Bryson DeChambeau is going to be one of the most intriguing names to watch out for over the course of The Open Championship, with the LIV Golf star yet to find the magic formula when it comes to tackling links golf.
Whatever happens for Bryson DeChambeau over the coming days, he is undoubtedly going to be box office viewing over The Open Championship. It is rare for a major to pass without the 31-year-old being one of the main storylines.
It is also rare for DeChambeau to not be working on something within his game. It always appears as if the two-time US Open champion may be on the cusp of discovering something which could transform the game.
And it would seem that DeChambeau is currently focusing much of his attention on a golf ball.
Smylie Kaufman surprised by what Bryson DeChambeau was working on in his practice round at Royal Portrush
Obviously, there are a host of limitations surrounding the golf ball players can use. So it is presumably difficult for manufacturers to innovate. But that is not stopping DeChambeau.
Speaking on The Smylie Show, Smylie Kaufman noted what the Crushers captain was working on during his practice round at Royal Portrush this week.
“He was given a golf ball from somebody in Spain and he has been testing a bunch of different dimple types of golf balls because he has been trying to get his golf ball to have less curvature in the air.
This is like a non-conforming golf ball, this was one of them. He kept hitting on different shots and different holes and going ‘see guys, look at that’. The ball was not even moving. It was insane. It was pretty wild,” he said.
“He hit an iron shot on the sixth hole. It was a 20-25mph wind off the right. This ball is getting hammered and moved to the left but he hits this heavy sand ball, with no dimples, and it does not curve at all. He is like ‘see look!’
“It’s called a Polara and on it it says ultimate straight. I don’t think it has ever been a conforming ball but he is in the market to try and find a golf ball that doesn’t curve as much. His ball goes so high up and he thinks that with long players that the golf balls curve too much, he is on a mission to find a ball which is going to curve less.
“When he chipped with it it was hysterical because it came off so high in the air for a basic chip. It was a knuckle ball and it wouldn’t ever spin. You could never hit a low, checking shot.
“Laurie Canter and I were just giggling watching how much fun he was having with this non conforming golf ball.”
How Bryson DeChambeau looks to be performing in practice rounds ahead of The Open Championship
DeChambeau has not got the best record in The Open. It is the one major where he is yet to register a top five finish, while he has missed three cuts in seven appearances so far.
With that, it would take a brave person to confidently back DeChambeau over some of his peers at Portrush. However, Kaufman suggested that he has got the capabilities to play well in the conditions.
“I don’t necessarily worry about his iron game quite as much as maybe another week, because he mashes down on it so he can bring the flight down. He can work it both ways. I watched him hold fades into right to left winds, so he is capable of hitting those shots. I think he should probably do more of it, they were the better shot he hits today,” he said.
“He just kept wanting to hit draws and he would kind of blame the overdraws on the golf ball, whereas I’m like I think you should just hit the one that holds it.”
It will also be interesting to see how DeChambeau fares on the greens. His putting has not been the strongest part of his game this year, by any means.
And it seems that he has already been getting a little frustrated on the putting surfaces in Northern Ireland.
He definitely has the talent to win a third major title this week. However, it does feel as though DeChambeau is going to need all parts of his game to come together to overcome the likes of Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm.
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