Slimmed-Down Bryson DeChambeau Reinvigorated to Recapture His Game

The bulked-up look suited more for long-drive contests is gone for health reasons.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Bryson DeChambeau comes to Oak Hill Country Club with a renewed vigor about his game.

Since winning the U.S. Open in 2020 at Winged Foot, DeChambeau has been the focus of professional golf coverage, joining the likes or Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Jon Rahm.

At times it has been fulfilling and time drudgery.

“Just been struggling with it since ... I mean, look, yes, I won a major and a few tour events and whatnot, but I've been struggling with my golf swing since 2018,” DeChambeau told Sports Illustrated Tuesday at Oak Hill. “You know, I have worked on the range every single week, as hard as I can, and finally starting to figure some stuff out, which is great doing what I did back in 2018, essentially.”

Experimenting is part of DeChambeau’s DNA, so when he decided to bulk up to hit the ball farther, the process was followed by all of golf's fandom.

The process of bulking up was to try to generate the most speed possible, which means over 120 mph clubhead speed and 190 mph ball speed, which eventually translated to a drive of 406 yards at the World Long Drive Championships in October.

That was seven months ago.

The experiment, while not a failure according to DeChambeau, did not benefit him as he had hoped.

According to reports, DeChambeau has recently dropped the weight he felt he needed to hit the ball further mainly because the extra weight would cause health issues in the future according to doctors.

“I’m always trying to improve my body, but still just as strong,” DeChambeau says. “I'll tell you I've lost a lot of inflammation and fat, still weigh 212, 215 pounds.”

Last June, DeChambeau made the decision to jump to LIV Golf.

It was about money, of course, something that the then-28-year-old believed would not only be good for his wallet, but for his business.

The former U.S. Amateur champion is involved in numerous business ventures, and while his game does the talking, he is also an entrepreneur and when he got the final offer from LIV Golf to come and join, which included owning and captaining his own team, it was a no-brainer.

But all those interests ultimately take time away from his game and that has suffered mightily since joining LIV.

“I had the expectations that I know I could do it ... I could be a top player for the rest of my career, I knew I could be No. 1, I knew I could win more majors and multiple majors and how to get there,” DeChambeau says. ”I did it one way, which is great, but certainly haven't figured out the whole picture and how to make it happen every single week.”

The eight-time PGA Tour winner looks up to Jon Rahm, Tiger Woods and Dustin Johnson as examples of players that show up every week and have it figured out.

When DeChambeau was winning he looked at every round like Groundhog Day: just go out play, come back the next day and do the same thing all over again.

That’s how he is looking at approaching this week in Rochester.

After a solid week in the LIV Golf Tulsa last week and finishing seventh, his first top 10 in 13 LIV events, DeChambeau feels he is finding his game again.

“This week for me is different,” DeChambeau says. “I feel a little more relaxed, I'm playing better. I'm scoring, finally. I think it’s been a tough part of my career is just for whatever reason, if I'm not hitting well, I sometimes don’t score my best.”

When DeChambeau won four times in 2018 he admittedly didn’t play his best every single day or every single week, but he was able to score and that's why he believes he had such a successful year.

That ability to score is what he has been missing.

DeChambeau has only won once since the U.S. Open (2021 Arnold Palmer Invitational), but it’s not for a lack of trying or experimenting.

Now he is trying to simplify his life, including dropping out of the lawsuit with LIV Golf against the Tour.

Like Rory McIlroy, DeChambeau lost a considerable amount of money due to not fulfilling his PIP obligation. And while the situation was different, he still lost $1.75 million and despite that always being destined for charity, DeChambeau wanted his pound of flesh.

“I've got a team to look after and we’re trying to present ourselves in a certain way and maybe lawsuits are just not helpful,” DeChambeau says. “I've got three other guys to look out for.”

The four days at Oak Hill, which he says looks and feels a lot like Winged Foot, will be a test to determine how far back he has come.

Can it be Groundhog Day for four rounds, and can he score if he isn’t hitting the ball as well as he likes?

Still in his 20s he may not be close to his prime, but winning is imperative for a personality like DeChambeau and winning a major would make up for a lot.

“I don't regret one thing, there's hindsight, for sure,” DeChambeau says. “But I don't regret one thing, because every failure every experience you have, whether it's positive or negative experience is something you can lean on and try and work on to improve for your future self.”