Bryson DeChambeau Needs to Stop Acting Like Such a Child

Bryson DeChambeau finished T14 at the British Open and then quietly exited Royal Birkdale. | Adrian Dennis/Getty Images

Bryson DeChambeau was the face of the 2026 British Open this week at Royal Birkdale. It started with two really good rounds that thrusted him into contention and then continued with a two-stroke penalty that took over the golf world for the rest of the championship. In the end he was never a factor on Sunday, where he shot a two-over 72 to finish in a tie for 14th place.

When I think of DeChambeau’s weird four days on one of the biggest stages in the sport of professional golf, I’m stuck with one feeling that won’t go away—it would have been nice to hear from him more than just the one very brief interview he did after the first round (and that interview was a fun one!).

Winners and Losers From 2026 British Open: Bryson DeChambeau’s Controversial Week Ends in Ugly Fashion

DeChambeau has built a comfortable—and well protected—world for himself. He travels around the planet playing golf. He films lots of goofy videos that millions of people watch on YouTube. And he makes a lot of money from doing both things.

All of that is well and good, and more power to him, but the way he continues to treat anyone whom he views to be outside of his world is pretty weak.

After each round of the British Open, DeChambeau waved off reporters (his one brief interview was with an R&A media official) who were looking to talk to him about the day’s events, the way he played, and the controversial ruling that went against him. Instead of stopping to chat, he would throw on his little fake smile and tell media members that he hoped they were having a good night and that he didn’t have anything to say to them. He’d then go on his merry way and return to being surrounded by a team of people who are likely never going to challenge him on anything.

All of it is pretty childish of DeChambeau. He’s a star athlete who is obviously loved by a bunch of fans who are more than happy to smash the subscribe button on his YouTube channel and laugh as he tries to break some dumb record on local golf course that nobody has ever heard of.

MORE BRITISH OPEN: Scottie Scheffler Defends Bryson DeChambeau After Final Round

And this isn’t just about how DeChambeau refuses to talk after his rounds. The way he handled the whole situation with the rules officials on Friday was pretty boorish, too. Instead of talking it over in the scoring tent he drove out to the scene of the penalty and yelled at two other grown adults who did their best to keep the situation under control. DeChambeau then pulled the ultimate spoiled child move when he threatened to quit before Saturday’s third round. He eventually came to his senses and played, but the way he dragged the whole process out annoyed many other players who were forced to wait late into the night to get their third round tee times.

DeChambeau’s lack of desire to talk to the media, however, is an embarrassment and shows just how out of touch he is with the bigger world that apparently orbits around his.

He should understand that part of the gig that has given him his world is talking with people he might not want to talk to. Those media members aren’t out to get him. They’re out to learn more about him and share that with fans who take hours out of their lives to watch him play in a major championship. A quick look on X will show you that lots and lots of other players, including Rory McIlroy, acted professionally this week and met with the media. None of them were attacked or treated poorly. Instead, they were asked mostly simple questions about the fairly harmless game that we call golf. Once they were done answering said questions, they went on with their lives and the world kept on spinning.

This wasn’t new for DeChambeau, either. He didn’t speak at all during his brief stay at the U.S. Open last month and has now gone eight straight rounds in major championships without talking to the media afterwards.

I’m not sure why he’s so afraid of talking with the media. If anything, it would be a good way for him to get his narrative out there and give his side of things, instead of letting just one side control the volume.

With no more majors left to be played this year, DeChambeau will head back to LIV Golf and play out the string of events that could be the final tournaments in the history of the struggling league. It’s a shame we won’t see him playing against the best players in the world any more this summer, but that is also a choice that he has made.

Two things are very clear after this week: Bryson can still play really good golf. And he needs to grow up. In a hurry.

Maybe, just maybe, a little more maturity would lead to more major championship trophies? You have to think that it wouldn’t hurt, and neither would the questions that he’d be asked along the way.

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