Bryson DeChambeau took a backseat from golf this week after comments he made about the Apollo 11 moon landing exploded online and sparked a wave of backlash across social media.
Fresh off another disappointing major championship showing, DeChambeau appeared on the “Katie Miller Pod” and openly questioned whether the famous footage from the 1969 moon landing was authentic. While the LIV Golf star stopped short of claiming the United States never reached the moon, his remarks quickly drew criticism from fans already frustrated with his recent performances.
The two-time U.S. Open champion struggled badly at the PGA Championship at Aronimink, opening with a six-over 76 before posting a one-over 71 in the second round. The result marked his second straight missed cut in a major championship and continued a difficult run for one of golf’s most polarizing figures.
DeChambeau Questions Moon Landing Footage
“Look, Elon Musk says we’ve definitely gone there. So I tend to go that route, because he’s the man that knows quite a bit about all that,” DeChambeau said during the podcast appearance.
He then added another layer to the discussion by suggesting the actual footage shown to the public may not be legitimate. “Artemis just went around the moon. So I do believe if we spent a lot of our resources like they say we did, I think we did,” DeChambeau continued. “I don’t think the footage is real. But I think we did go to the moon. I don’t know about the footage. It’s quite… It’s quite wild.”
The comments spread rapidly online, where reactions ranged from disbelief to outright ridicule.
“I’ve tried so hard to like Bryson, chalking up his strange behavior to being a bit quirky or whatever. I’m done. This was it for me. He’s a full blown dips**t,” one user wrote on X.
Another user mocked DeChambeau’s recent golf form instead of his theories.
“Maybe this bozo should watch less footage of the moon landing and worry more about the practice range with his recent efforts,” the post read.
Social Media Turns On “The Scientist”
Others used the moment to take shots at DeChambeau’s growing focus on content creation and YouTube golf videos.
“More real than whatever the hell YouTube golf is,” another comment stated.
The backlash added another chapter to DeChambeau’s long-running reputation as one of golf’s most unconventional personalities. Nicknamed “The Scientist” for his obsessive approach to swing mechanics and analytics, DeChambeau has frequently generated headlines for comments and experiments that divide fans.
This time, however, many online critics appeared less amused and more openly frustrated, especially given his recent struggles in major championships.
YouTube Career Could Rival LIV Golf Earnings
That criticism directly touched on a major crossroads that DeChambeau himself recently acknowledged. The former PGA Tour star admitted he is uncertain whether he wants to continue pursuing elite professional golf full-time or lean more heavily into content creation.
“I’m in that weird space right now, I don’t know what to do, either: Content creation or professional golf,” DeChambeau told Miller. “I don’t know what to do right now.”
With more than 2.7 million subscribers on YouTube, DeChambeau has become one of the biggest digital personalities in golf. According to him, the money now rivals what top LIV Golf players can make.
When asked whether YouTube or LIV Golf is more profitable, DeChambeau answered bluntly.
“I’d say they’re about the same. If you’re up at that level in content creation, they are very, very similar.”
For now, though, his latest viral moment has little to do with golf swings, distance numbers, or YouTube trick shots. Instead, DeChambeau once again finds himself at the center of controversy — and social media has clearly not let him off easy.
