The reviews are in: Bryson is must-see entertainment | LIV Golf

When DeChambeau birdied the 72nd hole to move into a tie (albeit temporarily) for the lead, the roars were among the loudest all day around the green. Chants of “Bryson! Bryson! Bryson!” could be heard from the appreciative gallery. When he walked through the sea of fans en route to the scorer’s tent, the only person not flashing a smile was DeChambeau himself, as he maintained a stoic game face in anticipation of a playoff that never happened.

In the aftermath, three-time major champion Padraig Harrington seemed to speak for the entire golf world when he said, “What I realized last week, god, we miss Bryson. Bryson was box office last week and really, really helped that tournament. … It was fantastic, interesting, exciting watching.”

For those who have maintained a close watch on DeChambeau through the years, it’s no surprise that he’s become the Must-See Golfer. His unique approach (re: single-length clubs, 3D irons) and extreme pursuit of distance (re: his bulked-up phase) helped carve out a unique identity in a sport that thirsts for colorful characters.

Meanwhile, DeChambeau has grown more comfortable with the spotlight, and his jump to LIV Golf two years ago to become the Crushers GC captain provided him the freedom and incentive to create content that not only builds his brand but also builds interest in the sport, especially with the younger demographic.

“Obviously we all want to win trophies,” DeChambeau said. “But being able to entertain the fans is what we’re all here to do, and I think that’s the most important thing.”

He doesn’t limit himself to just live performances. Taking cues from social media stars such as MrBeast (260 million YouTube subscribers, highest total of any English-language channel), DeChambeau and his team of content creators are producing unique content that goes beyond simple highlights and instructional videos. 

His Break50 and 9-hole matches put the viewer inside the ropes as a non-playing partner, while off-beat videos like his Random Club Challenges – last month, he attempted to break par with a $109 Walmart starter set – appeal to the less-serious nature of the game.

Audience reaction has been overwhelmingly positive. DeChambeau now has 625,000 subscribers to his YouTube channel, nearly doubling the number from 18 months ago. Late last week, his total video views reached 70 million, nearly a third of that coming in the last 90 days. Add in his 1.1 million Instagram followers and other followers across all social channels, and he’s at 2.5 million and counting.

Meanwhile, he’s also increasing his reach thanks to collaborations with influencers such as Rick Shiels (2.8 million YouTube subscribers) and Paige Spiranac (4 million Instagram followers). 

Asked about his aggressive foray into viral content, DeChambeau eyes lit up as he recalled the moment when he saw a “missing hole in the game of golf” while recognizing an opportunity to positively influence millions of people.

“I saw that market back in 2020. I said, man, if golf could tap into that just a little bit, how many more followers we would get, how many more players we would get, how the game would just explode if we could just barely tap into a percent or a couple percent of that,” DeChambeau explained. 

“MrBeast has a couple hundred million followers and subscribers on one platform. He’s got like close to a billion followers on all of his platforms. You just look at that, and the possibilities that come with garnering that type of audience is so unique that I thought it was not only important but necessary for someone to get involved with the social media space and create cool, unique, different content that allows this game to grow.”

Sitting next to DeChambeau and listening with admiration was Phil Mickelson, the 53-year-old who knows a thing or two about viral videos. But even the HyFlyers GC captain acknowledges that his grasp of the influencer world pales in comparison to his younger counterpart.