Bryson DeChambeau and Donald Trump Posted a Golf Video That Went Viral. How Did This Happen?!

By: Dylan Dethier July 25, 2024

Bryson DeChambeau hosted former President Donald Trump on his YouTube channel.

Bryson DeChambeau / YouTube

On Tuesday, the latest US Open golf champion tweeted a clarification: the collaborative video he had just posted had in fact been filmed before the assassination attempt on his playing partner's life.

We live in strange times. In golf, in politics and at the heart of their Venn diagram, presented in the form of a YouTube video published on Tuesday, July 23.

The United States has never had a president like Donald Trump, professional golf has never had a personality like Bryson DeChambeau, and the golf section of YouTube has never had a video like the “Break 50” challenge the two men launched on DeChambeau’s page this week. It’s safe to say people were intrigued; as of Thursday afternoon, the video had racked up more than seven million views.

How did the debate go? It all started with the disability argument, heard around the world during the first presidential debate.

But first, some relevant history: Trump and DeChambeau have known each other for a long time; the two have been friends for years, and DeChambeau has sported the Trump logo on his bag through 2021. After his 2020 U.S. Open win at Winged Foot, DeChambeau’s party Sunday night was at Trumps Club in Briarcliff Manor, N.Y. After his 2024 U.S. Open win at Pinehurst, DeChambeau shared a victory sip with Eric Trump in New York. DeChambeau has played with the former president in LIV pro-ams and elsewhere. Their meeting was hardly coincidental.

But the inspiration for the video came after Trump and Biden clashed on CNN. DeChambeau spoke to reporters ahead of the LIV Golf event in the UK on Thursday and outlined the timeline; his team reached out to both the Biden and Trump camps shortly after the June 27 presidential debate between Trump and President Biden. During that debate, the two men broke away from politics to talk golf. Biden, Trump said, can’t hit a ball 50 yards, while Biden retorted that I’ve reduced my handicap, which when I was vice president was 6 inches, and the moment quickly went viral.

DeChambeau teased his plans in real time, suggesting a match between Trump and Biden. While Biden didn’t accept the offer, that’s not surprising; there’s no record of him playing in recent years, Trump, a regular at several of his own clubs, accepted in the days that followed. The debate took place on June 27. They filmed the “Break 50” challenge on July 6. A few weeks later, it was posted to DeChambeau’s YouTube page and pushed him to a milestone he’d long sought: a million subscribers.

On Thursday, DeChambeau stressed that the video was about golf and content and was not intended to be any kind of political statement. In these fractured times, that’s impossible, but throughout the video, DeChambeau avoids focusing on polls. (Trump largely does that, too, taking a dig at Biden early on but sticking mostly to golfing questions like why so many pros hit drivers or what the angle of attack on DeChambeau’s putts is.)

“First of all, it’s an honor to play with someone of that type of influence, no matter who they are, no matter what political affiliation they’re on,” DeChambeau said Thursday. “Again, all of this content, it’s creative content, it’s about bringing unique and different content to YouTube, and we wanted to showcase the golfing abilities of any influential person, and he was definitely on a list that I wanted to showcase.”

“We were able to call him and ask him to play, and he said, ‘Yes, absolutely.’ We also asked the other side, and anybody who wants to play. They’re more than willing to do something for charity.”

Part of the video was used to raise money for the Wounded Warrior Project. That was one motivation, DeChambeau said. Trump’s popularity (or notoriety, depending on your point of view) was another.

Why Donald Trump and Bryson DeChambeau's Viral Golf Game Was So Captivating By: Alan Bastable

“He’s obviously a character that can draw a lot of viewers, and we thought it would be great to showcase his golfing abilities, and he’s a pretty good golfer,” DeChambeau said. “It was a lot of fun to do, and it took a little while, but we got it approved and it was fun to photograph.”

[SPOILER ALERT]

The challenge takes DeChambeau and a playing partner to the front tees and they play a scramble from there, trying to get under 50. On Trump's par-72 Bedminster course, they shot 22 under par, shooting 50 on the figure. While internet commentators were quick to criticize Trump's unorthodox putting stroke, he showed some consistency in his ball-striking and even eagled 2 on a 210-yard par 4.

DeChambeau stressed, once again, that he would welcome a counterpart from the political left.

“Whether it's Obama or anybody else on that side, I'm more than willing to play with them. I have no problem with them. That's the cool thing about golf, is the more we can use golf to bring everybody together in a cool way, I think that's the vision of world golf,” he said.

He acknowledged the radioactivity that comes with a presidential candidate entering this particular arena. “Politicians are certainly divisive figures and I respect and understand that,” he said, but DeChambeau shrugged off any deeper implications, again citing charity and content.

“That's what we've been focusing on, trying to put politics aside and just create fun, amazing content for people to see, cool, funny, entertaining images.”

DeChambeau’s video against Trump would have garnered plenty of attention regardless of the timeline, but it received particular attention given the July 13 assassination attempt, a week after the game was filmed. After commentators noted that Trump’s ear appeared intact, DeChambeau clarified: The video was filmed “before my trip overseas and before the incident that occurred in Butler, Pennsylvania.”

To confirm and dispel any speculation, the Break 50 video with @realDonaldTrump was filmed during the first week of July, before my trip abroad and before the incident in Butler, Pennsylvania.

— Bryson DeChambeau (@b_dechambeau) July 23, 2024

But it was all smiles in the video and at Thursday's press briefing, where things really went off the rails when DeChambeau was asked if he himself had future political ambitions.

“I mean, look, DJT obviously said he would never do it, and he’s obviously doing it now. You never know what’s going to happen, and it can change over time,” DeChambeau said before noting the incredulous reactions from his LIV teammates and cracking a smile. “For me, probably not. I don’t think so. I’m going to play golf for the rest of my life,” he said.

“Just thinking about it gives you chills,” said Anirban Lahiri, sitting next to him.

“He's struggling to lead a team right now, let alone anything else,” Paul Casey added, shaking his head.

Bryson DeChambeau Taught Me 10 Lessons in 31 Minutes. Here They Are By: Dylan Dethier

DeChambeau is no stranger to controversy: his move from the PGA Tour to LIV received mixed reviews. But in recent months, he has managed to reach a new audience, building a legion of loyal subscribers on YouTube. He has also competed in the game’s biggest events, and by playing in the Masters and PGA Championships and then winning the U.S. Open, DeChambeau has endeared himself to golf fans as a decidedly different kind of showman and a breath of fresh air in a sport that needs it. In other words, it’s been a great summer for the golfing great.

Lahiri was honest in his assessment of his team captain, whom he described as one of a kind.

“I think he's an enigma, honestly, even to us,” he said. “Even he doesn't really understand who he is yet.”

A certain segment of the golfing population knows exactly what DeChambeau is: a must-see on television. At least, a must-see on YouTube.

“Bryson is obviously the bomb,” Lahiri said. “He’s the explosion that can happen at any moment. You can make whatever you want of that statement, but it’s true in every sense of the word.”

Seven million people would agree with this statement. And that number continues to grow.

You can watch the Trump-Bryson video here, or our own Warming Up interview with DeChambeau below.

Dylan Dethier Editor-in-chief of Golf.com

Dylan Dethier is a senior writer for GOLF Magazine/GOLF.com. Originally from Williamstown, Massachusetts, he joined GOLF in 2017 after two years of struggling on the mini-tours. Dethier is a graduate of Williams College, where he majored in English, and is the author of 18 in America, which chronicles the year he spent at age 18 living out of his car and playing a round of golf in every state.

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