Whatever golf fans think of him, they cannot deny that Bryson DeChambeau has probably changed the game more than any other player since Tiger Woods, with his willingness to push boundaries in all sorts of ways.
Many will remember when Bryson DeChambeau first emerged that he quickly became known as the player whose iron shafts were all the same length. He also represented something of a throwback by wearing a flat cap.
He did enjoy some success, winning four times on the PGA Tour in 2018. But it was in late 2019 that DeChambeau decided to make a radical change in pursuit of adding significant distance to his game. DeChambeau changed up his lifestyle, and started to get involved in Long Drive.
It worked wonders for the American, who won the US Open in 2020 to secure his first major title. Meanwhile, fans were clearly fascinated to see how far he would hit the ball off the tee. One of the most incredible moments of the 2021 Ryder Cup came when DeChambeau hit a 417 yard drive at Whistling Straits.
Why Rory McIlroy could not emulate Bryson DeChambeau in 2020
Unsurprisingly, it altered how a lot of players viewed the importance of distance. It was becoming apparent that being further down the hole was more beneficial regardless of whether you were in the fairway or the rough, but clearly, DeChambeau was scaling new heights.
Rory McIlroy himself admitted that DeChambeau’s US Open win inspired him to step up his own speed training. And it is fair to say that the Northern Irishman was not as successful, with McIlroy suggesting that it hurt his swing.
McIlroy has always been one of the best off the tee on the PGA Tour. So it was perhaps surprising to some to see him struggle as he tried to emulate DeChambeau.
Speaking on the No Laying Up Podcast, Dr Sasho MacKenzie explained why McIlroy was not as successful as DeChambeau had been.
“Rory a number of years ago, on the heels of Bryson winning the US Open and being like, ‘wow, this guy’s now in another stratosphere off the tee’, I think Rory went through this thought of, ‘right, I see Bryson’s got a ball speed out there of 190, well I’ve got 190 ball speed on the range, I’m going to start trying to hit it 190’. That was his version, four years ago now, chasing speed,” he said.
“But what you have to realise is, at the time, Bryson’s max ball speed potential was over 210. He had just competed in the World Long Drive, we saw him hit 218, 219 ball speed, so with his gamer driver on the course, he’s probably 215 easy, but let’s say 210 for easy math. Well, Bryson playing at 190 ball speed, that’s a 90 percent effort. He can play 190 ball speed in control, no problem, life’s good.
“Rory’s max ball speed is probably 195, so he’s like, ‘oh yeah, let’s do this, chase the speed thing, I’m going to go out and hit 190 ball speed’. That’s such a high percentage of his maximum, of course he’s not going to be as effective for finding fairways. For Bryson at the time, 190’s like, ‘this is no problem’.”
A fascinating experiment which shows just how impressive DeChambeau’s work was
It is a fascinating insight, as it not only shows how impressive DeChambeau’s transformation was, but it also highlights how insecure the world’s best players can still be. Even someone with McIlroy’s era-defining talent felt that he was missing a massive trick when DeChambeau started adding distance and almost started to panic.
McIlroy has long got his game back on track. He is second on the PGA Tour for driving distance this year at 320.2 yards, while he is fourth for strokes gained off the tee. And he has ended up winning three times worldwide in 2024.
Unsurprisingly, DeChambeau leads the way for driving distance on LIV Golf, with the American averaging 323.5 yards in the 2024 season. DeChambeau himself backed off his initial regime to ensure that what he was doing away from the course was sustainable.
But it is going to be interesting to see how DeChambeau showing what is possible influences how the world’s best approach distance in the years to come.
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