By Tom LaMarre – Courtesy The Sports Xchange
Bryson DeChambeau of Clovis, the reigning NCAA champion, told GolfChannel.com that he is leaving the Southern Methodist University men’s golf team and will turn professional after the Masters in April.
SMU recently was slapped with NCAA sanctions that prevent DeChambeau from defending his title.
“To best prepare myself for the next six months of competition and future events, I felt it was appropriate to make this decision now to be fair to my coaches and team,” said DeChambeau, a senior who plans to return to school later to complete his physics degree.
” … SMU, my coaches and the athletic department have been incredibly supportive of my decision and I owe them a great debt of gratitude for all of their support.”
The 22-year-old DeChambeau, who became the fifth player to win the NCAA and U.S. Amateur titles in the same year, is exempt into the first three majors of 2016 by virtue of his U.S. Am title.
If he were to turn pro before the Masters, he would forfeit those exemptions.
The others who pulled off the NCAA-U.S. Am double in the same year are Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, and Ryan Moore.
“Bryson has meant so much to the SMU program the last three years,” SMU coach Jason Enloe said. “I am so excited for him and all the opportunities that he has ahead of him. Bryson will do great things in the professional ranks and I am looking forward to watching him.”
DeChambeau plans to play as an amateur in the Argentina Open on Nov. 5-8 and the Australian Open on Nov. 26-29.
Tom LaMarre has been a sportswriter and copy editor for more than 50 years, including 15 years with the Oakland Tribune and 22 with the Los Angeles Times. He was the Tribune’s beat writer for the Oakland Raiders for seven seasons in the 1970s, highlighted by their 32-14 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl XI at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, and collaborated on a book, Winning Offensive Football, with quarterback Ken Stabler. He also covered the Oakland Athletics when they won three consecutive World Series during the 1970s and the Golden State Warriors when they won the NBA championship in the 1974-75 season. With the Times, he wrote columns on golf, football and skiing. These days, he is the Golf Editor for The Sports Xchange. LaMarre graduated from Skyline High in Oakland and attended the University of San Francisco.