Very few golfers can say that they have something in common with Tiger Woods. Luckily, Bryson DeChambeau is one of those golfers! Just like “Tiger Woods did,“ said the LIV golfer while describing the one ‘unusual’ similarity that he had with the 15x major champion while growing up.
The captain of Crushers GC shared the inspiration behind his golfing journey and the uncanny resemblance between his initial journey and that of the 82-time PGA Tour winner.
Bryson DeChambeau’s first step toward golf
Bryson DeChambeau recently became the third guest on the Good Good Podcast and revealed many insights from his life. The 2020 U.S. Open winner started with his introduction to golf. He narrated that it was his father, John DeChambeau, who nudged him towards the sport. The golfer revealed that his father was a “great amateur” player and had triumphed in many city championships.
Amongst many things, the 1x major winner revealed the tale behind his left-hand swing. He said, “I started swinging left-handed much. Very similar to what Tiger Woods did with his dad.” Just like Woods mirrored his father when he was young, DeCheambeau did it too. He used to witness his father playing from the front, and it would appear that he was swinging left-handed. However, soon after, his father taught him better.
He explained, “I grew up swinging it left-handed initially, for, like, the first couple of days. And then my dad turned me around, and I started hitting the right hand, and I just became better with the right hand.” DeChambeau Sr. became a professional for one year and played in the Phoenix Open.
However, the golfer’s father never pursued golf entirely and worked many jobs. Through these stages of the life of John DeChambeau, he inspired Bryson DeChambeau. He recounted his initial days of playing golf and said, “I started grabbing a golf club when I was as young as I could start walking pretty much.” DeChambeau has been playing golf since he was a preteen, and the left-hand swing is not the only similarity he has had with Woods.
The resembling record of Woods and Bryson DeChambeau
This similarity also goes back to his early days. In 2012, Bryson DeChambeau got accepted into Southern Methodist University and became part of the SMU golf team. In 2015, he won the NCAA Individual National Championship by scoring 8 under par.
After this win, DeChambeau qualified for the U.S. Amateur Championship. He beat Derek Bard by 7 and 6 and won the 2015 U.S. Amateur Championship. With these two back-to-back victories, DeChambeau became the first golfer to win the NCAA Individual Championship and the U.S. Amateur Open, just like Tiger Woods did in his amateur days.
By the talks of DeChambeau, the LIV golfer respects Woods a lot and was excited for TGL as he found the league’s concept cool. Although the players are now on the opposite sides of the spectrum, they might be seen conversing once the clouds of merger get finalized.