Bryson DeChambeau Q&A at Indy 500: On parallels between golfers and drivers

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INDIANAPOLIS — Two-time U.S. Open champion and LIV golfer Bryson DeChambeau visited Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, one day before the Indy 500, to take a lap around the 2.5-mile track in a two-seat IndyCar. With a custom firesuit and helmet, he then met up with Andretti Global driver Kyle Kirkwood to play a few holes of the Brickyard Crossing golf course, which is partially located inside the mammoth speedway.

Shortly after his lap, DeChambeau met up with The Athletic to chat about the crossover between golfers and race car drivers — two types of athletes who have more in common than you might think.

I know plenty of athletes love golf and it’s a big hobby, but many race car drivers are very much into it and absolutely love it. Could it be the mental aspect of competing against yourself out there?

I think it’s very similar. When I was out there driving — I took one lap in the two-seater — there was this focus I had. It was this direct line, tunnel vision sort of thing. And I feel that same exact thing when I’m golfing out there. It goes from (vision being) wide, I’m happy, I’m high-fiving, and then I get to the tee box, and it’s lock in — and I see that same sort of tunnel vision that I saw out there (on the track).

That adrenaline right off the rip when we got out of the pit, it blew me back, and it was immediately tunnel vision. That’s all you got to see. There’s a very similar respect to that with drivers to golf.

There are 350,000 people here on race day, and drivers say it’s almost impossible not to get overwhelmed a little bit by the atmosphere. I had asked drivers, “Do you try to push it out so you can focus, or are you trying to embrace it and soak it in?” How do you manage that yourself when you’re playing in front of a huge crowd?

A lot of people try to push it out. I almost embrace it and have it be a part of the tunnel vision. I don’t know if you’ve watched the movies where it just focuses in and you can see the colors of the people around? That’s kind of what it is like for me, at least; it’s very movie-like, which is weird.

I always grew up being like, “I want to be like that. I want to focus like that. I want to feel that.” And then you get into it and you realize, “Wow, the movies are pretty representative of what it feels like.” But I almost try to bring those colors in. It’s a part of the atmosphere for me, where some people try to push it out and make it be like there’s nobody there.

Do you have to learn that over your career, to understand that?

Yeah, it’s experience. And it’s what works for you, right? Some people don’t want to see that. They don’t feel comfortable with that. I feel comfortable because it’s the atmosphere, it’s the moment, it’s the place where you want to be, where you’ve practiced to be your entire life.

Race car drivers can’t go racing without sponsorship, so they always have to build their brands. But interestingly enough, I feel like you are way better at building your brand than a lot of race car drivers I’ve seen, with what you do on social media. Why is it so important for you to invest in your brand that way?

One, people see the authentic side of me. That’s really important. Two, it’s a great way to connect with people. Three, I think there is a movement happening in the media space where things are starting to move that direction.

I do believe drivers have an opportunity to showcase the skill sets they have on the track a little bit more freely. Hopefully they can do that. That’s a way to get people more involved in the action and what goes on behind the scenes a little bit, but also just being themselves and creating cool content.

I think people misinterpret “behind the scenes” to “cool, entertaining, fun content.” There’s a difference between the two of them. The behind-the-scenes stuff is awesome, and there’s a place for it. But for content creation, for drivers, that’s going to be the future: How do they create content with their cars and become a character and figurehead? That’s a direction that hasn’t necessarily been explored. Maybe some are doing it, but it’s going to get better and better over time. That’s what I’ve done in my field.

NASCAR drivers race 38 races a year, almost all in the United States. F1 drivers have 24 races all around the world. In both sports, there’s a lot of talk about the grind of the road — how difficult it is to stay sharp and not get yourself burned out. With all the travel you do all over the place, what do you do for yourself to make sure that you’re staying fresh and not getting burned out?

Rest and sleep is very important. I also think doing something you love is important outside of it. You have to have more than just your profession. If you just have your profession, you can get burnt out pretty easily.

So having balance is really important in people’s lives. And I think we’re starting to experience that (in golf). We pushed the limits on how many we all can do, and now it’s starting to retract a little bit and it creates good scarcity for the market. But I do believe there needs to be a balance … you have to have out there as a professional.

“I get to the tee box, and it’s lock in,” Bryson DeChambeau says, “and I see that same sort of tunnel vision that I saw out there (on the track).” (Warren Little / Getty Images)

On that topic, two-time defending Indy 500 champion Josef Newgarden recently talked about how there was a time when he got so obsessed with the results and lost track of the process that it made him miserable. He’s rediscovered the joy of his job. For you, how do you keep that joy and keep that fun? Because you have to want to get yourself up every day to go to work.

It was the same thing. I was focused on, “I want to win. I want to win. I want to win. Why am I not winning? Why am I not winning?” Rather than saying, “I’m just going to keep getting one percent better each day. I’m gonna focus on the process, enjoy the process and those results will come.” And that’s what I do every day.

If any race car drivers are reading this — or anyone else — the mental side of golf is obviously extremely difficult. Are there any tips in general you’d give for people who are struggling with their game or struggling to stay consistent?

It’s finding your bubble, finding your zone. Tiger (Woods) talked about it to me a lot. He said, “You’ve got to build your bubble and nothing enters it. You’re there. You’re fully in control.” I think that’s the same when you’re in the car: You’re in control. You’re right here. You’re right now. Execute. That’s important.

(Top photo of Bryson DeChambeau during the final round of the PGA Championship last Sunday: Warren Little / Getty Images)

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