If one man in the golfing world knows a good player and a good golf swing, then it’s 18-time major champion, Jack Nicklaus.
Nicklaus has been around the game longer than most and is arguably the most respected figure in the game from a player’s perspective at least.
Over the decades, Nicklaus has seen so many golfers come and go and so many try to take the game to new levels. Some, of course, succeed, like Tiger Woods, or a Rory McIlroy, for example.
However, one man who was yet to convince Nicklaus back in 2020 was a certain Bryson DeChambeau.
DeChambeau is well known for putting the work in to hit the ball longer and he earned the nickname of the ‘Scientist’ at times for his methodical approach to the game in terms of stats and metrics.
But ahead of the Memorial five years back, Nicklaus was unconvinced by DeChambeau’s quest.
What Jack Nicklaus thought of Bryson DeChambeau without seeing him in person
Speaking back in 2020 ahead of the Memorial Tournament, Jack Nicklaus got onto the subject of Bryson DeChambeau who, at the time, had been on a bulking up quest to get more speed and power in his golf game.
And after admitting he’d not seen DeChambeau in person, Nicklaus did suggest he was intrigued by the American’s swing mechanics.
“I personally haven’t seen him in person, just on the television to start with but if he’s carrying 250 pounds, that’s a lot of weight for Bryson. I mean he doesn’t look heavy, he just looks big,” Nicklaus said.
“The places he’s been hitting the golf ball…look, Bryson’s golf swing is not a fluid golf swing that really whips the club into the ball. Bryson’s golf swing is pretty firm going back and firm going through, with a lot of body rotation and it’s a little different to lot of guys but the power he’s getting from that, it’s unbelievable.
“I want to watch him play for a bit and watch how he’s actually doing that because he’s doing something right, he’s playing well and the ball’s going a long way with it as well.”
How Bryson DeChambeau performed in the 2020 Memorial Tournament
The 2020 Memorial Tournament was a mixed bag for Bryson DeChambeau as he went from the sublime to the ridiculous in the same two days.
DeChambeau’s crowning moment in the event and his way of impressing Mr Nicklaus was to smash a 423 yard drive onto the green on the par four first hole. However, things soon went south.
In his second round, DeChambeau fell foul to a number of penalties and dropped shots, meaning he fell to plus five and ultimately, missed the cut completely.
In terms of his overall record, DeChambeau has missed the cut twice at Memorial, although he did win it in 2018.
His other efforts are middle of the road stuff, with a T18, T22, and T38 making up the rest of his attempts.
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