Bryson DeChambeau Has Surgery to Fix Vertigo, No Longer Chasing Distance

Bryson DeChambeau underwent surgery last month to alleviate an issue that has caused vertigo over the past few years.

DeChambeau, making his first start of the year at the Asian Tour’s Saudi International, said in a story on LIV Golf’s website that he had surgery Dec. 15 to remove a retention cyst in one of his maxillary sinuses. That cyst had restricted one of his nasal passages, leading to dizzy spells and bouts of vertigo that have plagued him since the 2020 Masters.

“To get that fixed, it’s been the greatest decision of my life,” DeChambeau told the website. “My energy level is so much better. My clarity of thought is way better. I don’t know if you can tell, but my speech is a lot more fluent and I’m not stopping as much or pitching as much like I used to last year and before. I feel like I’m back to 2018 me.”

DeChambeau described 2022 as a “reset year” after a wrist injury derailed his game, significant weight loss upended his digestive system and he dealt with the loss of his father, Jon, after a decades-long battle with diabetes. From a performance standpoint, it was the worst year of DeChambeau’s career – the first time that he didn’t win in a calendar year. His best finish in a LIV event last year was a tie for eighth; he’s gone 31 starts without a worldwide victory.  

Last April DeChambeau also had surgery to repair a broken bone in his left wrist, an injury that stemmed from his intense workouts and training sessions to gain more speed. To that end, he said he is no longer aggressively chasing distance. He has trimmed down his bulky frame, shedding nearly 20 pounds in a month last summer, and said he realizes the limitations of both his body and modern equipment.

“Technology is not up to par with the way golfers can perform at high speeds,” he told the website. “Anything over 185 mph – good luck trying to control it right now. We’re still on a pursuit to who can make a driver that can work it at 200 (mph) anywhere and everywhere on the face and still goes in the fairway. When that day comes, that’s going to be eye-opening for a lot of individuals … and it’s going to change the game forever. But we’re not there yet.”

DeChambeau, who once peaked as high as No. 4 in the world ranking, is all the way down to 96th. He is exempt into the majors this year by virtue of his 2020 U.S. Open title, when it seemed as though his future was limitless.

“I’m getting to a place where I’ve started to feel I can become dominant again like I was in 2018,” he told the website, referring to his breakout year when he won four times worldwide. “I feel as healthy and clean as ever. I feel like a kid again. … I’ve got more energy, more clarity of thought than I’ve had in a long time. That’s a scary combo.”