Donald Trump invited a slew of family and supporters to his celebration speech at the Palm Beach Convention Center in Florida late Tuesday after winning the presidential election. Among them was a famous pro golfer.
It wasn’t Tiger Woods or Jack Nicklaus, or Rory McIlroy or Brooks Koepka, all great golfers and all of whom live in Palm Beach County and have played with Trump over the years.
Trump called out LIV Golf’s Bryson DeChambeau, who this summer played a round of golf with Trump as part of the golfer’s YouTube golf “Break 50” series. The 31-year-old native Californian has become one of Trump’s biggest supporters among professional golfers.
While introducing his guests on Tuesday, Trump looked around his crowded stage to introduce DeChambeau.
“We have up here today the U.S. Open champion,” Trump said about DeChambeau. “He’s a fantastic golfer. Slightly longer than me. Hits the ball a little bit longer than me. Just a little bit.
“Bryson DeChambeau is up here someplace.”
Trump turned around but couldn’t spot the two-time major champion.
“What happened to Bryson?” Trump said. “Where is he? Bryson! He’s hitting balls. Oh, he’s on the way? He’s hitting balls.”
DeChambeau walked on stage in a suit jacket, white shirt and “Make America Great Again” cap.
“Oh, look at him,” Trump said. “He’s got a great career going. Great U.S. Open, Bryson. That’s a fantastic job.”
Bryson DeChambeau’s match with Trump raised $250K for Wounded Warrior Project
DeChambeau’s match with Trump was viewed more than 11.7 million times and raised $250,000 for the Wounded Warrior Project.
“Man, his iron play was great,” DeChambeau said about Trump in an interview with Golf.com. “I can’t tell you the number of times he stuffed it on the green within 30 feet in regulation. His driver swing is the most repeatable thing I have ever seen.
“I wish mine was that repeatable. Really, I do.”
DeChambeau also played with Trump during a LIV golf pro-am.
DeChambeau has always been one of the most popular and longest hitters in golf. He left the PGA Tour to join Greg Norman’s LIV Golf tour in June 2022. LIV, which is financed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, reportedly signed DeChambeau to a contract worth between $100 million and $125 million.
DeChambeau, who won the 2020 U.S. Open at Winged Foot and the same event in 2024 at Pinehurst, has won nine times on the PGA Tour and twice on the LIV tour.
Tom D’Angelo is a senior sports columnist and reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at tdangelo@pbpost.com.