Bryson DeChambeau turns missed-cut flight snafu into $228K payday, 1st place in Cup standings

Golf

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Things are rarely boring when Bryson DeChambeau’s involved.

The big-bombing PGA Tour pro made a bizarre mistake on Friday while thinking he’d missed the cut at the Wells Fargo Championship. By Sunday afternoon, he’d more than made up for it.

His 3-over par on Friday left him in 90th place in the clubhouse with the cutline taking the top 65 scores. Rather than wait for the afternoon scores to settle, he flew home to Dallas only to find that his two-day score of 144 was good for 64th place by the time he landed. So what to do?

DeChambeau said he considered withdrawing, but instead took a 2:45 a.m. flight back to Charlotte for his Saturday round. It’s a good thing he did. 

Bryson DeChambeau looks down the 15th hole during the third round of the Wells Fargo Championship golf tournament at Quail Hollow on Saturday, May 8, 2021, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
Bryson DeChambeau made things harder than necessary this weekend. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)

Flight back to Charlotte pays off

While the unnecessary trip was costly and taxing, it was worth it for DeChambeau. He scored 3-under par on Saturday and Sunday, good for a ninth-place tie and a $228,825 payday.

“It was worth it,” DeChambeau told reporters on Sunday. “It no doubt was worth it. That’s what I was hoping to do this weekend when I was on that plane at 2:45 a.m. Yeah, I wanted to make it worth it.

“I didn’t want to come out here and finish 60-whatever, close to last.”

The lowest payout of the weekend totaled $15,471, which may or may not have covered the cost of the round trip on a private jet. Meanwhile, Rory McIlroy’s first-place payday was worth $1.458 million. While DeChambeau’s payday fell well short of top prize, it was a generous payday for four days of work.

Finish pays off in FedEx Cup standings

Perhaps even more importantly, the top-10 finish vaulted DeChambeau past Justin Thomas for first place in the FedEx Cup standings with a 77.5-point payout (McIlroy earned 500 points with the win). If he remains on top at the end of the season, he’ll earn a $15 million payday. 

With that kind of cash at stake, every point matters.

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