If Bryson DeChambeau appeared to be in all places in 2024, he was

The previous 12 months had all of it — loopy profitable streaks, new main champs, a major-week arrest (!) and extra. With 2025 on the horizon, our writers are trying again on the most memorable moments from 2024.

No. 15 — Charley Hull goes viral | No. 14 — LIV, LPGA CEOs say goodbye | No. 13— Solheim Cup parking fiasco | No. 12 — Phoenix Open chaos | No. 11 — Lydia Ko’s Corridor of Fame resurgence | No. 10 — PGA Tour/Saudi PIF merger stalemate | No. 9 — Keegan Bradley named Ryder Cup captain | No. 8 — Lexi Thompson steps away | No. 7 — Xander Schauffele’s main breakthrough | No. 6 – AK’s return to golf | No. 5 — Nelly Korda’s dominance  

Greatest golf moments of 2024 No. 4: Bryson DeChambeau’s huge attain

Once you consider Bryson DeChambeau’s 2024, what involves thoughts first?

For those who’re of a sure age or from a sure sector of the golf-fan populace, certainly his U.S. Open win at Pinehurst No. 2 most resonates. With Rory McIlroy leaking oil down the stretch, DeChambeau, on the 72nd gap, authored one of many biggest clutch moments in major-championship historical past, stuffing an ungainly 55-yard greenside bunker shot to 4 ft to safe par and, in the end, his second U.S. Open title in 5 years.

For those who’re a unique — learn: much less conventional — breed of golf fan, although, there’s a great probability you most affiliate DeChambeau’s 2024 not with that week at Pinehurst — or, for that matter, any of his different three main begins or 13 appearances on the LIV Golf tour — however as an alternative for his spherical with Donald J. Trump…or Tom Brady…or Tony Romo. For those who get your golf repair by the use of Bob Does Sports activities or Garrett Clark, perhaps DeChambeau’s hit-and-giggles with these YouTube giants was your most enduring DeChambeau reminiscence of the 12 months. Or perhaps you’re not a lot of a golf fan in any respect, however on a sleepy sports activities night in December, you occurred upon DeChambeau in a made-for-TV match in Vegas. Or perhaps you even caught him in your TikTok feed final month when your algorithm served you a chronicle of the 16 days he spent attempting to make a hole-in-one over his Dallas home.

That is DeChambeau’s newest superpower: due to the huge attain of social media and his personal relentless dedication to self-promotion, he has change into arduous to overlook, even for those who’re not in search of him.

Praising DeChambeau’s branding prowess is to take nothing away from the stellar 12 months he had on the course, particularly on the majors. On the Masters, he tied for sixth. On the PGA Championship at Valhalla, he got here roaring again on Sunday, capturing a seven-under 64 along with his “B sport” to complete runner-up, one shot behind Xander Schauffele. Then got here Pinehurst, the place he took down McIlroy in entrance of a decidedly pro-McIlroy crowd. DeChambeau’s solely hiccup on the majors got here on the Open Championship at Royal Troon, the place his brute drive was no match for the gusty situations; he missed the reduce by six.

On the LIV tour, DeChambeau didn’t win however had seven top-10s, ending eighth within the total standings. Nonetheless you’re feeling about LIV’s aggressive format, DeChambeau’s indoctrination into the Saudi-funded league has seemingly unlocked one thing in him. On the PGA Tour, he was an enormous expertise however an outsider. Now, he’s surrounded by outsiders, disrupters and so-called rebels. As he instructed the Telegraph earlier this 12 months: “I got here to LIV and all of a sudden there have been gamers in the identical boat as me. As a result of they have been getting stick as nicely, not from the LIV followers however seemingly in all places else. I used to be not alone in being disliked and will share these emotions with my teammates and my colleagues.”

DeChambeau might be himself, which is precisely what he’s finished on his social-media platforms, this 12 months greater than ever. His in style “Break 50” YouTube sequence, wherein he and his playing-partner visitor attempt to shoot 49 or higher from ahead tees, has garnered such massive audiences — most episodes have pushed greater than 2 million viewers every — that he satisfied Trump to affix him, throughout a interval when the previous president was deep in a marketing campaign dogfight with President Biden. That episode has now been watched 13 million instances. As of this writing, DeChambeau has 1.65 million YouTube subscribers — 140,000 greater than the PGA Tour.

That statistic wouldn’t be misplaced on Phil Mickelson, who a number of months earlier than signing with LIV in 2022, publicly lambasted the Tour for its unwillingness to share media rights with the gamers. Mickelson alleged that the Tour was making tens of thousands and thousands of {dollars} yearly “on their very own media channel,” to which the gamers didn’t have entry.

Seems gamers don’t want these highlights to develop their very own private channels. DeChambeau has confirmed that taking part in golf for enjoyable with different well-known golfers and golf-lovers is one other wildly efficient strategy to constructing audiences. It’s a easy method: let followers in and they’ll are available in droves. DeChambeau has one other 2.2 million followers on Instagram, and his TikTok legion is 1.4 million sturdy. In his social-media bios, he identifies himself as a “Content material Creator & Professional Golfer.” Be aware the order of these titles.  

Following his U.S. Open win in June, DeChambeau was requested if skilled golf wants extra gamers like him.

“I hope so,” he stated. “My mission is to proceed to broaden the sport, develop the sport globally, domestically. YouTube has actually helped me accomplish a few of that.” He added, “It’s direct conversations to individuals that really have interaction with what I’m doing.”

Scottie Scheffler was the most effective golfer of 2024. However essentially the most influential? That was Bryson DeChambeau.