As a physics major from SMU, Bryson DeChambeau is always looking for an explanation. A golf course is no exception for the golfer who continuously explains his shots based on scientific parameters. But during the first round at LIV Golf Andalucia on Thursday, when his club unexpectedly broke, it’s fair to say that DeChambeau was flabbergasted by it.

“I don’t know what happened,” DeChambeau told the media at the $30 million LIV event. “I was walking down the 12th hole with a wedge in my hand, and I put it on the toe. You’re going to put pressure on it as you’re walking down, trying to—like a cane, in a sense—and the head just snapped on me. The shaft snapped, and that was the first time that’s happened in a long time.”

“It happens, but that was a weird one. I don’t know how to explain it. It cost me a shot. I shouldn’t have been there in the first place, but getting up and down with a 55-degree out of a downhill lie downslope made it a lot more difficult.”

Valderrama punishes any lack of precision with its narrow fairways and the firm, sloped greens. So, even though DeChambeau arrived here with momentum, having just won the team title at LIV Golf Korea and just finishing one shot short of a playoff, Valderrama wasn’t as smooth a sailing as he would’ve wanted.

His first round was under control, with Crushers GC leading at even par. However, his wedge shaft breaking on the 12th hole changed the script for the day. It forced DeChambeau to use a 55-degree wedge from a difficult lie, leading him to make a bogey. Bryson DeChambeau could only recall one other time something like this happened, and that was six years ago.

At the 2020 PGA Championship at Harding Park, his driver broke as he was getting ready to tee off. The two-time US Open winner usually analyzes every detail, but had no explanation afterward.

“I don’t know how to explain it,” he said.

Most players accept that the game is difficult, but DeChambeau, being a physics major, looks for technical explanations.

After a poor first round at the 2021 Open Championship at Royal St. George’s, he told reporters his driver was not good enough. At the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon, he blamed performance issues on cold-air density, ball compression, and the coefficient of thermal expansion.

His constant search for solutions has led to changes not only in his equipment but also in his approach to the game beyond tournaments.

Bryson DeChambeau’s Break 50 is proof that he always aims high

The Break 50 series was launched in August 2023 to show how high the golfer aims. He set a target to break 50 with a guest. In a regular tournament, this score would help you win, but DeChambeau wanted to beat this for his YouTube videos.

People like Donald Trump and Tom Brady accepted the challenge. John Daly, Phil Mickelson, Paige Spiranac, Bob Does Sports, and Sergio Garcia also joined. In one of the last episodes of the first season, Mickelson and DeChambeau made 13 birdies and an eagle in 18 holes. Even then, they did not reach the target, clearly showing how difficult Bryson DeChambeau’s goal was.

“I’d love to grow my YouTube channel three times, maybe even more,” he said earlier this year.

Valderrama has seen its share of unusual moments, and this was another. But for DeChambeau, it just might be the next query to find an explanation for, and who knows, we just might get the understanding on his YouTube channel.