Bryson DeChambeau has turned his backyard into the setting for a high-stakes golf competition, with $100,000 on the line and a field of 10 golfers fighting for the chance to face him. The two-time U.S. Open champion unveiled Bryson DeChambeau’s Backyard Games on Monday, September 21, following a social media post that had sparked speculation about his professional golf future. DeChambeau had posted the words “I’m coming home,” prompting some fans to wonder whether he was hinting at a return to the PGA Tour.
Instead, the phrase had a much more literal meaning. Bryson DeChambeau’s Backyard Games is a 10-day elimination competition staged around DeChambeau’s property. The format is deliberately unforgiving: players compete in unconventional golf challenges, with early matches decided over a single hole. A loss means immediate elimination, while a victory keeps a player alive for another round. The last golfer standing will earn the opportunity to face DeChambeau himself over three holes for $100,000.
A $100,000 Prize With an Unusual Twist
The biggest attraction of Bryson DeChambeau’s Backyard Games is not simply the size of the prize. DeChambeau has structured the contest so that he will not personally keep the $100,000 regardless of the final result. If the challenger defeats DeChambeau over the three-hole final, the surviving golfer takes the entire $100,000 prize. If DeChambeau wins, he says the money will instead go to one of his followers.
That arrangement adds another layer to the final. A portion of the audience could have a financial reason to support DeChambeau rather than the challenger, creating an unusual dynamic for a golf competition. “Over the next 10 days, these 10 golfers will be competing in my backyard for the chance to play me for this $100,000,” DeChambeau said in the announcement.
The first match was scheduled for Tuesday, September 22, with two players randomly selected for a one-hole contest. The winner advances, while the loser is sent home. The format leaves almost no room for recovery. In conventional stroke play, a player can recover from a poor opening hole with strong play over the remaining 17. In Bryson DeChambeau’s Backyard Games, one bad shot could end a player’s entire run.
Familiar Names Make Up the Field
The competition features a mixture of recognizable golf-content creators, competitive golfers and players with distinctive specialties. The announced field includes Grant Horvat, Brad Dalke, Chance Taylor, Rhett Anderson, Wesley Bryan, George Bryan, Arlynn Spence, Sara Winter, Martin Borgmeier and Chazzy Bowker. Wesley and George Bryan provide an especially familiar storyline for viewers of golf content. The brothers are entering the same elimination competition, with George openly embracing the possibility of eliminating Wesley.
Martin Borgmeier brings another unusual variable. The former world long-drive champion is capable of producing exceptional clubhead speed, potentially making him particularly dangerous if any of DeChambeau’s backyard holes reward distance. Horvat is another prominent name among golf creators, while Arlynn Spence and Sara Winter give the women’s golf-content community representation in the field.
For every player, however, the challenge is the same. Surviving the opening rounds requires adapting quickly to unfamiliar holes and handling the pressure of knowing that there may be no second chance.
From PGA Tour Speculation to a Backyard Competition
The timing of Bryson DeChambeau’s Backyard Games reveal helped create the initial confusion surrounding DeChambeau’s “coming home” message. The post appeared less than two weeks after LIV Golf filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on September 8. DeChambeau was among the league’s reported creditors, adding further context to speculation about what the message might mean. When DeChambeau subsequently revealed his backyard competition, the mystery was resolved. Rather than announcing a return to the PGA Tour, he was promoting a creator-focused golf event built around his own property and digital audience.
The concept also fits naturally with DeChambeau’s established presence in online golf content. The one-hole elimination format makes each installment easy for viewers to follow: two players compete, one advances and another goes home. The shrinking field should provide a straightforward narrative across the 10-day run, while the final offers a clear climax with DeChambeau himself entering the competition.
Bryson DeChambeau’s Backyard Games therefore combines golf competition with the fast-moving structure of online entertainment. The $100,000 prize provides the headline, but the unusual venue, one-hole eliminations and DeChambeau’s involvement create the central storyline. For the 10 competitors, however, the concept is simple. Survive each challenge, reach the final and earn three holes against DeChambeau.
The winner could leave the backyard $100,000 richer. If DeChambeau wins, the money will reportedly go to one of his followers instead. Either way, Bryson DeChambeau’s Backyard Games has transformed a private property into the stage for a competition where every shot can determine who stays and who goes home.