“They’re awesome [the fans],” he told Sky Sports after his round on Friday. “They’ve been super nice to me and it’s fun feeding off that energy. I love it.
“I’ve learned a lot about myself in general and what makes me not just a better golfer, but a person – how can I be more entertaining and give the fans what they deserve?”
Having such a connection with supporters is world away from the man who used to have to endure heckles of ‘Brooksy’, among other barbs, due to his long-running feud with five-time major winner Brooks Koepka.
The animosity between the pair, though it has settled of late, dates back to 2019 when Koepka criticised DeChambeau’s slow play as “embarrassing”. That led to an incident later that year where DeChambeau confronted Koepka’s caddie Ricky Elliott, and the pair have been known to go at it on social media.
DeChambeau finds himself on the favourable end of the feud right now, partly because he no longer seems troubled by it, playing with a smile on his face and, frankly, playing better golf.
“I’m excited for the game that I have right now,” DeChambeau said after his second round. “I feel pretty confident and ready to get after it this weekend.”
And why wouldn’t he be at the moment?
This week is just the third time in DeChambeau’s career that he’s opened a major championship with back-to-back rounds of under 70… the first was when victorious at Winged Foot four years ago, with the second coming in that second placing at Valhalla a month ago.
DeChambeau’s physical transformation prior to his first major win was marked – a three-stone weight gain over a nine-month period aiding his unmatched length off the tee and earning him the nickname of ‘The Incredible Bulk’.
He hit only three fairways on the Saturday of his 2020 triumph, six on the Sunday and 23 for the week.
Rory McIlroy said at the time: “That’s just the complete opposite of what you think a US Open champion does… look, he’s found a way to do it.”
A couple of months later at the Covid-delayed 2020 Masters, DeChambeau cockily proclaimed Augusta National as “a par 67 for me”.
He has since spoken of his regret at the comment. “Regarding the 67,” he said at Augusta this year. “You mess up. I’m not a perfect person. You learn from your mistakes, and that was definitely one.”
And there’s a marked difference in the way he’s doing it this time around compared to four years ago, with DeChambeau finding 19 fairways through the first two days, including a stonking 12 of 14 on Thursday.
