ESPN Host Urges Bryson DeChambeau to Get Real About Golf as LIV Star Misses Cut at 2026 PGA Championship

Bryson DeChambeau missed the cut at the PGA Championship as he finished 7-over par after 2 rounds, 3 strokes behind the cutline.

ESPN Host Urges Bryson DeChambeau to Get Real About Golf as LIV Star Misses Cut at 2026 PGA Championship

Bryson DeChambeau (Image via Imago)

Bryson DeChambeau suffered another disappointing end to a major championship as he missed the cut on Friday. The LIV golfer finished 7-over par at the PGA Championship and failed to make the cut in a second straight major of the year. Amidst this, an ESPN host urged him to get real about golf.

DeChambeau arrived at the Aronimink Golf Club in Pennsylvania on the back of mixed form. After finishing T17, T3, and T24 in the first 3 LIV Golf events, he went back-to-back.

The Crushers GC captain claimed successive victories at the LIV Golf Singapore and LIV Golf South Africa events. He claimed victories in these two events through the playoff round as he got the better of Richard T. Lee in Singapore and then Jon Rahm in South Africa.

After riding high in confidence, DeChambeau suffered a major crash at the Masters Tournament. The golfer struggled at the Augusta National Golf Club and exploded on the final hole in the 2nd round. A triple bogey on the 18th hole saw him finish the event 6-over par, 2 strokes behind the cutline of 4-over.

He then withdrew from the LIV Golf Mexico City event due to a wrist injury before playing in the LIV Golf Virginia event. In his previous start, he finished 3rd.

In the PGA Championship, the 2-time major champion struggled again. He had a disappointing start in the first round and carded a score of 76.

During the second round, he once again had a tough time and fell 10-over par after the 11th hole. He finished off with 3 straight birdies on holes 16, 17, and 18, which saw him go 7-under par for the tournament. The late flourish was not able to save him, though, as he missed the cut while being 3 strokes behind the 4-over cutline.

ESPN Golf host Scott Van Pelt was at the Aronimink Golf Club. He would join the Dan Patrick Show and speak about the tournament with show host Dan Patrick. During their conversation, Van Pelt claimed that DeChambeau needs to get realistic about golf while bringing up his YouTube work.

The suggestion that he could go be a YouTube player and then just show up and play in the majors, that’s just not a realistic thought. You have to be competitively sharp to come out here and play the hardest courses in the world against the best players in the world.

Scott Van Pelt said regarding Bryson DeChambeau

Van Pelt then pointed out DeChambeau’s victory at the 2024 U.S. Open. While he expressed that the golfer can continue to be a YouTube player and influence people, he pointed out that ultimately, DeChambeau’s popularity would increase by contending on the weekend of a major tournament.

These words from him come after the golfer made a bold statement regarding his future. A few days back, the LIV Golf confirmed that the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia will stop their funding after the 2026 season.

This has led to several speculations regarding the future of the league. In an interview with ESPN, DeChambeau expressed that he would focus on growing his YouTube channel if the breakaway tour folds at the end of this season.

At the moment, the American international has over 2.69 million subscribers on his YouTube channel. He has created several pieces of content on his platform and has seen a rise in his social media following.

Through his 2024 U.S. Open win at Pinehurst, he has a 10-year exemption in this major event. Apart from that, he has a 5-year exemption from the other three majors. In case the LIV Golf stops existing and DeChambeau declines to return to the PGA Tour, he could play in just 4 major events and continue working on his YouTube channel.

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Bryson DeChambeau remained quiet during the 2026 PGA Championship

Bryson DeChambeau has remained quiet in recent weeks. At the PGA Championship, the 32-year-old refused to take part in any media session and did not speak with the reporters.

Bryson DeChambeau
Bryson DeChambeau (Image via SB Nation)

With the current turmoil of LIV Golf, the golfer skipped the press conference at the LIV Golf Virginia event. At the moment, he is one of the high-profile names of the breakaway tour and is engaged in contract renewal talks.

At the PGA Championship, he remained silent. While he did sign autographs for the fans, he turned down the chance to offer his thoughts.

This is not the first time a golfer has refused to speak to the media at the PGA Championship. Last year, Rory McIlroy skipped all 4 days of press conferences after a media leak revealed his driver to be non-conforming.

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Bryson DeChambeau matches unwanted career record after missed cut at 2026 PGA Championship

Bryson DeChambeau left another major event empty-handed. The World No. 28 ended up matching an unwanted career record as he missed the cut at the 2026 PGA Championship.

Bryson DeChambeau
Bryson DeChambeau (Image via Newsweek)

According to Golf Digest’s Christopher Powers, this missed cut marked the first time since 2017 that he had failed to secure weekend status in back-to-back majors.

He had previously missed the cut at the 2017 U.S. Open at Erin Hills. He then went on to miss the cut at the Open Championship at the Royal Birkdale. He has never missed 3 straight cuts in major championships.

Last year, he had an impressive showing in the majors. Though he missed the cut at the U.S. Open while being the defending champion, he finished T5, T2, and T10 at the Masters Tournament, the PGA Championship, and the Open Championship, respectively. This strong showing helped him seal a place in the Ryder Cup squad despite limited points opportunities.

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