning his first major championship at the U.S. Open, golfer Bryson DeChambeau has done it again.
DeChambeau squeaked out a thrilling victory at this year’s U.S. Open in Pinehurst, North Carolina; his four-day score of 6-under-par was one stroke better than Rory McIlroy’s. DeChambeau began Sunday’s final round with a three-stroke lead, briefly lost it to McIlroy, then inched ahead when McIlroy bogeyed the 18th hole.
>> Subscribe to Sports Spectrum Magazine for more stories where sports and faith connect <<
DeChambeau, playing in the group behind McIlroy, needed a par on the final hole, and that’s just what he got.
One of the best moments of my lifepic.twitter.com/Fe1Pxkh1HF
— Bryson DeChambeau (@b_dechambeau) June 16, 2024
This one is for all of you, the support out there today was unmatched pic.twitter.com/zvjxLGTWkx
— Bryson DeChambeau (@b_dechambeau) June 17, 2024
“For me, it was knowing how good my game is, how great of a place it’s in, and just continuing to execute knowing the statistics would eventually fall my way. Still hope,” DeChambeau said in his post-tournament press conference, referencing his numerous near-misses in majors between his U.S. Open titles. “Golf, it’s a game of luck. There’s a lot of luck that has to happen and go your way out there.
“I knew if I could give my 100% effort on every single shot, I’d give myself a good chance this week.”
Earlier in the press conference, DeChambeau was asked about his thoughts on being remembered as the winner of one of the more entertaining U.S. Opens in history.
“Thankful. Just thankful,” he said. “Thankful that I was a part of it. Thankful that I accomplished something I’ve always wanted to accomplish as a kid. Gratitude and thanks.”
DeChambeau’s deep sense of appreciation is rooted ultimately in his faith. It was God, he says, who sustained him through some of the challenges he faced in between his U.S. Open victories, such as a left-wrist injury which required surgery in 2022 and the backlash he received for joining LIV Golf.
“I’ve learned so much about me as a person and my faith and whatnot through golf having been stripped away from me,” DeChambeau said, according to USA Today in 2022, before returning from his wrist injury. “It’s been a difficult time for me the past seven months not being able to play golf the way I really want to. It still is a little tough every once in a while in the hand to hit golf balls, but for the most part I can’t tell you how excited I am to be back out here.”
He continued later, “There’s more to life than golf. It’s been definitely eye-opening for me to have a close relationship with the Lord and just more importantly being happy with myself, too, and more importantly getting closer to Him.
“For me, that’s something that’s changed in my life that I’m very, very happy with, and I’m going to continue to fight, continue to be my absolute best out here on the golf course and hopefully inspire some kids along the way and do my due diligence like He wants me to.”
DeChambeau says he went to church occasionally growing up in Modesto, California. However, it wasn’t until he went off to play college golf at SMU that he read a book by Wes Neal titled “The Handbook of Athletic Perfection,” and it truly changed his life.
“What it talked about all the way through was how to play sports like Jesus would play sports,” DeChambeau wrote in a first-person story for Links Players in 2016. “It captured the dynamic between being ultra-competitive and being as gracious and kind as possible, and it resonated with me.
“When I got to the tournament, I said to myself, ‘OK, I’m going to give my life to Christ and try to act like Him in every single situation and do my best for Him in every single situation, whatever comes about. If it’s a bad situation, I’ll look at it as an opportunity for me to show my patience, my resilience, my grace. Or if I do something great, I’m still going to be patient and graceful and kind and respectful to others.'”
DeChambeau pointed to that realization as the moment he realized the significance of Jesus’ salvation, and he says that it completely reversed his perspective on golf and all of life. Instead of striving to work for the approval of others and his own approval, he was already free in Christ to point others to Him in all he did, including on a golf course.
“That was the change that allowed me to start understanding God’s love for me and Jesus’ love for me as well, and what He truly did by coming down here and saving all of us,” DeChambeau wrote.
Now the 30-year-old DeChambeau — who has said that his favorite Bible verse is Colossians 3:23 — is gaining a reputation as one of the more entertaining characters in the sport. From his occasional on-course interactions with fans to his YouTube channel to his Instagram page, DeChambeau has let his personality show like few others.
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
He posted a video to his pages recently in which he was wearing a shirt featuring three nails arranged in the shape of a cross.
View this post on Instagram
DeChambeau will seek to continue to live out of a disposition of gratitude, all while entertaining fans and seeking to point them to Jesus.
>> Do you know Christ personally? Learn how you can commit your life to Him. <<
RELATED STORIES:
– Scottie Scheffler dominates API, but knows ‘my life’s not a golf score’
– SS PODCAST: Pro golfer Seth Reeves on idolatry, performance, glorifying God
– SS PODCAST: LPGA Tour pro Ally Ewing on golf, Jesus, fellowship, identity
– Wyndham Clark wins U.S. Open, seeks to glorify God: ‘God has a plan for me’
– Stewart Cink wins PGA Tour’s RBC Heritage, says his ‘peace and joy’ is in Christ
