GURGAON, INDIA | Amidst the fog that threatened to push the first International Series India presented by DLF to a Monday finish in this satellite city next to Delhi, one thing was clear – Bryson DeChambeau shone through and left a massive impression on the Indian golf ecosystem.
In a country where 2,000 spectators is seen as a massive number at a golf tournament, four to five times that number had downloaded tickets on a mobile app to see DeChambeau, the two-time U.S. Open champion, in flesh and blood.
People had flown in from Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and other iconic cities to see him drive. “We are here to see Bryson,” was the common comment. No one since Tiger Woods, who came for an exhibition round to Delhi Golf Club in 2014, had made that kind of impression.
Golf and DeChambeau were new buzzwords in Delhi’s chatterati. DeChambeau’s driving prowess is part of golfing folklore and his social media content has turned him into a YouTube golf icon. Yes, he also plays golf with Donald Trump.
Despite the frightening smog, a few hundred kids still in their early teens had lined up behind the driving range to watch him practice. Each morning. They braved the unrelenting traffic in India’s capital to watch him.
The man did not disappoint. He put on a show. He waited for the kids. Looked around and smiled at them. He signed all the caps; stood for selfies; asked his minders to step aside and let the kids come up and even encouraged the media to ask more questions. This was a man on a mission to promote the sport he loves.
As Karan Bindra, who runs the academy at the DLF Golf and Country Club, said, “I am expecting the number of kids signing up for golf coaching to go up dramatically in the next three months. That’s what happened soon after Tiger (Woods) had come in 2014.”
Humble to a fault, DeChambeau began by saying, “First off I want to say thank you to all of India for welcoming me so warmly. I think the first time I started talking about (going to India) was last year and what the possibilities are here in India with the kids.” He credited his LIV Golf teammate Anirban Lahiri, a golfing superstar in India, for convincing him to come over. And he was not disappointed.
“Educate, entertain, inspire are my main three principles of why I play the game of golf. I think this is an amazing opportunity for all of golf to come together and see what India can truly produce for the world. And it’s a growing economy, it’s a growing population that need golf. There’s a lot more to come, so that’s why I’m here,” he said.
(DeChambeau) went to visit the Taj Mahal two days before the first round. He said, “I felt like there was a lot of love. I feel like people just respected the place beyond belief. … It was pretty special ... it was serene and blissful.”
He wanted to spread the message of golf and he was humble and respectful about everything. He went to visit the Taj Mahal two days before the first round. He said, “I felt like there was a lot of love. I feel like people just respected the place beyond belief. … It was pretty special ... it was serene and blissful. You look at the backdrop and the colours of the sky and the white marble and the intricacies of how the building was built, how the Taj was built. I can tell you it’s one of the most beautiful pieces of architecture I’ve ever seen in my entire life. It was a great experience.”
On the course, he played his heart out. Eight strokes behind with just the final round to go, he finally finished second, four behind fellow American Ollie Schniederjans. That seems a lot, but it was closer than it looked in an event where the third and fourth rounds were played with a shotgun start – a la LIV Golf. DeChambeau’s charge with a 7-under 65 on the final day had the calm Schniederjans looking time and again at the scoreboard and over his shoulders. At the finish, he was still far ahead.
DeChambeau, who played college golf against Schniederjans, was fulsome in his praise, saying, “He beat my butt in college numerous times. So it was really impressive to see how well he’s playing. I wish I could have given him a run for [his] money. Unfortunately, I didn’t give him a run but he's a well-deserved champion.”
Schniederjans, a former world amateur No. 1, had not won in nine years, a period in which he struggled with injuries and more. It included two hip surgeries, along with long stretches of loneliness and self-doubt. Schneiderjans was once a talent that everyone was looking out for when he made the cut in two majors in 2015.
Then came the injuries and struggles. After two ‘half seasons’ on the Korn Ferry Tour, he decided to play the LIV Promotions event in December 2024.
He finished tied fourth and earned status to play the International Series. After winning Sunday, he is looking for a team on LIV and a chance to play alongside DeChambeau more often.
DeChambeau congratulated Schniederjans and then rushed to catch his plane, but before that he added, “India is ready for golf to explode here. I see it, I believe it. Baan (Lahiri) has been talking about it, and now it’s a reality.”
Over the week, there were a lot of Bryson moments beginning with the massive roar when he ripped his opening drive on Thursday; then when he holed an unbelievable chip on the par-5 eighth on the first day. He capped it Sunday with a monster 40-footer for an eagle on the 18th, his second-to-last hole in the shotgun final round.
The few seconds that it took for the ball to travel to the hole elicited a variety of emotions from the kids who had followed him. The extra-long “Ooooh, too short” and “Oh, too long’ turned to a raucous “Wooow” when it dropped into the cup.
Those microseconds were enough to understand the Bryson effect on golf, in India and all over.
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Top: Bryson DeChambeau finished second, four strokes off the pace.
paul lakatos, asian tour