Bryson DeChambeau’s caddie says 13 phrases. Then comes career-defining shot

PINEHURST, N.C. — Greg Bodine, minutes earlier than one of many largest days of his boss’ life, walked as much as one of many roadblocks. What would he say? Possibly plant a seed of doubt? Possibly have interaction in gamesmanship?

Nah, early Saturday afternoon, forward of the U.S. Open’s third spherical, Bodine simply wished to joke with Tony Finau on PInehurst’s driving vary.

They as soon as labored collectively. Finau laughed, and Bodine was on his approach. That’s Bodine. Mild. Goes by G-Bo. Performed faculty golf. Co-founded an indoor golf facility.

Now caddies for Bryson DeChambeau, who final Could stated he wanted gentle.

Who Sunday, from a greenside bunker on 18 throughout the remaining spherical, wanted inspiration. A stroke earlier than that, DeChambeau had been stymied. He was up a shot over Rory McIlroy, who had missed a brief par putt forward of him. However, after going left off the tee, DeChambeau’s ball was beside a root and atop grime, and all he may handle was a hacked-at dribbler to the sand. 

It sat just a few paces from the entrance of the bunker, about 50 yards to the outlet. There was hassle. It may ricochet again. It may fall off the inexperienced. DeChambeau stated the lie was “one of many worst locations I may have been.” Afterward, on Golf Channel, he admitted that he may get up-and-down solely about 4 occasions out of 100. He talked with Bodine. 

And Bodine stated these 13 phrases, in line with his boss: “You bought this shot. I’ve seen approach more durable photographs pulled off from you.”

Seconds later, with a 55-degree wedge, DeChambeau lofted his ball up. It fell about 15 toes from the cup. It completed about 4 toes away.

“Shot of my life,” DeChambeau stated. 

A putt later, he received the U.S. Open for a second time. DeChambeau and Bodine hugged, 13 months after the participant stated he was misplaced. 

He’d gone via a pair bag males. He’d misplaced some kind. He related with Bodine. They clicked. Twice final 12 months, they received LIV Golf tournaments. This 12 months, within the majors, DeChambeau has completed T6 on the Masters and runner-up on the PGA Championship. 

“Oh, man, yeah, I used to be struggling,” DeChambeau stated in his winner’s press convention. “I didn’t know the place my recreation was. I had no thought what was occurring. Greg was in a spot the place he was beginning a enterprise. He was in a spot the place he didn’t know what was going to go on. Some household stuff occurred. It was only a bizarre second for him and for me. I assume it was destiny. The 2 lives that have been in some despair bought introduced collectively to make one another higher. I really feel like that’s what’s occurred. He gave me an opportunity. 

“I stated, I don’t know what I’m going to present you. I don’t know what recreation I’ve. You could hate what I’ve, and I may not like the way in which you caddie. He’s very mellow, any person that I’ve by no means — I’ve had a whole lot of A-type personalities. They’ve labored nice; I’ve achieved very properly. However he’s been a particular human being for me in my life, getting me to understand what life is about. It’s not simply all about golf. He works exhausting. He’s a diligent employee. Brings the most effective out of me.”

Unsurprisingly, their relationship is gentle, DeChambeau stated. 

“Typically I want he’d converse up extra,” he stated. “Typically I want he’d converse much less. Does he have veto energy? No. I imply, we simply have a dialog about what’s the most effective determination for each of us. ‘You don’t have veto energy.’ [Here, he laughed.] However we have now a pure dialog about what’s going to be the most effective scenario. We make the choice collectively. 

“Regardless of the result’s, typically I’m like, Dang it, G-Bo, why didn’t we consider this? And it’s not his fault; it’s our fault collectively. After we win collectively, we win collectively. If we fail collectively, we fail collectively. That’s the mindset I take into it. It’s not a binary factor. It’s a related, work-through-it-together form of factor.”

Nick Piastowski

Golf.com Editor

Nick Piastowski is a Senior Editor at Golf.com and Golf Journal. In his position, he’s answerable for modifying, writing and growing tales throughout the golf house. And when he’s not writing about methods to hit the golf ball farther and straighter, the Milwaukee native might be enjoying the sport, hitting the ball left, proper and quick, and ingesting a chilly beer to scrub away his rating. You possibly can attain out to him about any of those subjects — his tales, his recreation or his beers — at [email protected].