October 13, 2015
Clovis’ Bryson DeChambeau Opts to Leave SMU
Reigning U.S. Amateur champion Bryson DeChambeau’s days of playing collegiate golf are over.
On Wednesday, the 22-year-old senior at Southern Methodist University announced that he was leaving the school.
“I officially withdrew from the university today,” DeChambeau told The Golf Channel. “It’s more like a postponing, because the goal is eventually to get a degree.”
The winner of this year’s NCAA individual title, DeChambeau said that the recent NCAA sanctions against the SMU men’s program did not lead to his decision. Under the sanctions, DeChambeau would not have been able to defend his NCAA crown.
“That was definitely a push in the direction I am going now, but not the deciding factor,” DeChambeau said. “”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.”
DeChambeau’s future includes plans to compete in the Argentina Open (Nov. 5-8) and Australian Open (Nov. 26-29). In winning the U.S. Amateur, he also earned exemptions into the 2016 Masters, U.S. Open and British Open.
While leaving SMU, the 22-year-old said he still at some point would like to earn his degree.
“I am two classes short of completing my physics major, and with all other general-education classes I am probably another 30 (credit hours), a full year,” he said.
Mustangs head coach Jason Enloe said that he supports DeChambeau’s decision.
“I am happy and excited for Bryson, with all the opportunity coming his way,” Enloe said. “He is going to experience things that I always dreamed about and then have gotten to see players live out their dream, and he is getting to do that and I am happy to have been a part of it. He loves SMU, and I know he will be a great ambassador for us.”
–Jerry Stewart
