Bryson DeChambeau knows plenty about life under the microscope and the pressure that brings, having been touted as a future star as a teenager and gone on to become one of the best-known players in the world.
He will take much of the attention again this week, where local fans will be willing him to win in the state he calls home, Texas, at LIV Golf Houston.
As he prepares for his first start since finishing runner-up at last month’s PGA Championship, he spoke to the media, where he opened up on the importance of mental health following the tragic death of Grayson Murray and the emergence of teenager Miles Russell.
He began on the subject of Murray, who took his own life after withdrawing from the PGA Tour’s Charles Schwab Challenge. He said: “First off, I’ll say I knew Grayson pretty well, and I haven’t really publicly spoken about this, but my heart goes out to his family. It’s not easy what he’s gone through, what we all go through as professionals. My heart aches for him and his family.”
Grayson Murray took his own life after withdrawing from the Charles Schwab Challenge
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DeChambeau may appear supremely confident, but he admitted there have been times when he has questioned himself, particularly when form has deserted him, and he explained it’s imperative mental health is taken seriously.
“Golf is not a forgiving sport,” he added. “A lot of pressure is put on you at a young age, especially when you’re good.”
He added: “There’s been numerous times where I’ve second-guessed myself on a massive level. My team has experienced it. I’ve experienced it. Even just coming out to LIV when I was playing terrible. Not to my standards, when I missed 14 cuts in a row. The pressure out here is immense. We all have to take our mental health very seriously.”
DeChambeau then turned his attention to a rising star of the game, Miles Russell, who will make his PGA Tour debut aged 15 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic later this month. He said: “When it comes to Miles, it’s an awesome opportunity, but giving us players – I think that’s why LIV is so amazing, is because we have that team aspect where we can rely on each other, on your teammates.
“Any tour you’re playing on, whether you’re playing mini-tours, challenge tours, it doesn’t matter. The pressure is just massive. For Miles, I think it’s going to be a good test for him. I hope he has the right people around him to continue to push him in a positive direction because we all need that at the end of the day.”
DeChambeau then returned to the subject of Murray, and reiterated that the pressures of the game are far from frivolous: “As much as he struggled, he was a friend and he was a good man, and the pressures of golf need to be taken seriously,” he said. “I wish Miles the best of luck. I think he’ll do well. He’s a great golfer. But we all need to have a good support system.”
DeChambeau’s comments come a week after another player who has been in the limelight from a young age, Lexi Thompson, announced her decision to retire from full-time professional golf at the end of the season.
Lexi Thompson shared her thoughts on the pressures of professional golf before the US Women’s Open
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Before the US Women’s Open, she also spoke to the press, where she addressed her own struggles with the pressure. She said: “Being out here can be a lot. It can be lonely. Sorry if I get emotional. I said I wasn’t going to.
“I just think, especially with what’s happened in golf, as of recent too, a lot of people don’t – they don’t realize a lot of what we go through as a professional athlete.”