Bryson James Aldrich DeChambeau, known to many as ‘’The Scientist,’’ is the man of the moment in golfing circles. The LIV Golf player stunned his opponents to clinch the 2024 U.S. Open title, narrowly denying Rory McIlroy the ever-evasive fifth major. Twelve LIV players participated in the tournament, with Adrian Meronk, Eugenio Chacarra, Phil Mickelson, and Dustin Johnson missing the cut. The win marks the second U.S. Open triumph and major for DeChambeau, with the first coming in 2020 at Winged Foot. We dissect The Scientist’s remarkable career.
Early Beginnings
Born September 16, 1993, DeChambeau honed his golf skills at Clovis East High School, winning the California State Junior Championship in 2010 at age 16. After graduating in 2012, he proceeded to Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, under a scholarship, majoring in physics. It might be where he nurtured his scientific golf brain, manifested by highly analytical approaches on every shot and specially designed clubs with thicker-than-normal grips and equal-length irons.
The Scientist’s breakout came in 2015, first scooping the NCAA individual championship by one stroke in June. The following August, he defeated Derek Bard 7 & 6 in the 36-hole final to clinch the U.S. Amateur title. With the two wins, DeChambeau joined Jack Nicklaus (1961), Phil Mickelson (1990), Tiger Woods (1996), and Ryan Moore (2004) to become the fifth player to win both the NCAA and U.S. Amateur titles in the same year. Around the same time, the player participated in several top-level events, such as the 2015 FedEx St. Jude Classic, U.S. Open, and Australian Masters.
Professional Career
Shortly after emerging as the low amateur at the 2016 Masters, DeChambeau turned pro, signing a long-term endorsement deal with Cobra-Puma Golf. His first events as a professional included the 2016 RBC Heritage (T4) and the U.S. Open (T15), rising to position 148 in the OWGR. In September 2016, the golfer posted his first professional win at the Web.com Tour Finals by clinching the DAP Championship, effectively earning a 2017 PGA TOUR card. A win by a single stroke at the John Deere Classic in July 2017 marked The Scientist’s ascent on the PGA TOUR.
2018 was a relatively good year for DeChambeau. In June, he started by bagging the Memorial Tournament in a sudden-death playoff in Dublin, Ohio, followed by a playoff victory at The Northern Trust in August. The third triumph of the year came just a week later at the Dell Technologies Championship at TPC Boston in Norton, Massachusetts, where he beat Justin Rose to soar up in the FedEx Cup rankings. The Scientist also represented Team USA in the 2018 Ryder Cup and ended the year in style by winning the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas, Nevada, in November, rising to position 5 in the OWGR.
In January 2019, he clinched his maiden European Tour title by winning the Omega Dubai Desert Classic in Dubai, UAE, by seven shots. Later that year, in December, he was part of the U.S. team that won the 2019 Presidents Cup 16–14 at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Australia. Around this time, The Scientist set out on a mission to increase his swing speed and hit the ball farther by adding muscle mass, and he added 40 pounds during the COVID period. In July 2020, the American player posted his sixth PGA TOUR win by scooping the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit, Michigan, by three strokes.
In August 2020, DeChambeau posted his first top-10 finish in a major championship by finishing tied for fourth place at the PGA Championship. Six weeks later, the wheels of fortune rolled in his favor at the 120th U.S. Open at Winged Foot, where he beat Matthew Wolff by six strokes to win his first major championship. The victory made him the third player in history, after Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods, to win the US Amateur, the NCAA Individual Championship, and the U.S. Open during a golfing career. In March 2021, the player defeated Lee Westwood by one shot to clinch the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Club & Lodge in Orlando, Florida. He also played for Team USA at the 2021 Ryder Cup.