Bryson DeChambeau Shows Up at U.S. Amateur, Starts Hitting Wooden Drivers Off First Tee

DeChambeau made a surprise appearance the 123rd U.S. Amateur and put on quite the show.

What is Bryson DeChambeau doing hitting a persimmon wood off the first tee at the site of the 2023 U.S. Amateur? Golf Channel’s Smylie Kaufman had the very same question on the eve of the championship’s quarterfinals matches. 

“When I tell you, Dan, this was the last thing I thought I was about to see come on the television screen,” Kaufman said on the broadcast. 

DeChambeau might be a past U.S. Amateur and U.S. Open champion, but no one expected him to make a surprise appearance at Cherry Hills Country Club—the site of the 123rd edition of the amateur tournament—let alone put on a long-drive exhibition with a vintage club while on property.

Dressed in a casual shorts and t-shirt, the LIV golfer watched the Round of 16 match between UVA’s Ben James and UNC’s David Ford, before stepping onto the first tee box to hit some old-fashioned drivers. 

Earlier in the week, championship participants were invited to step up to the first tee at Cherry Hills to replicate Arnold Palmer’s famous tee shot at the 1960 U.S. Open. 

Palmer drove the 346-yard par-4 on the first hole of the final round, and he ultimately captured his first and only U.S. Open title that day. Palmer came back from a seven-stroke deficit to beat Jack Nicklaus. 

It turned out that DeChambeau, who played in the 2012 U.S. Amateur at the Denver-area venue, wanted to take a shot at the challenge as well. 

Persimmon Challenge with @b_dechambeau!

The 2015 #USAmateur champion had a go at replicating Arnie's tee shot on the first hole at Cherry Hills. pic.twitter.com/57iTVAzEVf

— USGA (@USGA) August 18, 2023

With a dense crowd forming around him, DeChambeau cranked drive after drive with the wooden club. 

The LIV golfer’s high-speed drives already have a distinct sound, but the noises that reverberated from the old-school club-head at Cherry Hills were otherworldly. 

“Bryson’s not laying up here on No. 1,” Kaufman said. “I think that’s the play today.”

DeChambeau finally hit the putting surface on the fly, only for the ball to gently trickle into the thick greenside rough. 

The major champion might not have been satisfied with his efforts, but the collection of eager onlookers couldn’t have been more pleasantly surprised with the show.