Why Colin Montgomerie was shocked by what Bryson DeChambeau did in 2020, ‘I couldn’t believe what I saw’

Add as preferred source on Google

Bryson DeChambeau and Colin Montgomerie are chalk and cheese when it comes to their respective approaches to playing the game that we all love.

Montgomerie in his prime was all about measured, calculated precision, while DeChambeau‘s obvious strength is his explosive power off the tee.

Although Montgomerie and DeChambeau are completely different, that doesn’t mean that the Scot doesn’t appreciate the way that the American goes about his business.

Montgomerie credited DeChambeau with changing the game due to his extraordinary ball speed and sheer brute force.

What should be the punishment for LIV golfers who want to return to the PGA Tour?

Comment

Like or Comment

Have your say Sign-in now for free

It’s worth mentioning that the LIV Golf star has two major championship wins to his name as well, while the 2010 Ryder Cup captain was never able to get over the line in the four biggest events in the game.

DeChambeau has proven that he is one of the best golfers in the world when he’s on top form, and it’s fair to argue that he is the only golfer who the PGA Tour actually miss.

He has been a real needle-mover since he started bulking up and breaking the 200 mph ball speed barrier five years ago.

Colin Montgomerie was shocked by what Bryson DeChambeau did

Montgomerie is very much a golf traditionalist, the polar opposite to DeChambeau you could say.

The American continues to push the boundaries when it comes to his endeavours both on and off the golf course.

When speaking to BBC Sport back in 2020, Montgomerie admitted that he was dumbfounded after watching DeChambeau at the Charles Schwab Challenge.

“The transformation has been amazing, I could not believe what I saw when I switched on in the first round — even Bryson’s XL shirts are looking tight now,” Montgomerie said.

“Bryson played with Dustin Johnson the first two days and he was giving him 25 yards off the tee — and Dustin is no slouch … Extraordinary. He is huge.

“It’s great to see athleticism in the game, but to see him carrying 330 yards in the air and with the bounce you are up to 350, 360? This is getting unreal, something we haven’t seen before, a whole new game we are beginning to witness.

“On Friday, Bryson had 10 holes on which he was within 100 yards of the green for his approach. And if you include the four par threes, that means there were only four holes on which Bryson was more than 100 yards away for his approach. The game has changed dramatically. It’s now brute force and a sand-wedge.”

Since DeChambeau’s transformation, many players have followed suit.

Speed training and explosive power are now absolutely crucial for any player wishing to make it at the highest level.

However, golf’s evolution into more of a power game has caused one very big problem.

Colin Montgomerie’s solution to combat Bryson DeChambeau’s power

Montgomerie is on the same page as Jack Nicklaus when it comes to the best way to defend against traditional old golf courses from becoming obsolete.

And a change that the European Ryder Cup legend called for back in 2020 will actually be officially implemented in 2028.

He said: “I’m an advocate of what Jack Nicklaus proposes — a tournament ball for professionals, that goes only 80 to 85 per cent as far.

“The time has come, because we can’t be building courses at 10,000 yards.

“We haven’t the money or the space and there are the obvious ecological reasons. A tournament ball would be a massive step, because of that term ‘bifurcation’ [professionals playing by different rules than amateurs]. Yet haven’t we reached that stage, now? We’ve seen at Colonial that something has to be done or these classic courses cannot be used.”

Interestingly, the golf ball rollback will come into play in amateur golf in 2030 as well.

While plenty of golf fans may not agree with the incoming golf ball rollback rule, it will definitely ensure a more sustainable future regarding golf course design.

In total contrast to Montgomerie, DeChambeau is a fierce critic of the golf ball rollback, and it will be fascinating to see how it really impacts the professional game when it comes into play in 2028.