Bryson DeChambeau might want to block Brandel Chamblee’s number for the next few days. The Golf Channel analyst took a direct shot at the two-time major winner Tuesday during Live From coverage ahead of The Open Championship, and it wasn’t subtle.
Chamblee’s point was simple enough. DeChambeau used to measure himself against Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, the best players in the world. Now? He’s apparently more focused on competing with Grant Horvat and the rest of the YouTube golf crowd.
“Probably the biggest surprise of the year, Bryson DeChambeau,” Chamblee said. “It’s almost like he went from chasing Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy to chasing Grant Horvat. It’s like he wants to outdo every YouTuber in the game of golf instead of outplay everybody in the game of golf.”
Ouch. But is it fair?
DeChambeau’s major problem in 2026
The stat that makes Chamblee’s criticism sting: DeChambeau has missed the cut in all three majors this season. The Masters, the PGA Championship, the U.S. Open — he didn’t make the weekend at any of them. For a guy with two U.S. Open trophies on his shelf (2020 and 2024), that’s a rough stretch.
And it’s not like he’s playing bad golf everywhere else. DeChambeau has won twice on the LIV Golf tour this year and finished top three five times. The skill is there. The results on the biggest stages just aren’t.
Some of it comes down to course fit. Augusta National has never really clicked for him. Aronimink and Shinnecock Hills chewed him up at the U.S. Open before he won his first one. But three straight missed cuts in the same season? That gets people talking.
Meanwhile, guys like Scheffler, Schauffele and Rahm are still majorless in 2026, but at least they’ve been in the mix. DeChambeau hasn’t been close.
The YouTube factor
DeChambeau has leaned hard into content creation since joining LIV Golf. His YouTube channel is a legit operation — lots of trick shots, course vlogs, matches with other creators. It’s brought him a new audience and probably a lot of money. But Chamblee’s argument is that the priorities shifted somewhere along the way.
Grant Horvat, for those who don’t follow golf YouTube, is one of the biggest creators in the space. Chamblee specifically name-dropping him was deliberate. The implication is that DeChambeau is more worried about his next viral video than his next major title.
DeChambeau hasn’t responded publicly yet. But he’s about to tee it up at Royal Birkdale for The Open, the final major of 2026. A strong performance there quiets the noise. Another missed cut, and the criticism gets louder.
He knows how to win at this level. He just needs to show it again.
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