South African fans swarmed Bryson DeChambeau wherever he went earlier this year. They turned LIV Golf’s visit to Johannesburg into one of the league’s most-attended events ever. This got the golfer emotional after his win. A similar scene unfolded at the $30 million LIV Golf Korea, where large galleries followed him, and LIV Golf pro Talor Gooch got a close look at that star power on Saturday.

“Yeah, both of them [DeChambeau and Cameron Smith] are two of the biggest stars in the game, and obviously everywhere in the world they are,” Gooch said in a press conference. “But Bryson is a whole different animal. It’s always fun being paired with him. There’s always a little bit of chaos. But it’s awesome.

“You see all the good that he’s done with his YouTube and his social media and obviously his success on the course, and it’s paying off with the masses following him and knowing him and cheering for him around the world.”

The duo shares a mutual respect built over the years as fellow competitors. While they might not be the best of friends, Gooch has always looked forward to playing against DeChambeau. They also played together in Riyadh in February. There, Gooch praised DeChambeau’s driving. On a par-4, Gooch hit a 3-wood, leaving himself roughly 120 yards to the pin, while DeChambeau drove the ball within 20 yards of the hole. After seeing this, Gooch said:

“When he’s driving it, it’s a different ballgame. But as a peer of his, it’s equally incredible to see specifically just the way he drives the golf ball. It’s unbelievable.”

While the 2x major winner has not been very outspoken about Gooch, his actions speak volumes. At the LIV Golf Team Championship Detroit 2025, DeChambeau chose Gooch over Brooks Koepka to play against in the semifinals. Koepka questioned that move and later remarked:

“He beats to his own drum; he’s a strange cat.”

It is indeed DeChambeau’s antics that make him unique and a fan favorite. In South Africa, fans elbowed each other to get a closer look at him. Thousands of fans reportedly walked all 18 holes with him, while many held up their phones to take selfies. In India, too, during the International Series event in 2025, DeChambeau himself hoped to see “8,000–10,000 spectators” every day. Things went beyond his expectations, as around 20,000 fans reportedly came to see him play.

To say that DeChambeau’s YouTube plays a role in his popularity would not be entirely wrong. He has grown his channel exponentially over the past few years, and it now averages over 2 million views per video. These videos have shown his unfiltered side to fans, and even Lefty agrees.

“I think what’s been great about Bryson is I’ve always seen this side of him, this playful, fun side, intelligent side, interesting side of him, and since he has really dived into the YouTube space, now everybody gets to see it,” Phil Mickelson said last year. “It’s been remarkable to see the evolution of it and the way the public has responded to him because he’s always been like that.”

YouTube has now become so important for the 2x major winner that he is even willing to make it his full-time career if LIV Golf shuts down because of the financial turmoil.

Dustin Johnson has also spoken about how Bryson DeChambeau draws large crowds, as he has a significant fan base. Even Jon Rahm emphasized the 2024 US Open winner’s aura.

“Bryson seems to be a guy that naturally has a lot of energy, so I would never question him being able to perform,” the Spaniard said in 2024.

It goes without saying that Gooch has similar thoughts.

What was Talor Gooch’s game plan for the final round of LIV Golf Korea?

Both Gooch and Joaquin Niemann planned to adopt an attacking mindset in the final round. After his third round, the Oklahoma Golf Club captain revealed that he will aim to hit fairways and greens, and then “make a bunch of putts.”

However, he was also cautious of the relatively small 7,024-yard course. The American professional knew that a few bogeys could quickly erase his lead, and recovering from that deficit wouldn’t be easy.

Before he teed it off, the LIV golfer planned to watch the Oklahoma City Thunder play against the San Antonio Spurs. He gets nervous about Thunder games and wanted to get some nerves out of the system to play calmly with patience when he arrived for his final round.

UPDATE: Sunday brought another milestone for Joaquín Niemann, who prevailed in a playoff at LIV Golf Korea to secure the eighth victory of his LIV Golf career.