Bryson DeChambeau is trying to find something in the Motor City in the Rocket Mortgage Classic at Detroit Golf Club.
No, not his next meal. He has that more than covered.
Instead, he’s looking for a W.
Since bulking up some 40 pounds and laying waste to golf courses from Texas to South Carolina to Connecticut with the stoutest drives the game’s seen in some time, DeChambeau has become the talk of the PGA Tour.
The guy named his power-thrust move with his driver in hand Kraken in a nod to the mythical sea monster. He said he “has at it,” when it comes to eating and added he consumes whatever he wants whenever he wants to the tune of about 3,500 calories per day. And he also wants to become the house, as in, a casino, which never loses.
But despite all the yarns about the new and enlarged man who wears the tam O’Shanter and XXL golf shirts, there hasn’t been a headline screaming DeChambeau victorious.
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Thus, despite being ranked No. 10 in the world, playing fantastic golf in his last six starts – his worst finish being a tie for eighth – and being 46-under par his last three weeks – best accumulated score on Tour – DeChambeau’s hefty frame is leaning a tad toward the disappointing side.
“Look, I’ve played some incredible golf even though I’m disappointed, again, I think over the long run, I’m looking at this as a long-term investment, this driving stuff,” said DeChambeau, whose most recent of five PGA Tour titles came in the 2018 Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. “Albeit it’s all great, he’s hitting it far, pretty straight, it’s awesome, but for me it’s more of a long-term investment.
“I want this to work really, really well for majors, especially majors. You know, East Lake, WGCs, I really want to perform at those events. These are great preparation tournaments, I love them, I want to win them.
“Every tournament I come to, I want to win.”
He’s had a chance to do that in his last half-dozen starts. Before the COVID-19 global pandemic shut down the PGA Tour, he had finished in a tie for fifth at the Genesis Invitational, second in the WGC-Mexico Championship and fourth in the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Since the restart, he tied for third in the Charles Schwab Challenge, tied for eighth in the RBC Heritage and tied for sixth in last week’s Travelers Championship.
All doing so by averaging more than 320 yard off the tee. And hitting 5-iron 235, 8-iron 195, PW 160. His average distance to the green after his tee shots this season is nearly 18 yards closer than he was last season. And he’s been putting well.
“I felt like I played really good these past three weeks,” he said. “Again, like I said last week, I’m just trying to be the house when it comes to, you know, a casino and things like that. Trying to be. Now, whether that can be done fully for longevity, I don’t know, but just going to keep hitting it as far as I can, wedging it on the green and making some putts.”
