SerpApi.Org
Rory McIlroy called Bryson DeChambeau “performative” at The Open. A few days later, DeChambeau commented on a TikTok video, helping a young fan get a free set of golf clubs. The timing quickly made some fans question whether the gesture was genuine.
The sequence started on TikTok, where account @BirdiePines posted a video with the caption, “I told my son if a PGA player comments on this video I would buy him a new set of clubs.” DeChambeau was the first to respond. “Well, this is interesting…. What happens now?” he wrote in the comments.
Technically, DeChambeau’s reply didn’t meet the original contest conditions. He is on the LIV circuit, not the PGA Tour. The father bought the clubs anyway.
“Purchase will be completed tonight, and you officially have a new fan from the little guy!” the original poster responded on TikTok.
The timing was hard to ignore. McIlroy had spoken out after The Open’s third round at Royal Birkdale on July 18. “I won’t pretend to be up here and defend Bryson. I’m not particularly fond of him. I think a lot of it’s performative. I think a lot of it’s for attention,” McIlroy said, per Kyle Porter on X.
The remarks were triggered by a two-stroke penalty DeChambeau received in the second round for improving his lie. The ruling dropped him from 7 under to 5 under and cost him $300,000.
He contested it, returned to the fifth hole with officials, and spent close to 30 minutes arguing his case. The penalty stood.
DeChambeau’s response to the ruling during the tournament didn’t help his image either. He was filmed pretending to weed whack near tall grass and sarcastically tiptoeing across rough on a later shot. Both clips circulated widely on social media.
Fans react, and the debate over DeChambeau’s intentions begins
DeChambeau’s comment section filled with supporters crediting him for making a kid’s day.
Some praised the interaction as a sign of genuine character. Others called it another calculated move to soften a negative image built during Open week.
The original poster’s response settled at least one thing. The clubs were purchased. The young fan got his prize, even though DeChambeau technically didn’t meet the contest’s PGA Tour requirement. That detail alone split the comment section.
For those who sided with McIlroy’s “performative” verdict, the TikTok timing, arriving days after the weed whacking clips and the penalty drama, was too convenient to ignore. For those who took it at face value, a kid got a set of golf clubs. That was enough.
What do you think? Was DeChambeau’s TikTok comment genuine, or was it a move to counter McIlroy’s criticism? Let us know in the comments!
