A frustrating day for Bryson DeChambeau proved to be a memorable one for young fans lining the sixth green. DeChambeau missed the cut at the Masters in 2026, and Thursday represented the fifth occasion on which he has carded four-over par or worse across his opening nine holes in the first round of a major championship.
The LIV Golf star finished tied for second and second outright at the previous two PGA Championships, respectively, and he is one of only three players to finish runner-up at the PGA Championship in back-to-back years. Yet his opening round at Aronimink failed to go according to plan as the 32-year-old carded six-over on the day and an even par on six. He played alongside Ludvig Aberg and Rickie Fowler, both of whom were firm crowd favourites in Philadelphia.
After DeChambeau holed his final putt on six, he showed his true colours on a tough day by greeting and high-fiving all the young fans gathered along the green as he made his way towards the seventh tee box. Aberg joined in the spirit of things, tossing one of the young boys a ball.
Fowler opted not to acknowledge the younger fans, though the crowd more than made up for it as his walk to the seventh hole following a par on six was met with rousing chants of “Come on Rickie!” from the galleries.
DeChambeau attracted a remarkable following throughout the opening round, as the LIV Golf star and YouTube creator faces an uncertain future following the PIF’s withdrawal of funding from the Saudi-backed circuit after the 2026 season.
His YouTube channel boasts more than two million subscribers, and DeChambeau has previously spoken of his ambitions to expand his online presence, with no clear path back to the PGA Tour yet mapped out.
That is, of course, assuming he has any desire to return to the American circuit at all.
“I think, from my perspective, I’d love to grow my YouTube channel three times, maybe even more,” DeChambeau said, while practising last week at the LIV Golf tournament at Trump National Golf Club.
“I would love to. I’d love to do a bunch of dubbing in different languages, giving the world more reason to watch YouTube. And then I’d love to play tournaments that want me.”
The PIF has withdrawn its funding from LIV Golf, leaving the four-year-old circuit scrambling for an alternative strategy to keep the tour afloat.
“The egos need to get dropped,” DeChambeau added. “Everybody needs to come in with a level-headed playing field, with an opportunistic mindset to grow the game of golf. That’s why I came over here. That’s why I do what I do on YouTube.”