Bryson DeChambeau has a lot on his mind at the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont. But he rarely surrenders his trademark smile or fan-friendly nature on the course. That was on full display Tuesday when DeChambeau gave one young U.S. Open fan a lifelong memory with a challenge — and a gift.
Bryson DeChambeau’s playful gesture wins over fans
DeChambeau got in some early practice at Oakmont last week (which you can read about below), but you can’t prepare enough for the iconic and treacherous U.S. Open venue.
Which is why, like his competitors, DeChambeau was hard at work on Tuesday. But the two-time and defending U.S. Open champ rarely turns down an opportunity to interact with fans and win more over to his side.
At some point on Tuesday, LIV Golf’s X account captured a classic Bryson fan moment at Oakmont. In the video, DeChambeau is standing on a green near the clubhouse, mid-conversation with a young boy outside the ropes.
What were they talking about? The rules for the spontaneous rock-paper-scissors game they were about to play together.
When the young boy loses the first match, Bryson’s rock to his scissors, Bryson gives him another chance.
“Best out of three?” Bryson proposes.
“Yeah, okay!” the fan responds.
The competition tightened from there, with the fan winning Round 2, before Bryson closed it out in Round 3.
“Oh I gotcha!” Bryson says after his win.
“Ah, dangit,” the still-thrilled fan responds.
But DeChamebau wasn’t about to let his new super fan walk away empty-handed. He quickly took out a marker and signed his golf ball.
“This is for you,” Bryson says while tossing the ball to the fan, “Good job, buddy.”
And he clearly earned some other fans in the process. As he signed the ball, older fans in the area shouted “you’re the man, Bryson!” and “back-to-back!”
Check it out below.
DeChambeau reveals fans’ impact on his game at U.S. Open
It turns out Tuesday was an especially busy day for Bryson. He had to balance schoolyard games with fans, intense practice and his pre-tournament U.S. Open press conference.
And amid lengthy answers about LIV Golf, his future in the game, and the challenging test Oakmont presents, DeChambeau also made a revealing statement about how fan interactions, like the one he had on Tuesday, impact his game.
When a reporter asked if he ever had issues with motivation, DeChambeau explained that his “low moments” come when he feels “like there’s no place to go with equipment or my golf game or swing thoughts or theories.”
But then he revealed that he’s always able “to find a little hope,” and often that hope comes from what he does with and for his fans, on the course and on the internet.
“Another part of it is doing it for the fans, patrons and the people that are viewing myself on YouTube,” DeChambeau said on Tuesday. “That’s really what gets me up in the morning and gives me a lot of passion for this game.”
Why Bryson fears Oakmont’s thick rough
Another, less revealing comment DeChambeau made during his U.S. Open press conference was regarding the challenge presented by Oakmont this week.
“I think everybody knows this is probably the toughest golf course in the world right now,” he said in his presser.
He would know, because more than a week ago, DeChambeau made an early visit to Oakmont to get in a practice round. He revealed his experience in a new YouTube video.
After receiving a particularly harsh lie in Oakmont’s notorious 5-inch rough, Bryson exclaimed, “That is cooked beyond belief! That’s more than half-baked there. That’s burnt to a crisp.”
But the words he chose to sum up his early practice round said everything you need to know about how hard this U.S. Open will be.
“This place ate my lunch today.”
DeChambeau tees off for the opening round of the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont on Thursday morning at 7:29 a.m. ET.
