Paige Spiranac will always have the backs of her buddies, so it was no surprise when she stood up for Bryson DeChambeau amidst some “nightmare” criticism ahead of the Ryder Cup.
Earlier this week, Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee was critical of DeChambeau’s behaviour, saying that it could prove to be a distraction during such a team-based event.
The popular golf influencer was having none of it, firing back on social media.
“Brandel saying Bryson is a ‘captain’s nightmare’ is such a weird take,” Spiranac posted on X. “He’s the perfect person for this type of team event. He gets the people going!
“Will be fun to watch his matches this week.”
During an interview earlier this week, Chamblee praised DeChambeau’s on-course ability, but also questioned his character.
“This is one of the reasons why I think he’s gonna be such a difficult person to get paired with,” Chamblee said. “No doubt he’s one hell of a golfer. No doubt.
“He has his moments of generosity with fans I’ve heard about. But he’s an odd duck when he’s trying to blend in with the team and he has so many potential bulletin board mistakes.
“And I think he would be a captain’s nightmare.”
The analyst, a former player himself, did soften his stance during an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show on Thursday, saying that calling him a “nightmare” might’ve been a bit strong.
“I like Bryson, I enjoy his game, I say a lot of nice things about him. But the way the world works is they pick up on one negative thing you say about him and it becomes a headline,” he said.
Chamblee wasn’t the only person who took a shot at the American big-hitter this week, though, with Team Europe star Rory McIlroy suggesting that DeChambeau only gets attention by “mentioning other people.”
Fans online seemed to agree with Spiranac’s assessment of the situation.
“True American spirit. I will take (DeChambeau’s) ‘Go For It’ attitude as a teammate. Every team needs that ‘spark’ to ignite and create momentum!” one user replied.
“He’s only a nightmare for Team Europe’s Captain. Bryson is the fan favourite and the crowd roars will be next-level!” another commented.
It seems like Chamblee didn’t appreciate Spiranac’s comments and blocked the influencer on X.
“Brandel blocked me on X because I offered facts about the Bryson situation,” one user wrote, to which Spiranac replied: “I’m blocked too lol”
On the course, things didn’t work out so well for DeChambeau and the U.S. team in the morning session. He and Justin Thomas fell in the opening match 4&3 to Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton of Europe. Team Europe held a 3-1 lead after the session, with Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay scoring the American’s only point.