DETROIT – Bryson DeChambeau always dreamed of playing in the Olympics.
He still remembers attending the 2003 SaveMart Shootout at Willow Bend Golf Course as a 10-year-old, where he watched the likes of Peter Jacobsen, Fred Couples and local boy Nick Watney compete in a 36-hole charity tournament. Couples wasn’t the only famous athlete in attendance. DeChambeau met Olympian Randy Williams, who at age 19 became the youngest gold medalist in the long jump at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich and won a silver in the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. DeChambeau later got to wear Williams’ gold medal around his neck at a junior golf tournament he competed in, the Len Ross Memorial Tournament in Fresno, and a dream was born (pictured above).
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“It was always cool to say, ‘Wow, he’s an Olympian. What if I could be an Olympian?’ ” DeChambeau said ahead of the Rocket Mortgage Classic on Wednesday. “It’s cool to finally be able to say that.”
After the U.S. Open concluded, DeChambeau, 27, officially qualified as one of four golfers to represent Team U.S.A. in Japan next month based on his World Ranking. (He’s No. 6 overall.) Wearing the stars and stripes always has been a priority for DeChambeau, who has represented his country in the Walker Cup, the men’s World Amateur Team Championship, the Palmer Cup, Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup.
“I have not missed an opportunity,” he said, adding, “Hopefully I can get that gold.”