Bryson DeChambeau Under Heavy Fire for Display of LIV Golf Loyalty During USA’s Match at Cypress Point

The Ryder Cup might still be a few weeks away, but tensions between Europe and America are already starting to crack the surface. Over at the Walker Cup this week, Team USA squeaked out a win over Great Britain and Ireland by the tiniest of margins ( 13.5 to 12.5). And somehow, the Ryder Cup players are treating it like a warm-up celebration. No surprise then that both sides have been pouring messages of support onto the Walker Cup amateurs. Rory McIlroy dropped a long voice note earlier, and now Bryson DeChambeau has stepped in to play motivator for Team USA. And although his gesture received a lot of praise from fans, a few were quick to cancel him over his LIV affiliation.

The USGA’s Instagram shared a video of DeChambeau mentoring the squad. They didn’t include his actual words, but judging from the thunderous applause at the end, it looked like he had struck a chord. After all, the Mad Scientist is known for his bizarre ideas. DeChambeau, in the end, wrapped things up with hugs and a round of back-pats for the boys. The post was captioned, “Fired up US.”

After the win, team captain Nathan Smith admitted DeChambeau’s appearance caught him off guard. “That was pretty special. I’d say my first thought is I hadn’t seen him in years and he’s gotten a lot bigger,” Smith laughed. And honestly, no kidding that he found DeChambeau different. The last time these two had shared the same space was way back in 2015 at the Amateur Four-Ball Championship. Bryson was just 21 back then, and he lost to Smith and his partner, Todd White.

So, for most of the squad, DeChambeau’s showing up was a surprise. “I didn’t see him until we were sitting on the couch in the team room, and he just walked in. Definitely wasn’t expecting that. That was kind of cool. He gave us a little pep talk, which was pretty sweet,” said Preston Stout. Stout, by the way, was crucial in America’s win. He closed out the week with a 1-1-0 record, nabbing a clutch singles point after dropping his foursomes match. He’s hoping this performance will give Team USA some juice heading into the Ryder Cup. “Hopefully this gives him a little motivation and fires him up for the Ryder Cup in a few weeks.”

Now, whether or not it actually fires them up, we’ll see later. But DeChambeau showing up like this came during an interesting moment. Just a few days ago, Rory McIlroy sent Team GB&I a special message. And while it was meant to lift their spirits, Rory also slipped in a little jab at Team USA: “Please beat them because I know we’re going to beat them at Bethpage.” Well, GB&I didn’t quite live up to the call, but his message made one thing very clear. The vibes at Bethpage Black on September 26 are going to be tense. Moreover, where McIlroy just sent a voicenote (he couldn’t attend because he is playing at the 2025 Amgen Irish Open) to hype the players, DeChambeau actually visited them, and stayed and watched the entire game. It is surely going to stir some murmurs one way or another.

This kind of trash talk and pre-tournament jabs are just another way to test each other’s mental strength. Like the other day, when Captain Keegan Bradley hadn’t announced his six picks yet, and his own name was still in contention, McIlory had taken another jab at him. But Bradley’s response was loud and clear, “Not worried about what they do or say.…They can make comments on what I can and cannot do.“

So maybe that’s exactly why Bryson DeChambeau turned up for the kids this week? Maybe it was his own version of saying, “Why should we stay behind?” Or maybe he genuinely still feels attached to the Walker Cup, having played it himself in 2015. Back then, he went 2-0-1 but still had to watch Team USA lose to GB&I. On the other hand, McIlroy was part of the 2007 Walker Cup, where his team lost to the USA 11.5 to 12.5, though McIlroy personally had a strong 2-0 singles showing.

Regardless, whatever the reason, his presence added a little extra fire to an already simmering rivalry. And with the USA’s Walker Cup win, Europe has already been put on notice.

But whatever his intention may be, DeChambeau should have put a little thought into it before walking into the Walker Cup room wearing his Crushers GC T-shirt! Now, at this point, everyone knows the sentiments the larger public holds for LIV Golf. DeChambeau had, anyway, ‘disappointed’ many when he decided to switch sides and joined the Saudi-backed league, and now his meeting the amateurs in his LIV uniform has stirred a few debates online.

Fans point out Bryson DeChambeau’s ‘rage bait’

When a 2-time major champion walks into a room full of players ready to compete for their country, fans expect a little sovereignty. And although, technically, Bryson DeChambeau did not do anything wrong or break any protocols by wearing his Team’s T-shirt, he maybe could’ve read the room. Well, let us look at some of the fans’ reactions.

The video of DeChambeau meeting the amateur players was posted on both the X and Instagram handles of the USGA account. Needless to say, it gained a lot of traction, with 56.9k views on Elon Musk’s platform and 3,828 likes on the Meta platform. One of the users expressed the disappointment likely felt by many. “Figured he’d wear Team USA colors and not his Crushers gear.” Team USA’s Ryder Cup outfit, designed by Ralph Lauren, was revealed earlier this month, and funnily enough, it received its own share of backlash. But here, the fans were okay siding with it. Guess they can choose a badly designed uniform over the love of golf’s traditionality? Another one echoed the same thought: “Seriously. Why not wear Ryder Cup uni?”

This would have actually made sense, though. As Bryson DeChambeau most probably attended the event, aiming an indirect jab at Rory McIlroy ahead of the Ryder Cup, it would have been better if he had worn the red, white, and blue to show his team spirit, as the Walker Cup is called the cousin of the Ryder Cup for a reason, anyway.

Then there were a few who could not contain their anger. One other netizen went overboard. “Can this f***ing guy ever not be wearing this st**id Crushers getup? Does he have no US gear? He hates America?” Funded by the Saudi PIF, LIV has often been accused of being un-American or unpatriotic. Hence, it is understandable why this user accused DeChambeau like this. Around the same lines, another user said, “Why is a member of the team Saudi in the USA locker room?”

A select few, though, thought they understood the rationale behind Bryson DeChambeau’s T-shirt choice. Oftentimes, the Mad Scientist has been accused of rage-baiting. Whether it’s his jabs at frenemy Brooks Koepka (he literally eye-rolled at him once) or his on-course behaviour, there have been times when he has sparked some debates. So a fan, maybe familiar with DeChambeau’s persona, wrote, “Classic rage bait.” At the same time, another one typed, “Does he own any other clothes?” Crushers GC has a brand endorsement with Reebok, and hence it is required for DeChambeau to wear the uniform wherever possible. It’s likely under the contracts.

To his defence, DeChambeau did not break any protocols. The USGA, under whose ambit the Walker Cup comes, has never explicitly said anything against LIV Golf. The contention has always mostly been between LIV and the PGA Tour, and neither the Walker Cup nor the Ryder Cup comes under them. Adding onto that, LIV players have been allowed to participate in the Ryder Cup since last year, the very reason DeChambeau is on the American team, and Jon Rahm, along with Tyrrell Hatton, on the European side.

But fans’ sentiments are also understood. And with such reactions, it looks like DeChambeau’s plan most likely fell flat on his face.