Brandel Chamblee calls golf audience ‘spoiled’ while detailing the ‘biggest takeaway’ from Bryson DeChambeau’s US Open win
Brandel Chamblee was on the receiving end of some criticism at the US Open 2024. The golf analyst made some headlines with his alleged ‘anti-LIV’ stance as Bryson DeChambeau won the coveted event at Pinehurst. Weeks after the event, the former pro golfer has come out to state that his “biggest takeaway” from the event was to learn how “spoiled” golf fans are in the modern day.
Chamblee stated that the audiences at Pinehurst were getting treated to a back and forth like that between ‘two mega stars’ of the sport – DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy. Doubling down on his comment, the 62-year-old commentator noted that the LIV golfer played well and his scrambles around the greens ‘reminded him a bit of Seve Ballesteros or Tiger Woods.
He noted that no player in history has won a US Open after being as ‘poorly ranked in driving accuracy’ as DeChambeau.
Talking about his ‘biggest takeaways’ from the major at Pinehurst, Brandel Chamblee said on the latest episode of the Dan Patrick Show (at 1:13):
“The biggest takeaway really was just how spoiled I think we all were as a golf audience getting treated to a back and forth like that between two mega stars. For Bryson (DeChambeau), it was these wonderful recoveries from the native areas. There's never been anybody, you go back to 1980 that's the earliest data that you can find on the US Open, nobody's ever won a US Open that poorly ranked in driving accuracy, nobody.
So, to see him recover from those areas and those great scrambles around the greens, reminded me a bit of Seve or Tiger. And then with Rory (McIlroy), who was the opposite, he was just driving the a** out of it, it was amazing to watch.”
Furthermore, Brandel Chamblee addressed McIlroy’s ‘heartbreak’ at the major. The Golf channel analyst noted that the PGA Tour star was up against the highly ‘charismatic’ DeChambeau.
Brandel Chamblee dubs Bryson DeChambeau an ‘emerging superstar’
Chamblee, who received flak for allegedly rooting against DeChambeau during the US Open, has come out to laud the LIV Golfer. The analyst, while speaking on the Dan Patrick Show, noted that the 30-year-old two-time major winner is an ‘superstar’ in the making.
The 62-year-old stated that there are “only a few people that move the needle in golf.” He noted that DeChambeau is in line to join the likes of Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth and Phil Mickelson in becoming one of the trending names in the sport.
Brandel Chamblee said (at 1:30):
“I mean it's well known in the industry, there's really only a few people that move the needle in golf. Tiger, but Tiger doesn't play much anymore, when he does, he struggles. Rory, and it was Jordan Spieth for a while and it was Mickelson for a while. But now I think watching this emerging superstar in Bryson DeChambeau, who's now become more energetic and effusive with the audience.”
Chamblee noted that the experience of following DeChambeau’s recent rise has been a ‘real treat.’