A Bryson Feud Goes Public

On Tuesday, Mike Schy, DeChambeau’s former coach, posted on his Instagram account that the John DeChambeau Memorial Junior Tour would be shutting down because Bryson decided to stop funding it. The tour is named after and dedicated to the memory of Bryson’s late father. Golfweek’s Adam Schupak followed up with DeChambeau, his agent Brett Falkoff, and Mike Schy, and his report paints a picture of a very messy situation all around. Whenever “extortion” makes a headline, it’s clear something has gone wrong one way or another. Schupak’s piece does a great job outlining the history between Schy and DeChambeau as well as their ongoing issues, and it’s certainly worth reading in its entirety.

The report includes scathing on-the-record comments from both sides, uncovering an uncomfortably hostile relationship between the reigning U.S. Open champion and his former coach. “It’s a complete and utter lie, all of it,” DeChambeau said in reference to Schy’s retelling of the junior tour closing. Calling a longtime associate a liar and making allusions to extortion would normally be the juiciest quote in a piece like this, but Schy might have taken that mantle with this one: “He said I’m his second dad, right? He treats me just like his real dad. He treated his dad like shit.” Okay then!

Since joining LIV Golf two years ago, DeChambeau has worked very hard on his public image. To his credit, the public has largely bought in. His YouTube page is incredibly popular, and crowds were undeniably in his corner at both Valhalla and Pinehurst. This kind of story, with money at stake and history and close connections dissolving, is never an easy one to parse from the outside. Is it just a disgruntled coach popping off? Or is Bryson indeed as bad a guy as his longtime coach suggests? In all likelihood, it’s somewhere in between.

This piece originally appeared in the Fried Egg Golf newsletter. Subscribe for free and receive golf news and insight every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.