Whether you’re a fan of him or not, it’s a universal truth that Bryson DeChambeau is a unique and polarizing figure. You couple that with the fact that he’s one of the best on the planet and a two-time major champion, and you have the making of what many would call an asset in the world of golf.
As future beyond 2026 is a giant question mark, with the Saudi Public Investment (PIF) pulling its funding at the conclusion of the current season, it has led to the discussion of not only should the PGA Tour welcome DeChambeau back, but does it actually need him?
Ahead of this week’s PGA Championship, where DeChambeau is among the favorites at Aronimink Golf Club, 2002 PGA Championship winner Rich Beem was asked the simple yet not-so-straightforward question about the Tour’s potential need for a DeChambeau return.
The answer from the Sky Sports Golf analyst was an interesting one and did not disappoint.
“No, they dont. Again, hes not bigger than the game,” Beem explained on the Sky Sports Golf Podcast.
“I mean, as entertaining as he is on the golf course with what he can do with clubs, I think what comes out of his mouth can be just as entertaining,” Beem later continued. “Its likeâyoure a self-proclaimed scientist, but man, youre not a politician. Well, maybe you are, because politicians seem to do the same thing all the time.
“Heres why I say the PGA Tour doesnt need him: nobodys bigger than the game. Listen, if Jack Nicklaus or Arnold Palmer had walked away in their prime, the game would have gone on without them.”
Beem likening DeChambeau to a politician isn’t all that bad a comparison.
As Beem pointed out during the podcast, DeChambeau has a tendency to share generic statements like “grow the game” as often as he can while also contradicting himself on occasion. Earlier this month, DeChambeau said that “egos would need to get dropped” by both the PGA Tour and LIV if professional golf wants a chance of coming back together as one.
The irony is that most would say that nobody in the game today has a bigger ego than Bryson DeChambeau.
DeChambeau has mentioned on multiple occasions now that he would be perfectly content in taking a and focusing on growing his wildly successful YouTube page and just turning up for major championships.
Beem believes that DeChambeau is perhaps his most comfortable in that YouTube setting.
“I think what hes doing with YouTube might actually be right up his alley,” Beem explained.
“That seems to be where hes most comfortable, because he gets to control the narrative. He controls whats put out there, what he says, and how he says it â because they can edit it, shape it, do all of that. Thats very different from being in front of a live audience.”
Thanks to his victory at the 2024 , DeChambeau is exempt into future U.S. Opens through 2034 and is exempt into golf’s other three major championships through 2029.
