Golf Channel analyst and former PGA Tour winner Brandel Chamblee made his feelings clear on Bryson DeChambeau and his move to LIV Golf, offering views that are sure to spark debate.
Chamblee has leveled several accusations against DeChambeau, most recently appearing on Trey Wingo’s podcast where he argued that DeChambeau hasn’t genuinely elevated his game since making the switch to LIV Golf.
“I mean it’s not like he suddenly got better when he went to LIV. He got better when he changed caddie,” said Chamblee.
DeChambeau has maintained his status as a formidable competitor in professional golf, capturing the U.S. Open in 2024 and spearheading America’s late failed charge at the Ryder Cup held at Bethpage Black last month. DeChambeau also made a caddie change during the 2023 season.
Chamblee doubled down on his harsh critique of DeChambeau during the podcast appearance.
“Look, I think Bryson is a compelling watch. But the idea that he is ‘must watch TV’ is poor. I mean nobody rushes to watch the TV when he’s leading a LIV event. The ratings … nobody cares to watch him then, they just don’t.”
He then delved deeper into his theory about DeChambeau’s actual drawing power.
“When he’s going head to head with Rory, or Scottie Scheffler, they tune in. Are they tuning in for Bryson or Rory? Are they tuning into Bryson or Scottie?”.
“They watch to the tune of three, four, five million people when Rory and Scottie are playing in The Masters.
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“It’s 50-to-100, 500,000 when Bryson, [Jon] Rahm, [Dustin Johnson] and Brooks [Koepka] are going head-to-head. If it was a fight, they’d stop it,” Chamblee commented.
Chamblee also had some choice words about DeChambeau before the Ryder Cup, labeling him as a “captain’s nightmare” and an “odd-duck.”
DeChambeau, however, took the criticism in stride.
“I think it’s great. I think any time that people can throw stuff at me like that, I enjoy it. I appreciate it. I think it’s good for ultimately the game of golf because it starts to spur conversation on,” DeChambeau responded. “Ultimately, on YouTube, you have to be verified to be able to subscribe and what not. So I don’t think it’s really that honest or true. But it is what it is.”
With over 2.1M followers on TikTok and 2.47M subscribers on YouTube, DeChambeau has made quite a name for himself. He’s won two majors in his career and brought Bodine on board just before the PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club in 2023.
Since teaming up with Bodine, DeChambeau has seen more runners-up finishes, top-5s and top-10s, leading Chamblee to believe that Bodine is the key to DeChambeau’s success.
