Bryson DeChambeau is at the center of one of the wildest golf stories of the year. Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images If you were hoping for a bizarre, somewhat salacious Bryson DeChambeau story to tide you over until next week’s Open Championship , you’re in luck. This one features broken relationships, a “disgruntled employee” and an alleged multi-million “extortion” scheme.
It comes to us thanks to reporting from Golfweek’s Adam Schupak . The story is complex, and you should read Schupak’s accounting in full to absorb all the details. But here are some highlights.
The wild tale starts with golf instructor Mike Schy, who was one of DeChambeau’s first teachers during his California youth and worked with the now two-time U.S. Open champion until 2018.
In 2023, Schy approached DeChambeau about creating a series of affordable junior golf tournaments, which, at DeChambeau’s suggestion, they named the Jon DeChambeau Memorial Junior Tour after Bryson’s late father. According to Schupak’s report, Schy put on a successful series of test events in 2023, and when DeChambeau asked what money they would need for the next season, Schy told him “$125,000 for two years.” Schy claimed DeChambeau said he would provide the funding via a “a non-recourse loan,” which is when things started to get messy.
DeChambeau’s agent, Brett Falkoff, told Schupak that Schy didn’t properly set up the 501-C3 organization in California for the tour, which was miss.
