Bryson DeChambeau - Wikipedia

DeChambeau was born on September 16, 1993, in Modesto, California, to Janet (née Druffel) and Jon Aldrich DeChambeau. His full name is Bryson James Aldrich DeChambeau, with James being his middle name and "Aldrich DeChambeau" constituting two surnames. He did not find out he had two surnames until he was 14.[7] DeChambeau's father was an accomplished amateur golfer who had a brief career as a professional. He later became director of operations at Riverbend Golf Club (renamed Dragonfly Golf Club) in Madera, California.[8][9] DeChambeau has a brother named Garrett Wolford, who is 12 years older and was once a talented baseball player.[8][9]

At age seven, DeChambeau moved to Clovis, California. He attended Clovis East High School and won the California State Junior Championship at age 16 in 2010. He graduated in 2012 and accepted a scholarship to play for the SMU Mustangs at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, where he majored in physics.[10] DeChambeau wore an anachronistic flat cap while on the golf course due to his admiration for Ben Hogan and fellow SMU alumnus Payne Stewart.[11][12]

In June 2015, DeChambeau became the first SMU Mustang to win the NCAA individual championship, recording a score of 280 (−8) to win by one stroke.[13] In August, he won the U.S. Amateur title, defeating Derek Bard 7 & 6 in the 36-hole final. He became the fifth player to win both the NCAA and U.S. Amateur titles in the same year, joining Jack Nicklaus (1961), Phil Mickelson (1990), Tiger Woods (1996), and Ryan Moore (2004).[3]

DeChambeau made his PGA Tour debut as an amateur in June 2015 at the FedEx St. Jude Classic near Memphis, Tennessee, and finished in 45th place. The following week, he played in his first major championship, the 2015 U.S. Open held at Chambers Bay. He shot 74-75 to miss the cut by four strokes.[14] DeChambeau was unable to defend his NCAA title in 2016 after the SMU athletic department was handed a postseason ban by the NCAA, due to recruiting violations under former head coach Josh Gregory.[15]

Due to SMU's post-season suspension, DeChambeau decided to forgo his senior season to play in a number of professional events. He retained his amateur status to avoid losing entry to the Masters Tournament, which he received due to his U.S. Amateur victory.[16] At the 2015 Australian Masters in November, he finished runner-up, two shots behind Peter Senior.[17] He was the low amateur at the 2016 Masters Tournament, finishing in a tie for 21st place.[18]