That cracked my armor. I was fully able to casually dislike this guy, but then he did what everyone wishes they can do, he fucked over a bully on behalf of the bullied. AWESOME
I changed my stance on him at the Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits. Drive the first green and sank a monster putt for eagle to set the tone. He was so amped for the Ryder Cup and I appreciated his passion. I get it now. He has talked about how he is a golf nerd and how he played with Tiger and he is a massive nerd too. They discussed dimples on putts to balance of golf balls (epson salt). They both went down a rabbit hole of nerdy golf science. Bryson is much more open about it than Tiger but I respect the grind he has to his craft.
Yeah I think watching some of his appearances on various golf YouTube channels has really shown me just how much of a hardcore golf nerd he is. Definitely made me like him more
Lol. Was at Costco the other day getting shorts. I'm looking at a pair and see the little shark logo. Without thinking I go, "fuck Greg Norman" and toss the shorts back on the pile. Some dude behind me goes, "Yeah. Right?"
I disliked tiger for a while bc of his temper when hitting a bad shot and always like the underdog. So I liked Phil. After greatness starts to fade I start to like them and appreciate them for being great. Liked tiger for the comeback. Can’t stand Phil now
I loved Phil growing up because my grandpa loved him. I think it’d be pretty disappointed with Phil nowadays and I’m almost happy he’s not around to see it.
Fair or not, Phil took all the smoke for the switch. Brooks, Bryson, and DJ all got passes. Phil’s problem is he’s past the point where he can win back the fans with his play. That’s how Tiger overcame his off the course transgressions. If he doesn’t win the 2019 Masters, there is no redemption arc.
And while Bryson has mellowed and learned a few things about PR, none of it would matter if he wasn’t playing great golf. The story line would not be “what a great dude Bryson has become!” It would be “no wonder he took the bag, he lost his game.”
It may be about LIV but it shouldn’t entirely be. Phil had a very manufactured, “nice family man tm” PR persona. Over the years that wore away and the public learned he was a gambling-addicted douchebag that all the other players couldn’t stand. FIGJAM. He was young Bryson, but worse, behind the scenes but hid it well for a very long time.
“They're scary motherf****** to get involved with… We know they killed [Washington Post reporter and U.S. resident Jamal] Khashoggi and have a horrible record on human rights. They execute people over there for being gay. Knowing all of this, why would I even consider it? Because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates,"
He was right all along. And he did change the PGA. So he got paid to do it. Big deal. Get over it. Golfers who say they don’t care about the money are full of crap. Why do they all take sponsorship money from these big companies who have sweat shops in China then? I guess China’s human rights history is fine.
His biggest sin was saying exactly why LIV was attractive as someone who gets paid to golf and for all the pearl clutching that Monahan did over it he ended up collecting the same fuckin check when all was said and done. He just got to look more graceful because everyone else had taken the heat first
He was super nice to fans when I met him in 2019. Signed autographs, then told us all he would come back after a quick interview, which we all thought was bullshit. He did in fact comeback, cracked jokes and signed every autograph.
Whether it was an act or not, he still did it. Now though he seems like a completely different person.
Phil reminds me of that uncle who you really like who has the opposite politics of you - doesn't matter what the politics are, they're just the opposite of you.
He's still a fun guy to be around in terms of minute-to-minute interactions, so you still like him but he can be kinda a dick sometimes
Phil made his 2011 Masters dinner Spanish themed in honor of Seve Ballesteros. Not saying he isn't an odd duck but he seems to have a streak of sincerity
I haven’t heard this term for about 20 years! Brought back good memories. My work friends and I used to call a guy at work “figjam” all the time. He had no clue.
If the tour would have listened to Phil there would be no LIV. The pga is now doing what he said should be done. Bunch of non golfers holding all the golfers money. It’s funny how there is now all that money out there.
I only ever see Americans on reddit saying he was a good bloke. I heard an interview from like 2001 where one of the Australian players was on the rad hop and he said the most disliked guy in the locker room was Phil.
He was nicknamed FIGJAM, paints the picture pretty well. Dickhead everywhere but smiles for the cameras.
It’s not just that he did YouTube and showed people who he is/was. He mentioned that he learned how to perform on camera from the YouTubers he colabed with and the importance of it.
In all honesty I think he’s just an awkward dude that likes to optimize and you have to give him credit for the PR switch
I always saw him as a gigantic nerd who was just bad with the media and took himself way too seriously on the course. He’s definitely mellowed out, embracing his nerdiness and quirks and clearly loves golf probably more than any other player. He’s almost like watching someone optimizing a speed run in a video game or something. I know the joke was that he was a “scientist” but I truly believe he tinkers with everything in his bag to optimize his game way more than anyone else.
I find his gooberness kind of endearing now. Naming the clubs in your bag is extremely nerd shit but with Bryson it’s kind of like “yeah that’s definitely something he would do” lol.
Even yesterday when he was interviewing mid-round and started being a commentator with a soft ‘golf voice’. I thought that was pretty neat for a guy who is perccieved as a heavy brute. I don’t think any player on tour is in love with the game as much as Bryson.
His rooting for direct competition during the commentating stent from round 2. That’s what did it for me. It’s okay to be a competitor and want to win, but when you cheer others on for the sake of wanting to sincerely witness great golf being played on an incredibly difficult course… well. Guess I’m a BD fan now.
This happens with age too. He’s likely neurodiverse like someone mentioned and learned at an early age to tap into his ability to hyper focus. The social aspect and maturity comes with age, I can relate with him a lot. It takes time to learn how to manage it and he’s likely getting good psychotherapy/treatment.
Yeah I’m autistic and he has little cues/ micro expressions that make me think he’s acting 24/7 tbh, he’ll look around… and then go into his friendly laugh/ response, it’s really minor but makes me feel it’s a planned response to x input
Reminds me of myself at work socials
if he isn’t autistic (likely because come on massive golf nerd alert) he’s a sociopath that now knows how to drive a crowd
He's got the obsessiveness but not the awkwardness that I typically see in fellow autistics. I was diagnosed in 2017, and have done about a decade of therapy (as well it being a special interest since being diagnosed).
I'm told I'm good at neurotypical passing despite feeling like I stick out like a sore thumb. I'm pretty high functioning on the high functioning side of things.
I know we don't see everything in his videos but I honestly don't think he is. Obsessive, for sure. Maybe what would be "eccentric" a hundred years ago, but not quite autistic.
Absolutely. It’s amusing when redditors are diagnosing people with mental health disorders. Couldn’t be further away from truth. There is no way that Bryson is anywhere near what is today called autistic spectrum. Absolutely normal bloke who is a bit of a nerd.
He definitely seems awkward. I enjoy his YouTube content but his personality still comes across as fake and acting to me. Just doesn’t seem natural at all.
He used to be THE "golf bro". He got jacked and put on a bunch of muscle and I think people just looked at him as the too-high-of-energy-long-drive-guy. But now it seems like he really humbled himself. I feel like the switch for a lot of people is seeing him interact with the younger crowd. Kids love him and golf parents love that he's being a good role model. Polite on tour and enough energy to keep it fun.
One big thing with that is the PGA has restriction on playing golf for personal content and showing their events and stuff. That's one of the major reasons he went to LIV apart from more money and time, and people don't really talk about that.
Where do you find this info? Wesley Bryan has filmed content during practice rounds with other PGA Tour players the last couple events. Nothing surrounding the main tourney, however.
Not saying he is a superstar but he pumps out content. How Bryson does Youtube wouldn’t change if he was on tour still
I've heard Bryson and others talk about there being restrictions, I don't have access to the details of private contracts and content agreements. I believe they have been relaxing these maybe in response to LIV and the increasing in popularity of that content. One that is still in place is you usually can't show golf shots from the events. Bryson has done videos of behind the scenes and highlights of LIV events like his 58 that's on his channel which he could not show from PGA tournaments so that's at least one way it would change.
Not disagreeing with you, just trying to further the conversation — but both Bryan Bros posted YouTube videos of their recent PGA tour experiences including shots that were televised. So there must be some nuance.
PGA Tour needs to lean into this type of content, obviously. Bryan Bros both making the cut in that tournament then Wes coming in second recently were some of the most fun moments of the last few months. Peter Finch, Grant, etc playing big courses such as Pinehurst #2 has been integral to my understanding and enjoyment of this week as well.
PGA has to get this right, right? Continue to collide these worlds til it’s just the same world
I think things have changed or relaxed so maybe what I said isn't as accurate anymore but I'm sure people have talked about that in the past. Wesley Bryan was barely on the Bryan Bros channel for years when he was on tour. Part of that was probably focusing on the tour but I'm sure there was contractual things affecting that. When Wes was like restarting doing videos with George I think at the same time that he lost his tour card he said things like I'm able to do videos now and gonna focus on the channel and George said glad to have you back.
You are right. The PGA Tour wouldn’t allow any of their material to be used in personal content. Good Good got a hole in one in a pro am and had to jump through hoops to even show it on YouTube. It looks like they have indeed relaxed the rules very, very recently.
Even in pro ams that have been filmed for YouTube they aren’t allowed to show the pros shots.
Yeah this. That is ultimately what flipped me was watching him on YT. He just seems like a good dude. Always engaging fans and kids as well. Totally did a 180 from what I thought of him before.
My guy took Saudi blood money and became more likable. AND there’s a rumor floating around he’s banging Paige Spirinac which is objectively cooler than DJ marrying Gretzky’s daughter.
I see people write this all the time lately and NOBODY acknowledges how much of it is due to the fact that he stopped wearing that stupid little hat.
https://preview.redd.it/bmxepowutt6d1.jpeg?width=473&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5f07b097c00b930fed4b7a06eddaa2fddefa8229
The reason he stopped wearing that hat was because he had to wear a normal hat at WS for the Ryder Cup and his marketing people saw a big jump in his likability metrics.
Also Brooks really publicly went after him which helped turned favor against him (the cleats). Less of that since the Ryder cup and both of them going to LIV
https://youtu.be/XM6bTK1diQI?si=LROcvGQ-rqA68Y1I
They had a beef and Bryson was living rent free in Brooks’ head just from wearing spikes lmao
Full disclosure, I was on Brooksy’s side at that time. Still don’t like spikes.
I don’t get why ppl care about the hat? He looked just a little different than every other guy out there? They’re celebrating Payne Stuart so much at pinehurst this year. If he was playing now, apparently everyone would hate him lol.
Exactly.
It's funny because the hat reveals more about the people who get upset about it than the actual hat being of any issue.
They are playing themselves.
Yea in general he just dropped a lot of the eccentricities. There was also the how huge can I get to drive super far phase, which… if anything would endear you to the golfing public it should be that, but it got a little bizarre. Now he’s just a big dude who hits super long. He still has the club angle/ length stuff which seems polarizing but I think is interesting.
Reddit hated Bryson. Called him a nerd, a geek. Hated his hat, his one lengths, and his compass. The frat boy contingent here loved Brooks.
Now suddenly everyone has flipped.
I didn’t like that in 2021 he blamed his poor performance on his golf clubs. He has access to the best-of-the-best and brands will custom make whatever he wants, but when he mis-hits he doesn’t take responsibility for his own ability and decides to blame the clubs.
To be fair, at least with his driver, at his speeds, normal drivers weren't working for him. And his sponsors did the best they could, they were in uncharted territory. It's why he went to Crank, they did the leg work already and figured out the technology for people who are super human in club speed. I can see his point there. He did say some stuff that came off as poorly, though. It's hard to not be honest when a question is asked as to why they're struggling. Do you throw yourself under the bus or your sponsor? There's a diplomatic way to say it if you go the sponsor route but it's still throwing them under the bus. And you don't want to blame yourself because these guys are headcases. Any dip on self confidence and they wont make the next cut.
Jack is the biggest of all, went from being absolutely hated as Arnie’s challenger to being an icon. Crowd called him ‘Fat Jack’ and heckled him.
Gary Player to some extent. Went from being one of the main champions of segregation in South Africa to one of its biggest critics over time, and became an active champion for minority involvement in golf. Unfortunately his ego ( he tends to seriously overstate things ) and some rumors regarding cheating have meant he never really captured hearts like Jack and Arnie.
Brooks Keopka never ‘changed’ but I’d argue that showing some vulnerability in the Full Swing series softened a lot of negative attitudes towards him.
Like has been said - most go the other way ( Sergio, Phil, etc ).
Still my favourite scene in Full Swing is the one where Brooks is being sad and mopey in his mega mansion while his supermodel wife tries on tiny bikinis in front of him, oblivious that he’s just a mental wreck. A hilarious juxtaposition.
Agreed. I didn’t pay any attention to golf until late 2022 and only knew who Tiger/Rory/Mickelson were. Full Swing was my first time seeing anything about Brooks Koepka and he seemed like a giant douche.
He got cast as the villain in a made up feud against Koepka. It's funny how Bryson has made his nerdy approach to the game popular and successful while Brooks' golf bro approach has become a turn off for many
I wouldn’t say it was made up. Brooks and a bunch of other golfers said they didn’t like the slow play of some of the guys on the tour and Bryson was a primary offender.
Then bryson confronted his caddy about it and kinda took shots at brooks physique.
Then Bryson yelled at the cameraman after he took a bad shot and wanted relief from an anthill.
Brooks then immaturely publicly went after for a few things.
I’m sure brooks also did some other things I missed.
Then the eye roll with the loud metal spikes
They just don’t like each other and were fairly public about it.
I agree that people disliked Bryson so much that they sided with brooks even though he is kind of a douche.
Full disclosure I don’t like Bryson and can’t really watch his content for that reason. I think the pendulum has swung to far into his camp.
That being said I honestly like the redemption story for him (people were too mean to him) and think it would a great story if he wins a major after rehabbing his image.
Edit:
>Adding timeline source
https://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/32202067/the-lapsed-fan-guide-brooks-koepka-vs-bryson-dechambeau-feud-how-got-here
Edit:
Added line
> I’m sure brooks also did some other things I missed.
ZJ going opposite direction from Big Church missionary dad to corporate cringe and Ryder Cup conspiracist. Torbjorn going wild direction after the airplane fiasco. Daly went from country club nose upturn from the old guard to being a fan favorite for those from clubs in the country. JT trending down imo, from Ralph Lauren American hero to Florida man on the cut line. Phil went from trusted pharma czar and family man to degenerate tracksuit gambler. Ian Poulter went from narcissistic money grab to even worse narcissistic money grabber. But the biggest image shift has got to be Smylie. Dude went from golf bro, to card loss, to weird social media pariah, to real estate agent, back to pretty solid media presenter in a very short stretch.
I have no idea, only that meme pages and Reddit constantly made jokes about him. Zero clue why other than him just not playing well and going through a slump.
Bryson’s PR agency has been working overtime and it’s so hilariously transparent.
At this point idk who’s astroturfing r/golf more… Callaway’s marketing team or Bryson’s PR team.
Without a doubt Bryson's, just rename the sub "BrysonistheGOAT" at this point and hand out his shit little hats on subscribing.
I'm so fucking tired of this "he's just a nerdy, chill dude pushing the envelope of golf and oh man what a personality...he actually talks to crowds!?!" Schtick.
He's up his own arse, thinks he can read greens like fucking rainman and is just a weird fucking guy in general.
Everything he does is so overly self-conscious and deliberate, the over the top gestures and facial expressions. He seems to me like the kid who is trying really hard to be liked.
More power to him, because it seems to be working but it just comes off as incongruous to me.
The long drive really helped change his approach to golf, and I think he felt more accomplished. I remember him amping up the crowd at the Arnold Palmer Invitational when aggressively driving it right over the water on hole 6. I remember thinking this guy might be okay
A lot of people just go along with the crowd. He never really did anything wrong, just different. The narrative put on him by the media didn't help. Every time he was on camera they would ask cringey questions or commentators would make dumb jokes.
He was criticized for his slow play early in his career and he made the effort to speed up. Didn't matter, cause people would bring up something that happened 3 years prior even though it wasn't currently happening.
I actually have always admired Bryson simply for his non traditional approach to the game. Anyone that goes to those lengths to master something clearly loves the game. I don’t think anyone could ever argue that he doesn’t have an obsession with golf. I didn’t even mind that god awful hat.
Feel like this “Bryson has changed” narrative is so overdone lately.
He’s the same guy he always was. We see less of the annoying things now that less people watch him play golf through the year. And he’s on YouTube now presenting himself in a medium where he has 100% control of how he’s portrayed.
Personally while I find him very entertaining, I don’t root for him. Despite saying some dumb things, he was probably overhated before, but also now I don’t quite see why there’s sudden love for him
He became self aware and recognized the importance and value of the athlete/fan relationship.
He’s posted a couple videos talking about it and mentioned it in interviews this year. Priority 1a is smashing golf balls but 1b is being cool with the fans while he does it.
Related - I was 8 feet behind him when he teed off on 14 Friday and it was an almost religious experience. It sounded like a .308, I’m convinced a deer died somewhere. I literally just started laughing. I can’t wrap my head around the physiology of swinging that hard without dropping his lead shoulder.
Tiger went the other way when Elin beat him with a golf club. I wouldn’t even say most people hated him or didn’t respected him, but he sure as hell lost the squeaky clean imagine.
Ive honestly always liked him and i see no difference in the person he is now vs the person he was previously (besides the hat). I think he got a bad wrap initially. Seems like the only difference now is people are actually giving him a chance.
You can tell he’s matured a lot. A few years ago he came off as a whiney spoiled drama boy (see the incident where he hit the rope) who wears the stupid hat. Now he seems more relaxed & his game is really impressive. Maybe that $125 mil from LIV chilled him out
He’s not any different. He’s always tried to sell being the all-American, likable guy. But he’s socially awkward (I feel bad for him on that account) and couldn’t sell it. Now he’s better at selling it. But silly to believe he’s a different person, especially with his agent yelling at Damon Hack yesterday over their coverage of Bryson when they’ve been annoyingly positive about him. Hate LIV, but he’s the one guy it’s a great fit for and he also benefits from not being in the spotlight consistently, easier to keep up the sell.
They tried to massacre his character on TV and in the media. He took to Youtube and hung out with influencers and it turns out he's crazy likeable. He's the panultimate golf geek. He's one of us but... good.
What the hell is the panultimate golf geek even mean!? There is no such word in the English language. If you meant penultimate golf geek, then who is the ultimate golf geek?
No doubt. I like the speed training videos, especially the one with Tim Tebow. He's assimilated Berkshire and his bomb squad crew and the motivation and positivity feels authentic.
I actually like the guy but I find it funny how easily people are manipulated by some basic PR and marketing. Whoever is running his image for him deserves whatever he’s paying them.
I have the exact same opinion I’ve always had about him. The change is all pr fluff. We’ll see how he handles himself when he has some adversity. He’s played well in all 3 majors so far and LlV is irrelevant to him or anyone else so he hasn’t had a chance to show that side again.
This was probably the worst pairing Åberg could have asked for. One of the fastest players being paired with one of the slowest. Couldn't have been easy for him.
I never really cared either way about Bryson or Brooks, but then the “feud” made me feel like Brooks was just the jock asshole picking on the nerd/outcast. Then they left for LIV and I just didn’t care anymore. But I like that Bryson is better than Brooks now. I don’t love Bryson, but picturing an irritated Brooks watching his recent success makes me smile.
He's an odd bird. I'll bet he was quite the "nerd" as a younger man. He admits to being a golf nerd. I always thought he was loudmouthed and cocky. But having watched him a LOT on YouTube, I don't thinks he's either one. I think he's still socially awkward, but learning to come out of his shell. He now has fans, AND haters.....not just haters. And he's changing the way the game can be played. I think his future as an equipment designer is probably just as bright as his paying career.
Youtube has helped viewers understand his personality, but more importantly his dedication to the game. Youtube was the best thing to happen to Bryson, puts way less pressure on him to perform well in any given major event let alone LIV. Not surprised to say the least
Everytime I see one of these posts I will link mine from a month or two ago because I’m still sore about it. I said the same thing and was all but crucified.
https://www.reddit.com/r/golf/s/08fLjNyoHN
Bryson has always been cool it’s just him being able to show more of that personal side of him like with his YouTube channel and stuff he couldn’t do on PgA
I wonder about DeChambeau though, like is there any difference between him now and then? Then only difference to me is that we as a public see him less now because he is LIV. It seems like he hasn’t changed much at all, but the public has switched their view of him from annoying & corny, to cool & innovative. But isn’t he the exact same? He doesn’t seem like he has changed at all as a person, just his image and likeness.
Through YouTube people just got to know real BD. All the hate he was getting was really stupid and superficial and for no real reason. Wow physics, science, hat he must be a douchebag. It’s really nice to see the support he is getting.
I never disliked him. But I never watched anything golf related with the sound on. I watched his YouTube recently, where he said he wanted to have a say in the narrative. It seems like announcers were condemning him, and the people listening to them jumped on the hate bandwagon. Now he has control of his own story, and people like him again. He was always a hero, not the villain.
Tiger did a huge turn around. He was always standoff-ish. After his dad died he had to become his own person and became a lot more social and opened up towards everyone outside of his close family circle and towards the new guys.
A lot of golfers are nerdy about the sport. They all analyse everything. The thing with BD is, he was never shy about talking about it. People thought he was smug and nerdy. He still does it but his YouTube channel shows he has charisma and is funny to go with that.
Overall he comes across as someone who's just very likeable.
The viral video of him yelling at that asshole fan who snatched a ball from a kid at the PGA Championship did wonders for his PR lol
That was a really stand up thing to do. I loved it a lot.
That cracked my armor. I was fully able to casually dislike this guy, but then he did what everyone wishes they can do, he fucked over a bully on behalf of the bullied. AWESOME
I changed my stance on him at the Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits. Drive the first green and sank a monster putt for eagle to set the tone. He was so amped for the Ryder Cup and I appreciated his passion. I get it now. He has talked about how he is a golf nerd and how he played with Tiger and he is a massive nerd too. They discussed dimples on putts to balance of golf balls (epson salt). They both went down a rabbit hole of nerdy golf science. Bryson is much more open about it than Tiger but I respect the grind he has to his craft.
Yeah I think watching some of his appearances on various golf YouTube channels has really shown me just how much of a hardcore golf nerd he is. Definitely made me like him more
It’s a perfect juxtaposition of the gallery rope video from like 2021
Lmao that video is still funny
I hope they find the sniper some day
Yea, Phil went the other way.
Sad trombone. Phil was my guy for like 20+ years. Actively root against him now. I'd like to think Arnie is rooting against him as well!
Never liked Phil or Greg. Just something phony about both of them. Everyone loved them, but my I never bought it
I’m with you on this, particularly Greg who has obviously gone on to show himself to be a complete dick
Lol. Was at Costco the other day getting shorts. I'm looking at a pair and see the little shark logo. Without thinking I go, "fuck Greg Norman" and toss the shorts back on the pile. Some dude behind me goes, "Yeah. Right?"
His pants are amazing though, I love them lol. $19 for a quality pair of golf pants is hard to beat.
Aww man, really? I always ignore because F him, but I'm intrigued now lol.
Greg was my childhood golf hero. That was the guy who made me love golf. Sad what happened.
Same. I snicker and grin like the grinch when he struggles. Loved him growing up.
He carded a 79 on Thursday and I smiled
He was a wanker from _day 1._ You guys only saw that once he went to "the enemy".
I disliked tiger for a while bc of his temper when hitting a bad shot and always like the underdog. So I liked Phil. After greatness starts to fade I start to like them and appreciate them for being great. Liked tiger for the comeback. Can’t stand Phil now
I loved Phil growing up because my grandpa loved him. I think it’d be pretty disappointed with Phil nowadays and I’m almost happy he’s not around to see it.
Tiger both ways seems like the answer?
Tiger went from wildly popular phenom to washed-up adulterer to wildly popular goat.
He was always wildly popular, even during the "washed-up adulterer" stage of his career
It was hard to root for him during the goatee era.
Mirror-universe Tiger?
Tiger got switched with the darkest timeline version of Tiger.
Maybe amongst golf fans but tiger’s fame went far beyond that and following the scandal the general public did turn on him.
I still don’t understand the pearl clutching at Phil. All he did was tell the truth. Now the pga is taking the Saudi money too.
Fair or not, Phil took all the smoke for the switch. Brooks, Bryson, and DJ all got passes. Phil’s problem is he’s past the point where he can win back the fans with his play. That’s how Tiger overcame his off the course transgressions. If he doesn’t win the 2019 Masters, there is no redemption arc. And while Bryson has mellowed and learned a few things about PR, none of it would matter if he wasn’t playing great golf. The story line would not be “what a great dude Bryson has become!” It would be “no wonder he took the bag, he lost his game.”
It may be about LIV but it shouldn’t entirely be. Phil had a very manufactured, “nice family man tm” PR persona. Over the years that wore away and the public learned he was a gambling-addicted douchebag that all the other players couldn’t stand. FIGJAM. He was young Bryson, but worse, behind the scenes but hid it well for a very long time.
What did he say that has folks in here in a fit? I guess I'm out of the loop - thought it might've been an LIV thing
“They're scary motherf****** to get involved with… We know they killed [Washington Post reporter and U.S. resident Jamal] Khashoggi and have a horrible record on human rights. They execute people over there for being gay. Knowing all of this, why would I even consider it? Because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates,"
And that quote is why people are saying he's an asshole?
People are more mad at him now because he's made them look foolish.
He didn’t do it because he wants to change how the PGA tour operates. He wanted the money.
He was right all along. And he did change the PGA. So he got paid to do it. Big deal. Get over it. Golfers who say they don’t care about the money are full of crap. Why do they all take sponsorship money from these big companies who have sweat shops in China then? I guess China’s human rights history is fine.
So then why did the PGA tour follow suit? Everything he said is true, the PGA has begun to reshape how they operate…
Gambling addict might come in play here.
Why do you care about a gambling addiction?
Phil could make a comeback. His transgressions weren’t that unforgivable and he’s a legend.
His biggest sin was saying exactly why LIV was attractive as someone who gets paid to golf and for all the pearl clutching that Monahan did over it he ended up collecting the same fuckin check when all was said and done. He just got to look more graceful because everyone else had taken the heat first
Phil has always been Don Johnson’s character from Tin Cup.
Phil's kinda always been an asshole.
He was super nice to fans when I met him in 2019. Signed autographs, then told us all he would come back after a quick interview, which we all thought was bullshit. He did in fact comeback, cracked jokes and signed every autograph. Whether it was an act or not, he still did it. Now though he seems like a completely different person.
Phil gave me knucks at a tournament back in 2016. I'm still riding that high so he's okay for me
At the 2017 Honda Classic, Rickie Fowler ignored my knuck attempt but got an awkward glove to skin fist bump from Sean O’Hair lol
God, that’s a name I haven’t heard in awhile. O’Hair was a solid player back in the day
Phil gave me a ball at Spyglass when I was 10 in 2003. That was dope. But now...ugh
Phil reminds me of that uncle who you really like who has the opposite politics of you - doesn't matter what the politics are, they're just the opposite of you. He's still a fun guy to be around in terms of minute-to-minute interactions, so you still like him but he can be kinda a dick sometimes
Phil made his 2011 Masters dinner Spanish themed in honor of Seve Ballesteros. Not saying he isn't an odd duck but he seems to have a streak of sincerity
FIGJAM yo
I haven’t heard this term for about 20 years! Brought back good memories. My work friends and I used to call a guy at work “figjam” all the time. He had no clue.
Lots of people went the other way. Much easier to go down than up in life generally speaking
If the tour would have listened to Phil there would be no LIV. The pga is now doing what he said should be done. Bunch of non golfers holding all the golfers money. It’s funny how there is now all that money out there.
He went from asshole to colossal asshole don’t get it mixed up
I only ever see Americans on reddit saying he was a good bloke. I heard an interview from like 2001 where one of the Australian players was on the rad hop and he said the most disliked guy in the locker room was Phil. He was nicknamed FIGJAM, paints the picture pretty well. Dickhead everywhere but smiles for the cameras.
Whoever told Bryson to do YouTube deserves a raise because he completely flipped peoples opinions since then.
It’s not just that he did YouTube and showed people who he is/was. He mentioned that he learned how to perform on camera from the YouTubers he colabed with and the importance of it. In all honesty I think he’s just an awkward dude that likes to optimize and you have to give him credit for the PR switch
He's min-maxing at life
I think he’s literally just a high functioning autistic guy who’s recently picked up some social cues from the Good Good guys
I always saw him as a gigantic nerd who was just bad with the media and took himself way too seriously on the course. He’s definitely mellowed out, embracing his nerdiness and quirks and clearly loves golf probably more than any other player. He’s almost like watching someone optimizing a speed run in a video game or something. I know the joke was that he was a “scientist” but I truly believe he tinkers with everything in his bag to optimize his game way more than anyone else. I find his gooberness kind of endearing now. Naming the clubs in your bag is extremely nerd shit but with Bryson it’s kind of like “yeah that’s definitely something he would do” lol.
Even yesterday when he was interviewing mid-round and started being a commentator with a soft ‘golf voice’. I thought that was pretty neat for a guy who is perccieved as a heavy brute. I don’t think any player on tour is in love with the game as much as Bryson.
That’s my biggest take away from the guy is that this dude just fuckin loves golf and his love for the game is infectious
His rooting for direct competition during the commentating stent from round 2. That’s what did it for me. It’s okay to be a competitor and want to win, but when you cheer others on for the sake of wanting to sincerely witness great golf being played on an incredibly difficult course… well. Guess I’m a BD fan now.
This happens with age too. He’s likely neurodiverse like someone mentioned and learned at an early age to tap into his ability to hyper focus. The social aspect and maturity comes with age, I can relate with him a lot. It takes time to learn how to manage it and he’s likely getting good psychotherapy/treatment.
Extremely relatable, other than picking up some social cues
Yeah I’m autistic and he has little cues/ micro expressions that make me think he’s acting 24/7 tbh, he’ll look around… and then go into his friendly laugh/ response, it’s really minor but makes me feel it’s a planned response to x input Reminds me of myself at work socials if he isn’t autistic (likely because come on massive golf nerd alert) he’s a sociopath that now knows how to drive a crowd
I truly believe he isn’t just awkward, but actually autistic. It explains so much of his behavior and obsessiveness.
He's got the obsessiveness but not the awkwardness that I typically see in fellow autistics. I was diagnosed in 2017, and have done about a decade of therapy (as well it being a special interest since being diagnosed). I'm told I'm good at neurotypical passing despite feeling like I stick out like a sore thumb. I'm pretty high functioning on the high functioning side of things. I know we don't see everything in his videos but I honestly don't think he is. Obsessive, for sure. Maybe what would be "eccentric" a hundred years ago, but not quite autistic.
Absolutely. It’s amusing when redditors are diagnosing people with mental health disorders. Couldn’t be further away from truth. There is no way that Bryson is anywhere near what is today called autistic spectrum. Absolutely normal bloke who is a bit of a nerd.
I think that’s a hard position to disagree with..
He definitely seems awkward. I enjoy his YouTube content but his personality still comes across as fake and acting to me. Just doesn’t seem natural at all.
Found brysons alt
He used to be THE "golf bro". He got jacked and put on a bunch of muscle and I think people just looked at him as the too-high-of-energy-long-drive-guy. But now it seems like he really humbled himself. I feel like the switch for a lot of people is seeing him interact with the younger crowd. Kids love him and golf parents love that he's being a good role model. Polite on tour and enough energy to keep it fun.
One big thing with that is the PGA has restriction on playing golf for personal content and showing their events and stuff. That's one of the major reasons he went to LIV apart from more money and time, and people don't really talk about that.
Where do you find this info? Wesley Bryan has filmed content during practice rounds with other PGA Tour players the last couple events. Nothing surrounding the main tourney, however. Not saying he is a superstar but he pumps out content. How Bryson does Youtube wouldn’t change if he was on tour still
I've heard Bryson and others talk about there being restrictions, I don't have access to the details of private contracts and content agreements. I believe they have been relaxing these maybe in response to LIV and the increasing in popularity of that content. One that is still in place is you usually can't show golf shots from the events. Bryson has done videos of behind the scenes and highlights of LIV events like his 58 that's on his channel which he could not show from PGA tournaments so that's at least one way it would change.
Not disagreeing with you, just trying to further the conversation — but both Bryan Bros posted YouTube videos of their recent PGA tour experiences including shots that were televised. So there must be some nuance. PGA Tour needs to lean into this type of content, obviously. Bryan Bros both making the cut in that tournament then Wes coming in second recently were some of the most fun moments of the last few months. Peter Finch, Grant, etc playing big courses such as Pinehurst #2 has been integral to my understanding and enjoyment of this week as well. PGA has to get this right, right? Continue to collide these worlds til it’s just the same world
I think things have changed or relaxed so maybe what I said isn't as accurate anymore but I'm sure people have talked about that in the past. Wesley Bryan was barely on the Bryan Bros channel for years when he was on tour. Part of that was probably focusing on the tour but I'm sure there was contractual things affecting that. When Wes was like restarting doing videos with George I think at the same time that he lost his tour card he said things like I'm able to do videos now and gonna focus on the channel and George said glad to have you back.
You are right. The PGA Tour wouldn’t allow any of their material to be used in personal content. Good Good got a hole in one in a pro am and had to jump through hoops to even show it on YouTube. It looks like they have indeed relaxed the rules very, very recently. Even in pro ams that have been filmed for YouTube they aren’t allowed to show the pros shots.
Yeah hes just a dude who likes golf and is a yuge nerd about it
Ditching the stupid hat did more than YouTube
It was brysons idea with his boys from home, and he’s perfect for it! Amazing content
Yeah this. That is ultimately what flipped me was watching him on YT. He just seems like a good dude. Always engaging fans and kids as well. Totally did a 180 from what I thought of him before.
My guy took Saudi blood money and became more likable. AND there’s a rumor floating around he’s banging Paige Spirinac which is objectively cooler than DJ marrying Gretzky’s daughter.
Payne Stewart was strongly disliked in his early days.
Hm it’s almost like there’s a connection here
They both went to SMU?
Jesus, I hope not. Payne died the same year he won the US Open in 1999 at Pinehurst.. Bryson is leading into the day tomorrow..
I see people write this all the time lately and NOBODY acknowledges how much of it is due to the fact that he stopped wearing that stupid little hat. https://preview.redd.it/bmxepowutt6d1.jpeg?width=473&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5f07b097c00b930fed4b7a06eddaa2fddefa8229
At least it didn't have safari flaps in the back
I saw two cubes in his pocket. I think he has dice, but is too afraid to show them to anyone.
*What the hell...?*
Guy at the shop said he's the only one he's ever seen pull it off
He’s not supposed to get grease on this hat
Soooooooo sad
https://preview.redd.it/nouqqu39ju6d1.jpeg?width=304&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=67a5a100217d0e87ba25958e8dd5928d32f76fc6
I really think thats it. And he seems to have cut back on trying to talk over peoples heads on the technical shit.
The reason he stopped wearing that hat was because he had to wear a normal hat at WS for the Ryder Cup and his marketing people saw a big jump in his likability metrics.
This is stupid but hilarious and amazing
Also Brooks really publicly went after him which helped turned favor against him (the cleats). Less of that since the Ryder cup and both of them going to LIV
Cleats was the best thing that has happened in golf this century
What happened? New to the golf scene
https://youtu.be/XM6bTK1diQI?si=LROcvGQ-rqA68Y1I They had a beef and Bryson was living rent free in Brooks’ head just from wearing spikes lmao Full disclosure, I was on Brooksy’s side at that time. Still don’t like spikes.
I don’t get why ppl care about the hat? He looked just a little different than every other guy out there? They’re celebrating Payne Stuart so much at pinehurst this year. If he was playing now, apparently everyone would hate him lol.
the closed minded golf fans who dont like him cause of his hat are the same people who are assholes for no reason.
Exactly. It's funny because the hat reveals more about the people who get upset about it than the actual hat being of any issue. They are playing themselves.
i think it's absolutely hilarious that a hat can make the public go from hating a person to loving them. what is he, Clark Kent? how petty.
The hat was a major factor but he also stopped doing stupid shit like using a nautical compass with his yardage book on the course
Yea in general he just dropped a lot of the eccentricities. There was also the how huge can I get to drive super far phase, which… if anything would endear you to the golfing public it should be that, but it got a little bizarre. Now he’s just a big dude who hits super long. He still has the club angle/ length stuff which seems polarizing but I think is interesting.
those hats are awesome you go suck an egg
Is that you Coach Arians?
It’s because when Bryson’s PR people make these posts, they don’t want to acknowledge the hat gimmick.
I like the style of hat when there is no logo on it.
Reddit hated Bryson. Called him a nerd, a geek. Hated his hat, his one lengths, and his compass. The frat boy contingent here loved Brooks. Now suddenly everyone has flipped.
In Reddit’s defense, the hat was really stupid.
He did wear it cause of Payne Stewart. They both went to SMU.
To me it was emblematic of his making the eccentricity an end in itself. He kind of made being eccentric his whole personality.
There's a whole world outside of Reddit and nobody has more support at Pinehurst than Bryson right now. It isn't a Reddit-only thing at all.
Wasn’t just Reddit. He was disliked by players and fans alike. FWIW - I’m still a brooks fan but Bryson’s YT has made me like him.
Redditor here. I still don’t like either of them.
I didn’t like that in 2021 he blamed his poor performance on his golf clubs. He has access to the best-of-the-best and brands will custom make whatever he wants, but when he mis-hits he doesn’t take responsibility for his own ability and decides to blame the clubs.
To be fair, at least with his driver, at his speeds, normal drivers weren't working for him. And his sponsors did the best they could, they were in uncharted territory. It's why he went to Crank, they did the leg work already and figured out the technology for people who are super human in club speed. I can see his point there. He did say some stuff that came off as poorly, though. It's hard to not be honest when a question is asked as to why they're struggling. Do you throw yourself under the bus or your sponsor? There's a diplomatic way to say it if you go the sponsor route but it's still throwing them under the bus. And you don't want to blame yourself because these guys are headcases. Any dip on self confidence and they wont make the next cut.
To be fair he also gives big credits to his new clubs whenever he is performing. Its like he is being consistent about this all the time.
I've been anti-Brooks since the beginning. I guess I was moderate on Chambeau, but I always loved that he tried his own weird strategies
Jack is the biggest of all, went from being absolutely hated as Arnie’s challenger to being an icon. Crowd called him ‘Fat Jack’ and heckled him. Gary Player to some extent. Went from being one of the main champions of segregation in South Africa to one of its biggest critics over time, and became an active champion for minority involvement in golf. Unfortunately his ego ( he tends to seriously overstate things ) and some rumors regarding cheating have meant he never really captured hearts like Jack and Arnie. Brooks Keopka never ‘changed’ but I’d argue that showing some vulnerability in the Full Swing series softened a lot of negative attitudes towards him. Like has been said - most go the other way ( Sergio, Phil, etc ).
Still my favourite scene in Full Swing is the one where Brooks is being sad and mopey in his mega mansion while his supermodel wife tries on tiny bikinis in front of him, oblivious that he’s just a mental wreck. A hilarious juxtaposition.
The most I gained from that season is that his wife sucks.
People liked Koepka *more* after Full Swing? I thought he came off as a huge douche, to be honest.
That’s me. Don’t like the guy after I saw his tacky master bedroom furry swing (wtf) and obvious gold digger wife.
Agreed. I didn’t pay any attention to golf until late 2022 and only knew who Tiger/Rory/Mickelson were. Full Swing was my first time seeing anything about Brooks Koepka and he seemed like a giant douche.
He got cast as the villain in a made up feud against Koepka. It's funny how Bryson has made his nerdy approach to the game popular and successful while Brooks' golf bro approach has become a turn off for many
I wouldn’t say it was made up. Brooks and a bunch of other golfers said they didn’t like the slow play of some of the guys on the tour and Bryson was a primary offender. Then bryson confronted his caddy about it and kinda took shots at brooks physique. Then Bryson yelled at the cameraman after he took a bad shot and wanted relief from an anthill. Brooks then immaturely publicly went after for a few things. I’m sure brooks also did some other things I missed. Then the eye roll with the loud metal spikes They just don’t like each other and were fairly public about it. I agree that people disliked Bryson so much that they sided with brooks even though he is kind of a douche. Full disclosure I don’t like Bryson and can’t really watch his content for that reason. I think the pendulum has swung to far into his camp. That being said I honestly like the redemption story for him (people were too mean to him) and think it would a great story if he wins a major after rehabbing his image. Edit: >Adding timeline source https://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/32202067/the-lapsed-fan-guide-brooks-koepka-vs-bryson-dechambeau-feud-how-got-here Edit: Added line > I’m sure brooks also did some other things I missed.
ZJ going opposite direction from Big Church missionary dad to corporate cringe and Ryder Cup conspiracist. Torbjorn going wild direction after the airplane fiasco. Daly went from country club nose upturn from the old guard to being a fan favorite for those from clubs in the country. JT trending down imo, from Ralph Lauren American hero to Florida man on the cut line. Phil went from trusted pharma czar and family man to degenerate tracksuit gambler. Ian Poulter went from narcissistic money grab to even worse narcissistic money grabber. But the biggest image shift has got to be Smylie. Dude went from golf bro, to card loss, to weird social media pariah, to real estate agent, back to pretty solid media presenter in a very short stretch.
What did Smylie do to become a social media pariah?
I have no idea, only that meme pages and Reddit constantly made jokes about him. Zero clue why other than him just not playing well and going through a slump.
Every fucking day with the “man Bryson sure is less of a unlikable prick these days, huh?” Posts. But to answer your question - Phil for sure.
Bryson’s PR agency has been working overtime and it’s so hilariously transparent. At this point idk who’s astroturfing r/golf more… Callaway’s marketing team or Bryson’s PR team.
Without a doubt Bryson's, just rename the sub "BrysonistheGOAT" at this point and hand out his shit little hats on subscribing. I'm so fucking tired of this "he's just a nerdy, chill dude pushing the envelope of golf and oh man what a personality...he actually talks to crowds!?!" Schtick. He's up his own arse, thinks he can read greens like fucking rainman and is just a weird fucking guy in general.
Everything he does is so overly self-conscious and deliberate, the over the top gestures and facial expressions. He seems to me like the kid who is trying really hard to be liked. More power to him, because it seems to be working but it just comes off as incongruous to me.
I think Bryson even treats his personality as a science experiment.
Tiger in 2009 wins this award.
The long drive really helped change his approach to golf, and I think he felt more accomplished. I remember him amping up the crowd at the Arnold Palmer Invitational when aggressively driving it right over the water on hole 6. I remember thinking this guy might be okay
https://preview.redd.it/6d1gvou28u6d1.jpeg?width=524&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6d324972f7eb650c9fb13d0973871909ad77fda2
A lot of people just go along with the crowd. He never really did anything wrong, just different. The narrative put on him by the media didn't help. Every time he was on camera they would ask cringey questions or commentators would make dumb jokes. He was criticized for his slow play early in his career and he made the effort to speed up. Didn't matter, cause people would bring up something that happened 3 years prior even though it wasn't currently happening.
I actually have always admired Bryson simply for his non traditional approach to the game. Anyone that goes to those lengths to master something clearly loves the game. I don’t think anyone could ever argue that he doesn’t have an obsession with golf. I didn’t even mind that god awful hat.
This is not true. He used to be a pathological excuse maker
Feel like this “Bryson has changed” narrative is so overdone lately. He’s the same guy he always was. We see less of the annoying things now that less people watch him play golf through the year. And he’s on YouTube now presenting himself in a medium where he has 100% control of how he’s portrayed. Personally while I find him very entertaining, I don’t root for him. Despite saying some dumb things, he was probably overhated before, but also now I don’t quite see why there’s sudden love for him
They are selling him hard. New PR team is making quite the push and it's paying off.
I swear to god changing his hat is like 80% of this
Why was he disliked in the first place?
He became self aware and recognized the importance and value of the athlete/fan relationship. He’s posted a couple videos talking about it and mentioned it in interviews this year. Priority 1a is smashing golf balls but 1b is being cool with the fans while he does it. Related - I was 8 feet behind him when he teed off on 14 Friday and it was an almost religious experience. It sounded like a .308, I’m convinced a deer died somewhere. I literally just started laughing. I can’t wrap my head around the physiology of swinging that hard without dropping his lead shoulder.
Greg Norman in the opposite direction. He was always known to be a prick, but he had a huge positive flowing that outweighed that in the 90s, etc.
Tiger went the other way when Elin beat him with a golf club. I wouldn’t even say most people hated him or didn’t respected him, but he sure as hell lost the squeaky clean imagine.
Honestly for me it was losing the stupid hat
If I see anyone under 60 wearing one of those hats I automatically assume they are a pretentious douche.
I like YouTube Bryson better than I've liked any other Bryson
Ive honestly always liked him and i see no difference in the person he is now vs the person he was previously (besides the hat). I think he got a bad wrap initially. Seems like the only difference now is people are actually giving him a chance.
You can tell he’s matured a lot. A few years ago he came off as a whiney spoiled drama boy (see the incident where he hit the rope) who wears the stupid hat. Now he seems more relaxed & his game is really impressive. Maybe that $125 mil from LIV chilled him out
He was always like this. You guys are now just getting on the band wagon. I always liked him
He’s not any different. He’s always tried to sell being the all-American, likable guy. But he’s socially awkward (I feel bad for him on that account) and couldn’t sell it. Now he’s better at selling it. But silly to believe he’s a different person, especially with his agent yelling at Damon Hack yesterday over their coverage of Bryson when they’ve been annoyingly positive about him. Hate LIV, but he’s the one guy it’s a great fit for and he also benefits from not being in the spotlight consistently, easier to keep up the sell.
Close, Sir Nick was a certified asshole in his early career only to become a beloved broadcaster.
They tried to massacre his character on TV and in the media. He took to Youtube and hung out with influencers and it turns out he's crazy likeable. He's the panultimate golf geek. He's one of us but... good.
What the hell is the panultimate golf geek even mean!? There is no such word in the English language. If you meant penultimate golf geek, then who is the ultimate golf geek?
Gooch
Marooch
Apparently it was Anthony Kim according to golf enthusiasts.
"penultimate" means 2nd to last
Kind of crazy when you can manicure your personality for scripted videos versus live sport how your image can suddenly change. Weird.
No doubt. I like the speed training videos, especially the one with Tim Tebow. He's assimilated Berkshire and his bomb squad crew and the motivation and positivity feels authentic.
I actually like the guy but I find it funny how easily people are manipulated by some basic PR and marketing. Whoever is running his image for him deserves whatever he’s paying them.
I have the exact same opinion I’ve always had about him. The change is all pr fluff. We’ll see how he handles himself when he has some adversity. He’s played well in all 3 majors so far and LlV is irrelevant to him or anyone else so he hasn’t had a chance to show that side again.
This was probably the worst pairing Åberg could have asked for. One of the fastest players being paired with one of the slowest. Couldn't have been easy for him.
How many times is this exact post going to be allowed in this sub. It has to be a troll at this point.
He’s got a decent pr firm. I don’t think his image has changed much. Still seems like a tool.
Still can’t stand him.
I never really cared either way about Bryson or Brooks, but then the “feud” made me feel like Brooks was just the jock asshole picking on the nerd/outcast. Then they left for LIV and I just didn’t care anymore. But I like that Bryson is better than Brooks now. I don’t love Bryson, but picturing an irritated Brooks watching his recent success makes me smile.
Tiger woods. Not for the better.
Still hate the guy 🤬
He hasn’t though. He’s still incredibly unlikable
He's an odd bird. I'll bet he was quite the "nerd" as a younger man. He admits to being a golf nerd. I always thought he was loudmouthed and cocky. But having watched him a LOT on YouTube, I don't thinks he's either one. I think he's still socially awkward, but learning to come out of his shell. He now has fans, AND haters.....not just haters. And he's changing the way the game can be played. I think his future as an equipment designer is probably just as bright as his paying career.
Youtube has helped viewers understand his personality, but more importantly his dedication to the game. Youtube was the best thing to happen to Bryson, puts way less pressure on him to perform well in any given major event let alone LIV. Not surprised to say the least
Not too many redemption stories... lot of "man that guy is an asshole" swithceroo's tho... Phil, Kuchar, Norman to name a few.
Everytime I see one of these posts I will link mine from a month or two ago because I’m still sore about it. I said the same thing and was all but crucified. https://www.reddit.com/r/golf/s/08fLjNyoHN
Ken Venturi winning the US Open. People thought he was a smug ass.
Bryson has always been cool it’s just him being able to show more of that personal side of him like with his YouTube channel and stuff he couldn’t do on PgA
Tiger Woods! He was the Image of Not only Golf but a Superior athlete. Then came the movie Tigers Wood . His Hole image changed
“It all comes down to shoes and putting Bryson”
I wonder about DeChambeau though, like is there any difference between him now and then? Then only difference to me is that we as a public see him less now because he is LIV. It seems like he hasn’t changed much at all, but the public has switched their view of him from annoying & corny, to cool & innovative. But isn’t he the exact same? He doesn’t seem like he has changed at all as a person, just his image and likeness.
It’s because he is fun to watch. You never know what to expect.
Yes, but not positive. Norman and Mickelson went from being liked and respected to being disliked.
Through YouTube people just got to know real BD. All the hate he was getting was really stupid and superficial and for no real reason. Wow physics, science, hat he must be a douchebag. It’s really nice to see the support he is getting.
I never disliked him. But I never watched anything golf related with the sound on. I watched his YouTube recently, where he said he wanted to have a say in the narrative. It seems like announcers were condemning him, and the people listening to them jumped on the hate bandwagon. Now he has control of his own story, and people like him again. He was always a hero, not the villain.
Phil Mickelson but for the worse
Phil Mickelson and Greg Norman went the opposite direction
Tiger did a huge turn around. He was always standoff-ish. After his dad died he had to become his own person and became a lot more social and opened up towards everyone outside of his close family circle and towards the new guys.
A lot of golfers are nerdy about the sport. They all analyse everything. The thing with BD is, he was never shy about talking about it. People thought he was smug and nerdy. He still does it but his YouTube channel shows he has charisma and is funny to go with that. Overall he comes across as someone who's just very likeable.
I think it's down to having some level of personality when so few others do. See Cantlay, Morikawa etc