Phil Mickelson on Bryson DeChamabeau (Image: (Image: YouTube/LIV Golf))
Bryson DeChambeau secured his second US Open title this past weekend, defeating Rory McIlroy in a dramatic playoff, and fellow LIV Golf partner Phil Mickelson has hailed his rival
Phil Mickelson has shared his candid thoughts on his LIV Golf competitor, Bryson DeChambeau.
DeChambeau, 30, is still riding high from his thrilling victory over Rory McIlroy at the U.S. Open. After leading by two strokes at Pinehurst with just five holes remaining, McIlroy’s shocking final round saw him drop three bogeys in the last four holes, paving the way for Californian-born DeChambeau to snatch the major right from under him.
A pivotal moment came when he pulled off an incredible 50-yard bunker escape that he dubbed as “the shot of my life” on the final hole. He solidified that effort by following it up with a four-foot putt.
This allowed DeChambeau to surpass McIlroy and secure his second U.S. Open trophy. Mickelson, who holds six majors throughout his lengthy career, confessed that he always finds himself learning something new when he watches him.
Reflecting on the US Open during a chat with LIV Golf’s official YouTube channel, Mickelson stated: “So, I played terrible and I went back home and watched it and it was riveting. I think Bryson is the most charismatic and fun player to watch in the game today. He comes at the game in such a different way.
“He’s exciting because he hits it so far, but he’s also exciting because he connects with the fans and he has this great energy and I’ve always seen this in him and enjoyed being around him. I learn a lot when I’m with him. So watching him play and come down the stretch and seeing the way he attacked that golf course and dominated it was really impressive.”
While DeChambeau shone on the course, Mickelson faced challenges at Pinehurst, as detailed by the Express. The seasoned golfer racked up a series of bogeys during Thursday’s round and suffered through a difficult Friday.
Mickelson didn’t manage to notch a single birdie and ended up with a scorecard that included four bogeys and a particularly painful double bogey on the 18th hole. With only seven previous missed cuts in his career, Mickelson was understandably upset about his early departure.
Yet even with his Pinehurst difficulties, an interviewer noted that DeChambeau is mirroring what Mickelson did in his early days. “”I’ve come at the game in a different way as well. But not as scientific as Bryson,” Mickelson contended however.
Insisting that it’s different for every individual, he continued: “I learn a lot when I talk to him and I really enjoy listening to him. As a player you have to decide, ‘Does this apply to my game or not?’
There’s a lot of ways to be successful, there’s a lot of ways as long as you’re going north and as long as you’re working forward, there’s a lot of paths to get there. What you don’t want to do is keep going sideways like, ‘Oh, I’ll try this and I’ll try that’.
“You want to stay on your path and go that way. So my path was always a little bit different, but I stayed on it and had success. Bryson’s path is very different and he’s staying on it.
“He’s having tremendous success and there are a lot of paths that will get you there. But you need to stay on your own personal path. He’s so exciting because it’s so different and unique from everybody else in the game.”
