Getty
Bryson DeChambeau allegedly tried to strong-arm LA Golf.
Bryson DeChambeau is a man who knows what he wants. He’s also a man who knows his value, but the two-time U.S. Open champion recently overplayed his hand with LA Golf, leaving him without an equipment sponsor less than two months away from the 2026 Masters.
According to Reed Dickens, LA Golf’s Founder and CEO, the two sides are parting ways after DeChambeau asked to become the company’s majority owner. Dickens called his bluff, but it didn’t turn out to be a bluff at all. Now, DeChambeau is on the hunt for a new equipment partnership.
Bryson DeChambeau Allegedly Tried and Failed to Strong-Arm LA Golf
GettyLA Golf CEO claims Bryson DeChambeau wanted to increase his ownership share from 2% to 51%.
DeChambeau and LA Golf have been attached at the hip for nearly a decade. The big-hitting American won two U.S. Open titles with LA Golf shafts in his bag, and he recently started playing with LA Golf club heads, as well. That won’t be the case moving forward, as the longtime partnership between DeChambeau and LA Golf has ended.
In a recent interview with Michael Bamberger of GOLF.com, LA Golf’s owner and CEO accused DeChambeau of trying to strong-arm his way into a majority ownership of the company. Dickens, who built LA Golf from the ground up, wasn’t going to sign off on that.
“Bryson and I actually have some of the same tendencies, and I have nothing but respect for him,” Dickens told GOLF.com. “But he has this new consultant, a McKinsey-consulting type guy, and this guy says to me that Bryson is gonna walk unless he gets 51 percent. Bryson’s got 2% of the company. And I think the guy doesn’t realize that he’s dealing with a redneck. And I say, ‘There’s no path for that.’ They played chicken with me, and now we’re going to graciously part ways.”
Dickens didn’t want to say goodbye to one of the best and most marketable golfers in the world, but he’s also feeling a bit relieved due to how high-maintenance DeChambeau was as a partner.
“Bryson needs someone serving him 24 hours a day,” Dickens said. “He needs somebody to build him his own clubs, and that’s not scalable for us. He challenges everything you do, and he makes you test your every assumption.”
DeChambeau Needs to Find a New Equipment Sponsor
As for DeChambeau’s side of the story, all we’ve heard is a brief statement from his longtime agent, Mr. Brett Falkoff. GOLF.com reached out to Falkoff for a response to Dickens’ comments, and this is what it received:
“Bryson is no longer an ambassador for LA Golf. He remains a customer and still has the shafts in his bag.”
So, DeChambeau doesn’t have to be partnered with LA Golf to use its equipment in competition, but he probably won’t be able to tweak his bag or work on upgrades with the company’s best engineers. Tinkering has always been a stalwart in DeChambeau’s process. He’ll want to partner with someone who understands him and will carve out a ton of time to help him perfect his golf bag.
With the Masters coming up in April, the LIV Golf star doesn’t have much time to find a compatible match.
Jack Dougherty Jack Dougherty is an established sports journalist covering professional golf, Penn State football and the NFL with a focus on the Philadelphia Eagles for Heavy.com. His work has been featured on GoPSUSports.com, the Centre Daily Times, the Associated Press, Sportscasting, Sportmoney, Pro Golf Now and Yardbarker. More about Jack Dougherty
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