How ‘mad scientist’ fell foul of the sport he thought he could change
Bryson DeChambeau is everything a professional golfer isn’t supposed to be.
He’s loud, brash, arrogant, and has little respect for tradition.
Bryson DeChambeau storms off at the 2026 British Open. Getty Images
Once dubbed golf’s Mad Scientist, DeChambeau has always done it his own unique way.
He is undoubtedly the most polarising golfer of his generation.
While his public image was somewhat restored not that long ago, his standing among his peers appears to be back on the rocks.
A wild ride at the British Open and allegations he threatened to get president Donald Trump to intervene after a stroke penalty is just the latest chapter in the rollercoaster DeChambeau novel.
Golf’s introduction to the Mad Scientist
DeChambeau’s talent was never really in question. He won the NCAA Division I Championship and the US Amateur title in the same year, becoming just the fifth player to ever do so.
When he won his breakthrough major at the 2020 US Open - aged 26 - he joined golf icons Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus as the only players to win all three of those events.
He turned professional in 2016 and joined the PGA Tour in 2017 - and it wasn’t long before his unusual methods set tongues wagging.
DeChambeau brought a science-based approach to golf. He adopted a robotic swing action and had all his clubs cut to the same length accordingly.
He was a maths prodigy who majored in physics and he figured if he hit every shot the exact same way, the ball would do exactly what he wanted it to.
“That’s been my biggest thing in life... Trying to reduce variables,” he said in a 2021 interview.
Bryson DeChambeau celebrates victory. nna\bgraham
He once used a “side-saddle” putting technique - facing his body towards the hole and putting away from his chest - which was outlawed as a result, and has spoken about floating his golf balls in a salty solution to find the “heavy side” he says exists due to manufacturing faults.
Nowadays, DeChambeau makes his own golf clubs using a 3D printer. He debuted them at this year’s Masters Tournament, where he missed the cut.
Insane weight-gaining experiment
DeChambeau wanted to hit the ball longer and so he set about trying to stack muscle on his six-foot-one frame.
“I have to chase down the most scientifically efficient way to get the golf ball in the hole,” DeChambeau told The New York Times at the time.
In the space of a few months in 2020, he piled on about 22 kilograms. His physique turned into one that would have looked more at home on an NFL field than a golf course.
It had the desired effect, with DeChambeau officially becoming the PGA Tour’s longest driver of the ball that year, and helped him win the 2020 US Open - his first major victory.
His ability to hit the ball long also earned him a cult following and brought new eyeballs to the sport.
The experiment didn’t last, though.
He kept it up for about a year and a half before reverting to a more normal diet and losing most of the weight he had put on.
“I was starting to feel weird. My system and my gut was all messed up,” he said in 2022.
He did, though, continue to hit bombs.
Golf is trying its best to combat the trend, encouraging accuracy over length by heightening rough and making balls lighter.
Feuding with fellow players
DeChambeau has always had a knack for ruffling the feathers of people he shares the locker room with.
He famously feuded with Brooks Koepka after the latter bemoaned slow pace of play in 2019, which many took to be a shot at DeChambeau directly.
The pair buried the hatchet - at least publicly - when they both ditched the PGA Tour to join the rebel LIV Golf years later.
But DeChambeau then drew the ire of Rory McIlroy, who took personal grievance with basically all the LIV defectors for a time. They clashed at the 2024 US Open, which McIlroy bottled and DeChambeau won to claim his second major trophy.
During the British Open over the weekend McIlroy reignited the feud when he clipped his rival following DeChambeau receiving a two-stroke penalty, and then threatening to quit the tournament.
“I won’t pretend to be up here and defend Bryson. I’m not particularly fond of him. I think a lot of it is performative. I think a lot of it’s for attention,” McIlroy told media.
Bryson DeChambeau congratulates Rory McIlroy on his Masters win. nna\sbrunsdon
Other players were left fuming at DeChambeau as they waited to see whether he would return for round three or not, delaying the release of tee times and groups.
Prior to the British Open, golf icon Nick Faldo took aim at DeChambeau’s game, saying his all-out-attack approach could not stand up to the Royal Birkdale links.
DeChambeau very almost proved Faldo wrong - he shot under par the first three rounds, and would have shot a 66 in round two if not for the two-stroke penalty. He ended up in a share of 14th place, six shots off the winner Ryan Fox.
While he played well, he certainly got some noses out of joint with his “performative” antics, and allegations have now arisen suggesting DeChambeau threatened to get his mate Trump to intervene to overturn the penalty.
The high life outside golf
DeChambeau has been mates with Trump for some time and even got the controversial US president on his YouTube channel for his “Break 50” challenge.
He has amassed 2.8 million followers on YouTube and said recently he could quit professional golf tomorrow and live off his social media profits.
Bryson DeChambeau got Donald Trump on his YouTube channel. YouTube
Many within the game wish he would do just that.
He knocked back an offer from the PGA Tour to return after news of LIV’s impending demise came to light.
He has previously been romantically linked to glamorous golf influencer Paige Spiranic, although the pair maintain they are just close friends.
DeChambeau’s performance at the British Open, and his victory at the 2024 US Open, prove he is still one of the world’s best golfers at his peak.
Exactly when the 32-year-old will decide to finish the rolling experiment that is his professional career, is anyone’s guess.