Bryson DeChambeau is playing the best golf of his season. But off the course, the 32-year-old says life has been anything but easy.
DeChambeau was brought to tears after claiming his second consecutive LIV Golf victory over the weekend, defeating Spain’s Jon Rahm in a playoff at the LIV South Africa event at Midland’s Club at Steyn City in Johannesburg.
The two were tied at -26 after 72 holes before DeChambeau birdied the first extra hole to secure the win. It followed his playoff victory over Canada’s Richard T. Lee the previous weekend at LIV Singapore.
But it was what happened after the final putt dropped on Sunday that captured attention far beyond the leaderboard.
Bryson DeChambeau Fights Back Tears
DeChambeau was noticeably emotional as he spoke with commentator Jerry Foltz on the 18th green, his voice breaking as he addressed the crowd.
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“I wish I could tell you. A lot has happened in my last in the past week. I’m just so grateful for my team, the Crushers, everybody supporting me,” he said.
“It’s so funny, golf is a fickle game, and you work so hard at it your whole entire life, and you realize that golf is just golf and there’s a lot more to life than just golf,” he added.
DeChambeau didn’t go into detail about what happened in his off-time during the week, but said he “was just praying all day” that he would have the “perseverance to move forward and keep looking forward.”
“I’ve just got to say I love everybody,” he continued. “Thank you for supporting. South Africa was unbelievable.”
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The emotions carried into his post-match press conference, where DeChambeau acknowledged the weight of what he was carrying.
“Just a lot of emotion, numerous things. Stuff I can’t talk about, stuff I’m not going to talk about and then stuff that I am going to talk about,” he said before turning to the subject of his father, Jon DeChambeau.
Bryson lost his dad in November 2022 after a 30-year battle with diabetes, per NBC Sports. He was 63.
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“It’s been a few years now,” DeChambeau said Sunday. “I think it’s time for people to see that I’m not just a scientific robot guy. I care a lot. I have a lot of passion.”
“When you have moments in life that aren’t easy, it’s really nice to have had a father that can give you that perseverance and that wisdom to say, ‘Don’t quit. Don’t ever quit. You just gotta keep going,’” he continued.
DeChambeau went on to recall something a fan told him as he walked up to the 16th tee that brought him to tears and helped him realize everything was going to be okay.
“There’s more to life than just golf, and it honestly relaxed me a lot in that moment because it was getting difficult, it was getting tough, it was brutal,” he said.
He reiterated that he wished he could tell everyone what he was going through, but he couldn’t.
“There’s a lot going on,” he said. “Life’s not easy sometimes. Losing my dad wasn’t easy. Going through what I’m going through is not easy, but everyone has it.”
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Despite the emotional weight, DeChambeau’s game has never looked sharper. The two-time major winner now turns his attention to the 2026 Masters Tournament, where he will be searching for his first green jacket.
LIV will be on a break until April 16. Practice rounds at Augusta begin April 6, with Round 1 set for April 9 and the tournament concluding April 12.
DeChambeau enters the Masters with undeniable momentum — back-to-back victories, including two consecutive playoff wins — playing his best golf of the season at the right time.
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“I mean, got to be the best LIV event we’ve ever had,” he said after his South Africa win. “I’ve had you for eight straight days, plus two playoffs. I guess I need to bring you to the Masters or something.”
