When you look at Bryson DeChambeau’s recent results in the majors, you are left in no doubt at all that the LIV Golf star is one of the very best players on the planet right now.
Bryson DeChambeau has finished inside the top six at five of the last six majors. That, of course, includes a victory at the US Open, as well as two runner-up finishes at the PGA Championship.
However, there was quite the difference between his second place finish at Valhalla one year ago and his performance at Quail Hollow this past week. DeChambeau came within one putt of making a playoff with Xander Schauffele 12 months ago.
This time around, he was one of the players who finished five shots adrift of Scottie Scheffler. And ultimately, he rarely looked like catching the world number one on Sunday in North Carolina.
Paul McGinley criticises Bryson DeChambeau after the PGA Championship
For many, the big problem came from DeChambeau’s iron play. He lost more than five shots to Scheffler when it came his strokes gained approach across the week.
But it seems that DeChambeau perhaps sees the biggest issues being elsewhere in his game. The 31-year-old spoke after the final round of needing to find a golf ball which flies straighter.
DeChambeau is extremely innovative, so it is difficult to question any idea he has about technology. However, speaking on Indo Sport, Paul McGinley insisted that DeChambeau would be making a mistake if he put all of his hopes in finding a golf ball which addresses all of his problems.
“There’s limitations in his game. As dynamic as he is off the tee and short game again is phenomenal, but his iron play is really poor. He was almost last in that category. I think he was 51st of 54 guys who made the cut at Augusta. Again, this week, he was ranked 50th out of 54 who made the cut, again in approach play. A lot of it is down to when the pins are on the right-hand side that he misses greens, because he plays only one-dimensionally right to left,” he said.
“He’s got limitations, he’s got to figure out how to play that shot. His golf swing is built for hitting the ball a million miles, he swings the club in to out and on the upswing. That is great for generating speed, and he’s been obsessed about generating speed for the last four or five years, and he brings that swing then to his irons, and that creates too much of an in to out path, too much of a right to left shape. So if he’s going to continue to be the massive hitter that he is, he’s going to have to change his swing somewhat for the irons. Now, that’s a very difficult thing to do, how can you have two swings for your irons and one for the driver. We’ll see how he’s going to approach that.
“He talked about last night, ‘oh, I’ve got to find a ball that goes straighter’, and all that rubbish. I’m not buying that. He’s got to change his golf swing. There’s too much doubt in his golf swing. Great for the driver, not good for the irons. Too much shape right to left and one-dimensional. And there’s going to be moments when tournament championship venues ask you questions, you’re right about 17 on day three, wind was off the right, the pin was on the right and water left. That was a nightmare scenario for him.”
Bryson DeChambeau now looking to emulate Rory McIlroy
Of course, DeChambeau is not the first world-class player to look at switching golf balls this year. Rory McIlroy decided to make a change after messing around with a different TaylorMade ball shortly before the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
That obviously proved to be an inspired decision with McIlroy winning that event. He also triumphed at The Players Championship and The Masters. And it seems that the 36-year-old has worked out how to take distance off some of his iron and wedge shots.
DeChambeau is now hoping that lightning can strike twice and help him across the line.
Perhaps he will find a golf ball which suits him better. However, McGinley clearly feels that it would be a mistake to neglect some of the issues within his swing.
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