It will be difficult to be at the top of the drama category Bryson DeChambeau already part of 2021. He’s only won once on the PGA Tour, but the man has transformed his body in less than two years to become the tournament’s longest-running racer for sure. was the main topic of discussion during a hectic golfing season – even when he wasn’t competing.
2020 US Open winner DeChambeau added the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March for his eighth PGA Tour win.
Yet despite some strong plays, he didn’t win again, posting a total of six top 10 finishes in 20 events worldwide. Now he is seventh in the world.
DeChambeau hasn’t played an official event since the Tour Championship in early September. Then he played the Ryder Cup, then the Professional Long Distance Drivers Association event.
For all we know, he has more strength and muscle after a year that has seen him the subject of controversy and months-long feud with Brooks Koepka leading up to the Friday festivities in Las Vegas.
Now, he’ll join arch nemesis Koepka in a 12-hole televised feud called “The Match.” This is the fifth installment of the series starting with Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson in 2018. This will be DeChambeau’s second appearance.
It’s fair to wonder if the two have actually worked out their differences to the point where now sworn enemies are actually good enough together to air a few hours on national television for a payday. salary or not.
Does that make their months-long feud seem more intense as they seem to have reached a truce at the Ryder Cup and will be taking part in this Thanksgiving weekend getaway? Or is the bad blood still there?
We’ll get some answers in the contest, but for now it seems prudent to look back at the good and bad of an incredibly busy year for DeChambeau.
Good Bryson
1. Bay Hill
DeChambeau made it her mission to achieve a kick the ball across the lake on the par-5 sixth hole at Bay Hill Club, site of the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
By Saturday, circumstances presented themselves and DeChambeau hit a 370-yard tee on a 555-yard hole that ended 50 yards from the green. He won, twice for birdie, and was the subject of the tournament.
“I feel like a kid again. It’s exciting,” he said.
DeChambeau plays the final round with a 54-hole leader Lee Westwood and did the same thing on Sunday. He prevailed in a duel against the Briton to win his eighth PGA Tour. His exploits dominated the discussion, but his victory was also impressive, in a tough course with Westwood sticking with DeChambeau until the final hole.
Perhaps best of all, it was DeChambeau’s lone win in 2021, despite numerous opportunities.
2. Ryder Cup
DeChambeau did not disappoint at the Ryder Cup, where he drove the first green car in his Sunday singles match, a 417-yard bomb set up a long eagle putt – which he rolled in. It was a great theater and set the tone for a day of victory when the United States reached its easy victory over Europe.
It’s also part of an interesting story for DeChambeau, who never let the Koepka issue matter and took a 2-0-1 lead in the tournament after poor performances in both the 2018 Ryder Cup and the Pres. President Cup 2019.
3. Long-term competition
Not too many people think that DeChambeau competing in the Professional Long-distance Driver Association World Championship is a good idea. The event was scheduled to begin the Tuesday after the Ryder Cup. Training yourself to hit long shots is a different thing than preparing for tournament golf, especially Ryder Cup golf.
But DeChambeau was undaunted and went out of his way to earn a little respect. Less than two years after embarking on a full-blown weight-gain and strength-building program, DeChambeau was more than capable of competing at the event. With 80 players in the competition, DeChambeau to the last day, where he finished seventh.
“I am so proud of Bryson,” said Kyle Berkshire, who won the event. “He came here and put himself in a position where not a lot of people thought he would do well. He held his own against the absolute best and made it to the final eight in his first attempt after arriving from the Ryder Cup. It’s phenomenal and I don’t just speak in the context of golf – it’s one of the greatest sporting achievements I’ve ever seen. ”
DeChambeau’s longest recorded distance on the last day was 408 yards.
4. Koepka feud
This has taken on all forms over the past six months, some of which are beyond silly. But unless you take issue with DeChambeau pointing out spectators harassing him during the game, he handled the situation pretty well.
Remember, DeChambeau really did nothing to rekindle the tension between the two golfers. He innocently walked the path from the scoring area to the locker room after round two of the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island, and seemed to be lamenting his fate for those around him. It happened to be in the ear of Koepka, who was doing a tape interview with the Golf Channel. This conversation seems to distract Koepka, who stops, rolls his eyes, utters his incredulity – and demands to restart the interview.
That interview was later leaked, then blown up. And for a short time, Koepka had no problem letting it fester, receiving social media posts and enjoying the defeat. NS “Let’s Go Brooksy” The chants that have become commonplace at tournaments and that were intended to annoy DeChambeau have made an impression on golfers but lame for the most part.
Bad Bryson
1. Drivers
After being innocently asked about his first round of 71 at The Open, DeChambeau unleashed his gear, said his driver was “so bad.”
“It’s not a good side for me and we’re still trying to figure out how to improve it with the wrong things. I’m living on the razor blade like I’ve been telling people for a long time.” , I said. “When I do it outside the fairway, like in the first cut and other things, I catch jumpers out there and I just can’t control my shots.”
That didn’t go well with the device maker and his endorser, Cobra. The company’s tour chief executive, Ben Shoman – who started for DeChambeau two weeks ago at the Rocket Mortgage Classic – publicly declined, telling Golfweek: “He was never really happy. Like like, it’s very rare that he’s happy.” And: “It really, really hurts when he says something stupid.”
To acknowledge DeChambeau’s merits, a day later, he met a group of reporters, apologized and explained his frustrations.
2. US Open
DeChambeau is ready to defend her US Open title. With nine holes to go, he took the lead at Torrey Pines. And then he cleared up, shooting back 44 leading to a final inning of 77. He fell down the leaderboard. Bogeys on the 11th and 12th holes dropped him 3 shots back into the lead. On the 13th hole, his foot slipped during teeing off, resulting in a double 7 that left him undisputed.
He blames his woes on unlucky.
“I had to get a bit lucky, and I was in for the first three and a half days and unlucky for the last nine,” he explains. “But it plays a huge factor in major golf championships. It can be over 50% in most situations. There are times when I hit it in the fairways and hit it into a divot. It’s just part of the equation. it. ”
3. COVID-19
DeChambeau was preparing to hit the road for Tokyo and the Olympics when he failed a COVID-19 test as part of pre-travel protocols. He returned a week after the Olympics at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational, where despite losing 10 pounds and feeling tired, he told reporters he has no regrets his decision not to get the coronavirus vaccine – and some more misinformation.
“Vaccines don’t necessarily prevent it from happening,” DeChambeau said. [the vaccine] for those who need it. I do not need it. I am a healthy young person and will continue to work for my health.
“I don’t think it’s a good thing to take a vaccine away from someone who needs it. My dad is a perfect example. He got it. [the vaccine] early because he is a diabetic. Such people need to get it. My mother understands. I don’t want to take that possibility away.
“Now, as time goes by, if it [the vaccine] mainstream, really, really mainstream, then yes. ”
In August – as is the case today – there was no shortage of vaccines in the United States. Additionally, at the time, the CDC reported that more than 95% of hospitalizations and deaths were in unvaccinated individuals.
The backlash has been quite intense, especially on social media. After that, DeChambeau decided not to speak to the press, which he maintained throughout the FedEx Cup knockouts. It just stops at the Ryder Cup.
4. Rocket Mortgage
DeChambeau’s defense of the Rocket Mortgage title didn’t go well. This comes between nine finals at the US Open, before steering problems at The Open, and means he’s the subject of more criticism.
In fact, he miss the cut was the least of his problems. On the eve of the tournament, DeChambeau and longtime caddy Tim Tucker parted ways. It was a strange timing, as the athlete was on site, working professionally, but then became inactive for the tournament. DeChambeau hinted that it was a joint breakup, but it seems Tucker may have simply decided he’s had enough.
Both took the high road after that, but DeChambeau did not speak to the media after the first or second round – despite being sponsored by Rocket Mortgage – drawing criticism for himself.
