Some professional golfers can go through their entire careers having never won a major tournament. Bryson DeChambaeau is not just some golfer; he is one of the game’s elite, as evidenced by winning the U.S. Open for the second time on June 16. The 30-year-old Californian is only the 23rd player to win the U.S. Open multiple times, with his more recent victory earning him a cool $4.3 million.
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Bryson DeChambeau’s Early Life
DeChambeau was born in Modesto, California, on September 16, 1993. Having played golf early on, DeChambaeu captured the California State Junior Championship at 16 in 2010. After graduating high school in 2012, he accepted a scholarship to Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, where he represented the SMU Mustangs in golf.
After winning the NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship and the U.S. Amateur title in 2015, DeChambeau became only the fifth player in history to win both tournaments in the same year. Jack Nicklaus, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, and Ryan Moore, all players who rank highly in the online US Open golf betting markets, are the only other four players to achieve that remarkable feat.
DeChambeau debuted on the PGA Tour in June 2015 as an amateur and played in the U.S. Open that year. However, he missed the cut by four strokes. He decided to forgo his senior season to play in several events before turning professional in 2016.
Bryson DeChambeau’s Professional Career
Four days after turning pro, DeChambeau finished fourth in the RBC Heritage in South California, earning $259,000. He qualified for the 2016 U.S. Open, where he tied for 15th and won another $152,000. Despite a solid start to his professional career and climbing to 148th in the world, DeChambeau did not earn enough points to secure a PGA Tour card for 2017. However, he won the DAP Championship, part of the Web.com Tour Finals, and received a PGA Tour card for the coming season.
DeChambeau won his first PGA Tour event, the John Deere Classic, in July 2017. Several more victories followed over the next few years, including The Northern Trust, the Dell Technologies Championship, and the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. The latter took place in Las Vegas, Nevada, and earned DeChambeau $1,260,000 in prize money and pushed his world ranking to fifth.
Bryson DeChambeau’s Major Victories
In August 2020, DeChambeau tied for fourth place in the PGA Championship, his first top-ten finish in a major championship. He entered the 2020 edition of the U.S. Open, the 120th running of the event. Despite trailing the leaders by two strokes at the start of the final day, DeChambeau finished the final round three-under-par to clinch his first major. With that victory, DeChambeau joined Jack Nicklaus as the only player to have won the NCAA Individual Championship, the U.S. Amateur, and the U.S. Open during their career.
DeChambeau won the 2024 U.S. Open in thrilling style. Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy led by some distance as he hunted his first major victory in ten years. McIlroy had bogeys on three of his final four holes, while DeChambeau played an incredible up-and-down bunker shot on the 18th hole that left him with a four-yard put for the win. The Californian sank the putt to capture his second U.S. Open title and a career-best prize worth $4.3 million.
The Californian now has his sights set on winning the PGA Championship, a tournament that has proved his nemesis so far in his career. After missing the cut in 2019, DeChambeau tied for fourth in 2020 and 38th in 2021; he did play in 2022 but finished tied for fourth again in 2023 and was the runner-up this year.
Bryson DeChambeau Controversies
Although DeChambeau is a clean living person who is professional in his approach to golf, he has hit the headlines for the wrong reasons, mostly due to him being outspoken. At the 2021 Open Championship, he finished one over par during the opening round and blamed his driver, which he said “sucked.” His comments angered his sponsors, and DeChambeau was forced to issue an apology on social media.
His most significant controversy came in June 2022 when he announced he was joining LIV Golf, a Saudi Arabian tour that had emerged as a rival to the PGA Tour. Several of DeChambeau’s sponsors ended their deals and expressed their outrage at American golfers joining LIV Golf, accusing them of sportswashing and betraying the United States. Still, DeChambeau signed a four-year LIV Golf contract worth a reported $125 million.
Bryson DeChambeau’s Personal Life and Net Worth
DeChambeau is not yet married but has had a couple of high-profile girlfriends. He used to date up-and-coming golfer Hunter Nugent but is now dating Lilia Schneider, who is also a golfer. Schneider is a sophomore golfer at Marian University in Indianapolis; she is set to graduate in 2025.
Schneider has a substantial social media following of over 56,000 Instagram and 150,000 TikTok followers and is seen as female golf’s next big star. Although neither DeChambeau nor Schneider have publicly announced their relationship, Schenider is frequently seen at tournaments where DeChambeau is competing, and his former girlfriend Nugent has stated Schneider is DeChambeau’s new love interest.
As for DeChambeau’s net worth, it depends on who you ask. Some media outlets put his net worth around $14 million, but that seems far too low considering his career earnings and mega-money LIV Golf contract. He has over $37 million in career earnings, and Forbes ranked him the sixth highest-paid golfer in 2024, with $44 million earned in 2024 alone.
Only DeChambeau knows his actual net worth, but it should be somewhere in the region of $50-$60 million, considering his $125 million, four-year deal with LIV Golf and the various endorsement deals that are beginning to filter back in for the Californian.
