Bryson DeChambeau admits he got something badly wrong during rise to golf's elite

Bryson DeChambeau has admitted his famous weight-gain transformation was a mistake, revealing how he lost 24 pounds in just 30 days after discovering the damage his approach was doing to his health.

The two-time US Open champion made the revelation during an appearance on Raj Shamani's Figuring Out podcast, where he reflected on his career, personal life and some of the biggest misconceptions he has had along the way.

Few transformations in modern golf attracted as much attention as DeChambeau's dramatic bulk-up in 2020.

The American began his weight-gain journey in October 2019, believing that adding muscle and body mass would help him generate more power and hit the ball further.

By the time professional golf returned following the COVID-19 shutdown in June 2020, he had reportedly gained around 40-50 pounds.

His increased distance quickly became one of golf's biggest talking points, and he went on to win his first major title at the 2020 US Open, dominating Winged Foot by six shots.

However, DeChambeau now admits he had misunderstood what was actually responsible for his increased driving distance.

DeChambeau admits famous bulk-up was a mistake

Asked by Shamani to identify something in his life that he had got wrong, DeChambeau pointed towards his decision to gain so much weight.

"When I was trying to hit the ball a lot farther, I went on a journey of eating and consuming as much food as possible to get as big as possible because I thought more mass, heavier weight meant I could hit it farther. I wasn’t right," DeChambeau revealed on Shamani's Figuring Out podcast. 

"It was a lot more about the fast-twitch muscles and developing the fast-twitch muscles.

"And that was a big thing for me, is I went down this health journey, a negative health journey actually of just consuming a lot of food, stuff that really was sensitive to my body and it made me overweight and didn’t feel really good.

"And I won the U.S. Open in 2020 because of it, because of getting bigger and getting stronger and swinging harder. But it wasn’t because of the food I was eating and getting bigger that I was able to swing it faster.

"It was because of the speed training I was doing. And I didn’t correlate that until afterwards."

It is a significant admission from a player whose physical transformation became almost as famous as his performances.

DeChambeau now believes his speed training, rather than the additional weight, was the real secret to generating more clubhead speed.

DeChambeau reveals how he lost 24lbs in 30 days

The American also revealed how a worrying health assessment eventually forced him to change his lifestyle.

DeChambeau explained that he discovered he was at three times the risk of a heart attack, despite being only 27 or 28 years old at the time.

"When I got to a level where I was three times the risk of a heart attack — I got to that level as a 27-, 28-year-old — I then said to my doctor, ‘We’ve got to change something. We’ve got to figure something out.’

"So I got a chef and we started eating whole food relative to my sensitivities, like all my blood sensitivities. And I lost 24 pounds in 30 days."

Asked how he managed to shed almost 11kg in a month, DeChambeau explained that he completely overhauled his diet.

"I ate whole food. I cut out sugar, candy, anything packaged. I took all of that out. It was not the most fun time to be around me. I was very frustrated."

Despite finding the adjustment difficult, DeChambeau said he eventually felt more productive than ever.

He also highlighted the importance of fasting, suggesting it was something more people should consider.

"Fasting is something that is not done enough today," he admits.

Looking back on his famous transformation during the COVID-19 period, the American was unequivocal about his feelings.

"It was definitely something I was wrong about," DeChambeau told Shamani.

Watch DeChambeau's comments here:

DeChambeau's weight gain coincided with US Open success

There is an interesting contradiction in DeChambeau's admission.

His weight gain coincided with arguably the most successful period of his career, culminating in his six-shot victory at Winged Foot in 2020.

The LIV Golf superstar went on to secure a second US Open title in 2024, beating Rory McIlroy by one shot in a dramatic finish at Pinehurst No. 2.

However, his latest comments suggest he has learned an important lesson: gaining significant amounts of weight is not necessarily the answer to hitting the golf ball further.

For DeChambeau, developing fast-twitch muscles and improving his swing speed proved far more important, while changing his diet helped him regain control of his health.

It is another fascinating insight into one of golf's most unconventional players, who has never been afraid to challenge traditional thinking.

Watch DeChambeau's full interview with Shamani: