Pebble Beach, California – Bryson Deschambeau is everywhere. Not Virtual Bryson Deschambeau, who lives so big on your favorite social media channels. The actual Bryson Deschambeau, former American amateur champion, former Walker Cupper, two-time US Open winner. He was here on this 50th Walker Cup, in the Cypress Point Club. He was in the team room on Saturday – that is, the American team room. He was on the track all day on Sunday.
“I just want to do what I can do to support this great golf game,” said Decchambeau on Saturday afternoon. He stopped for a short conversation while he went through the first fairway, among the spectators. He was accompanied by Seth Waugh, the former CEO of the PGA of America. “I want to do that for the rest of my life.”
DCCHAMBEAU, frontman of Liv’s Crushers Golf Club, was a vision in blue and with his baseball hat low on his forehead he was not immediately recognizable. Still, when fans asked for a signature or a photo, he was happy to oblige.
He was asked about his experience in his only Walker Cup performance, in 2015. Ten soon years ago. Dechambeau, when the reigning American amateur and NCAA champion, was by far the most decorated golfer among the 20 American and GB & I players. He did not play on Saturday morning; He halved Ashley Chesters in the singles of Saturday afternoon; He and Robby Shelton won in the alternative shot on Sunday morning and beat Gavin Moynihan, 6 and 5, Sunday afternoon.
“We were in Royal Lytham,” said Dechambeau. “My first time I played golf on the left. Our captain was Spider Miller. I played great. We lost. But what an experience.”
GB & I 16.5, US 9.5.
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“Tiger played in one Walker Cup and his team also lost,” Depchambeau was told. That was in 1995, at Royal Porthcawl.
“Yes,” said Decchambeau. He knew it.
Spider Miller – owner of best beers from Indianapolis, proud distributors from Budweiser and other Sudsy products – was a good friend of Arnold Palmer’s. Dechambeau spoke about the journey that the American team, led by Miller, made to see Palmer, in his lifelong house, Latrobe, Pa., Before the journey to England.
“It was the last time I saw Arnold,” said Deschambeau. Palmer died a year later, shortly after the Ryder Cup 2016. Deschambeau won the Arnold Palmer Invitational in 2021. Afterwards he was asked to call his dream four. He came up with five: Bryson and his father, Ben Hogan, Moe Norman – and Palmer.
Palmer won the US Amateur from 1954 but never played in a Walker Cup team. Most, but not all, American winners of the American amateur do. Ricky Barnes, for example, not. John didn’t cook either. But Jack Nicklaus, such as Phil Mickelson and other Hall of Famers, did that.
Deschambeau said that Cypress Point is “My favorite course in the world.” (Nicklaus has often said that the neighbor, Pebble Beach, is his favorite course in the world.) He also said he loves team competition. He will be the only LIV player in the American team of the Ryder Cup later this month. DCHAMBEAU grew up in Clovis, California, about three hours by car from here.
Nathan Smith, the American captain, saw Deschambeau on the 18th hole on Saturday. He later said: ‘That was the first time I had seen him [in person] In years and my first thought was: “He has become much bigger!” ‘Smith was clearly not at the US Open in Winged Foot in 2020, because Depchambeau has since lost about a quarter of itself!
Later, Decchambeau offered a pep talk in the players’ room. This was on Saturday evening.
“I didn’t see him until we were sitting on the couch in the team room and he just walked in,” said the American golfer Preston Stout. “That didn’t expect that at all. That was pretty cool. He gave us a little pep talk, which was pretty sweet.”
Stout, the fourth ranked amateur in the world and a starter in the state of Oklahoma, then offered this kicker to the entire scene:
“Hopefully this gives him a little motivation and will fire him for the Ryder Cup in a few weeks.”
Children.
Michael Bamberger welcomes your comments on michael.bamberger@golf.com.
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