By James Corrigan
As Scottie Scheffler’s rivals left North Carolina considering how they can possibly deny the world No 1 further major victories this season, it was perhaps no surprise to hear “The Mad Scientist” sounding the most confident of discovering the secret.
However, Bryson DeChambeau’s “trick up my sleeve” of which he boasted is not as highbrow as one might think and is instead simply the wish of anybody who has ever picked up a club – hacker or superstar alike.
“What I really think needs to happen is to get a golf ball that flies straighter,” he said. Sign us all up for that, Bryson.
DeChambeau recognises that he and his suppliers have only three weeks to meet his demanding order before the year’s third major at Oakmont, but the 31-year-old is adamant it can be achieved. “I’m going to be working my butt off to bring it for the US Open, but I’ve got to get some equipment here soon,” he said. “It’s all up to manufacturing.”
Of course, there will be accusations of a workman blaming his tools, but, again, DeChambeau is perhaps merely summing up the feelings of many frustrated golfers in this regard. In fairness to the American, he does have science in his corner and, as the player who hits the ball hardest and highest, his Titleist ProV1x Left Dash is affected more than his fellow pros.
“Everybody talks about how straight the golf ball now flies,” he said. “Well, upwards of 190 [mph] (305km/h) ball speed] like Rory [McIlroy] and myself, it’s actually quite difficult to control the golf ball. The ball sidespins quite a bit and it gets hit by the wind quite a bit because our golf balls are just in the air longer. So I’m looking at ways of how to rectify that.”
DeChambeau is forever searching and plotting and that helps make him the most intriguing character on the fairways at the moment. Certainly, he has established himself as a big-time operator. This was his fifth top-six finish in the past five majors and, since Scheffler won last year’s Masters, even he has to bow to his countryman’s consistency in the events that really matter.
Mad Scientist … Bryson DeChambeauCredit: Getty Images
His self-belief and his insistence that the only thing holding him back from usurping Scheffler is the space-age technology in his hands, or on his tee pegs, will naturally rankle some. After all, he was beaten by five shots at Quail Hollow on Sunday and was never truly in contention in the final round, only ever climbing to within two shots of Scheffler before the leader soared clear. But with the scale of his ambition and the quirkiness of his personality, it is maybe inevitable he thinks like this. Others will think it a forlorn task to supplant Scheffler, but the nerd in DeChambeau assures him that there has to be a way.
However, the point is, should he be looking in a different place and is the blame being apportioned wisely?
While his focus on his driving was understandable – he led the charts in driving distance for the week but he was down in a tie for 68th in driving accuracy – it is clearly his wedge game that is the weakness. In the Sky Sports commentary booth, Paul McGinley noted that DeChambeau is too linear with those shots that are bread and butter for Scheffler.
“Another example of the one-dimensional iron play that he has and why he ranks so low in that category,” McGinley commented after one poor approach from within 130 yards. “Pin on the right or wind off right, those sorts of things seem to cause him problems.”
In an interview with the London Daily Telegraph last month, DeChambeau acknowledged that “the two frontiers for me are my wedge game and controlling my ball in the wind”.
“I am getting there and if I ever do then, wow, I’m going to have a spectacular career,” he added. On that occasion, he placed the burden on himself and went on to suggest that he needs more “feel” and less brawn.
Yet that was a rare moment and for DeChambeau, more than any of his peers, the technique is married to the technology and in telling comments in Hong Kong in March he cast the load on the engineers and not himself.
“My ball is spinning too much with my wedges,” DeChambeau said. “If I try to hit a full shot, it’ll rip off the green. There’s something weird with me in general and the way I play golf. I’m looking for a ball that launches a lot lower, has controlled spin at a full swing and half swing still has spin. Hopefully, I can go find a golf ball that can do that because I’m not changing my motion. I’m doing too well with that.”
On Sunday, he said he was “baffled” at his inability to get over the major line again – “definitely had an opportunity to beat Rory [at last month’s Masters] and definitely had an opportunity to give Scottie a run this week” – but self-reflection leading to game improvement is probably the most notable hump he needs to counter.
Nobody can deny his form in the majors and, on this run, it is difficult to envisage him not adding to his two major wins in the near future. But Scheffler showed the level to which he can raise himself and his game and he is the overwhelming favourite for Oakmont. The gap might be bigger and the solution more complex than even DeChambeau might suspect.
The London Daily Telegraph
