By 2020, Bryson DeChambeau had already won six PGA Tour titles. But a major championship remained the next big prize on his list, as it does for every professional golfer. In September that year, the Californian finally achieved that dream, storming to a six-stroke victory at the US Open at Winged Foot Golf Club. He finished at 6-under, the only player in the field to finish under par. Yet, it led to one of the loneliest moments of his life.

“Oh, yeah, yeah, I mean, I don’t have a family,” DeChambeau told Raj Shamani on the Figuring Out podcast when asked whether he felt lonely after the win. “I don’t have kids. I don’t have a wife… We had a nice party. We were all having fun. And I [went] to bed… But you sleep for five, six hours and you wake up, and you look over, and you’re like, oh, I won the US Open. And then right after you say that, it’s like, what do I do next? 

“I’m in bed alone. I don’t have my family with me. I don’t have anybody around. And it’s a real moment of frailty, and it’s not easy. Because your entire life, you’re told… the goal is to get to this trophy. And then you realize when you hit it, you go… I gave 20 years of my life to do this, and I did it. Well, now what do I do? And I don’t have anybody next to me.

“I don’t have somebody loving on me and giving me a kiss and a kid coming up on the bed and holding my hand and all that. Is that really what I want to do for my life? Is that one legacy I want to leave too? And so it really transforms you and makes you realize what life is about.”

DeChambeau further admitted that the experience was “humbling” and initially left him feeling “lonely,” but it eventually helped him understand what truly matters in life. Despite his realization, the 33-year-old remains unmarried. However, he is publicly linked to Canadian model, influencer, and former ice hockey goaltender Mikayla Demaiter.

In August, Demaiter was spotted wearing a LIV Golf guest pass and a Crushers GC hat, representing the team captained by DeChambeau, at LIV Golf New York. However, neither has officially confirmed their relationship. That is a far cry from marriage, the absence of which had contributed to DeChambeau’s feelings of loneliness following his 2020 US Open triumph.

Regardless of how he felt at the time, though, DeChambeau appears to have eventually overcome that loneliness. Four years later, he captured his second US Open title at Pinehurst No. 2, edging Rory McIlroy by one stroke. The American sealed the victory with a clutch 55-yard bunker shot before calmly sinking a four-foot par putt on the 72nd hole.

That said, loneliness is something every PGA Tour player has experienced, regardless of whether they have a family waiting at home. The Tour’s demanding schedule keeps players on the road for much of the season. And for those struggling to retain their playing privileges, the grind can extend into the fall, as they compete to secure their Tour cards.

In any case, DeChambeau’s path to his first US Open win wasn’t easy. 

Bryson DeChambeau was “mentally unstable” after missing 14 consecutive cuts

Previously, Bryson DeChambeau has spoken openly about going through a brutal stretch early in his career where he missed 14 consecutive cuts shortly after turning professional. That’s a brutal introduction to the pro scene. But on top of that, DeChambeau, who turned professional in 2016, lost roughly $60,000 to $70,000 while still covering travel, hotels, coaches, and caddie expenses.

Speaking to Shamani, the two-time major champion claimed that stretch had left him depressed and mentally unstable. He admitted that he was on the edge of going to a bad place, but he relied on people close to him to help him through such a rough patch in life. 

“I felt depressed,” he said. “There were times where I was very on the edge of not going to a really great place. And I had to be pulled out numerous times from it by other people that cared deeply about me.”

Thankfully, he never had to go to that dark place, and eventually his career picked up.