Bryson DeChambeau’s new agents at
The Legacy Agency were in talks last week with every major golf club manufacturer as well as non-golf companies about endorsement deals for their new client.
“Every club company is interested in him,” said Andrew Witlieb, TLA principal and one of DeChambeau’s agents. “This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for these companies. I mean, honestly, he is bigger than Jordan Spieth was, coming out, four years ago.”
But DeChambeau won’t sign any deals until April, after this year’s Masters. He received an exemption to play at Augusta after winning the 2015 U.S. Amateur.
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Bryson DeChambeau has signed with The Legacy Agency.
Photo by: GETTY IMAGES
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Unlike NCAA rules, which classify athletes as pro after they sign with agents, U.S. Golf Association rules allow golfers to hold their amateur status after hiring representation, as long as they don’t sign endorsement deals or receive payment for their golf skills. “He’s turning pro the Monday after the Masters,” Witlieb said.
DeChambeau signed with Witlieb and TLA agents Brett Falkoff and Bobby Schaeffer after he interviewed with virtually every major agency in the sport, Witlieb added.
DeChambeau, who last year became the fifth golfer in history to win the U.S. Amateur and the NCAA championship in the same year, plays a TaylorMade driver and irons made by a small company called Edel. The company has been specially making the clubs for DeChambeau.
Usually irons vary in length, but DeChambeau’s Edel irons are all 37.5 inches in length. DeChambeau, who was a physics major at SMU, came up with this winning formula years ago and is sticking with it, Witlieb said.
All the companies TLA is in talks with are willing to make irons to his specification, Witlieb added. “They will do anything he needs to play golf,” Witlieb said. “He might be willing to play Edel irons, the irons he’s been playing with. We don’t know yet.”
DeChambeau has wide-ranging interests, including science, history and art, which have steered conversations with non-golf companies.
“He is a really big techie, so we are speaking with GoPro, Tesla, companies like that,” Witlieb said.
In golf, the biggest endorsement deal usually involves placement on the golfer’s cap, but DeChambeau wears a Ben Hogan-style cap, not the baseball cap that most PGA Tour players wear. As a result, his headwear logo signage may look a bit different, on the side and top of the cap, rather than on the front, Witlieb said.
“He’s going to be wearing that style hat and people love that,” Witlieb said. “I think people like that it brings the heritage of golf back.”
> CAA SIGNS MIKE GREENBERG: Creative Artists Agency has signed Mike Greenberg, co-host of the popular ESPN Radio show “Mike and Mike,” for representation in all areas.
A team of agents across CAA will represent Greenberg, who is also the author of “All You Could Ask For,” a New York Times best-seller, and “My Father’s Wives: A Novel.” Greenberg remains under contract with ESPN until next year.
> PROSOURCE SIGNS SEVERAL: ProSource Sports has signed several prospects for the NFL draft, including Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott.
ProSource also signed Louisiana Tech defensive tackle Vernon Butler, Southern Utah defensive end James Cowser, Kentucky linebacker Josh Forrest and Kentucky defensive tackle Melvin Lewis.
Agency founder Jeff Guerriero will represent the players.
> SHAH SIGNS REED: Sunny Shah, founder of 320 Sports, has signed Washington Redskins tight end Jordan Reed.
Reed, a third-round pick of the Redskins in the 2013 draft who scored 11 touchdowns this season, was formerly represented by Elevate Football.
> EBMG ADDS GYMNAST: EBMG has signed U.S. bronze-medal gymnast Danell Leyva for exclusive representation and has negotiated endorsements for him with Dick’s Sporting Goods and Topps Co.
At EBMG, he will be represented by Lila Brown and Richard Thorpe and is pointed to this year’s Olympics in Rio. Leyva won the bronze medal in the men’s all-around at the 2012 London Olympics.
Liz Mullen can be reached at lmullen@sportsbusinessjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @SBJLizMullen.
