The Open: Bryson DeChambeau makes adjustments in powerful game
DeChambeau’s heavy-hitting golf game does not suit Royal Troon, but he knows what adjustments to make so he can succeed.
Bryson DeChambeau hits the golf ball a mile, but that will not work this week at Royal Troon for The Open Championship. This golf course will need precision from him and less power.
It is golf in Scotland; the wind and elements will test the players' abilities. Many will have to adjust their game plans because links golf is unique. DeChambeau will have a few things to change.
“I hit the golf ball high,” DeChambeau said. “It is helpful in certain situations. Out here in the wind this week, I’ve got to learn to control — not learn, but keep the ball under the wind a bit more, keep a lower flight.”
Many players hit the ball through specific windows, but not the two-time U.S. Open winner. While he does have windows, the former SMU golfer takes a different approach.
“If I take it back a certain distance and go through, it will come out with a certain launch based on the loft,” he explained. “So I’m focused on accomplishing that task, just swinging the way I want, and the results will speak for themselves.”
“For me, it will be about controlling that height through the length of backstroke for me this week. It’s going to be tough. It’s always tough, right to left into the wind, left to right, and down. It’s very diabolical, and trying to keep it low underneath the wind is key for me this week.”
DeChambeau embraces the challenge of links golf. He does not think of his length as a problem out on the course but something to shift. The 30-year-old loves the challenge this week brings.
It was difficult for him in the past, but the work he has put into his game has helped DeChambeau embrace the test more.
“I wasn’t great at putting early on in my career. I’ve gotten a little bit better. My wedge game has gotten better,” DeChambeau said. “I’ve learned to flight the ball a little bit... Shoot, if I play well this week, I can give myself a good chance. That’s all I’m focused on. I think over the course of time, I’m going to get more comfortable with this golf course.”
DeChambeau played extremely well in the first three majors, finishing T6 at Augusta National, a solo second at the PGA Championship, and a win at Pinehurst No. 2 for the U.S. Open.
His confidence is through the roof heading into the last major championship of the season.
“If I continue to drive the ball well, ball strike my irons and putt the way I know I can. If I do those three things, even four things with chipping and bunker play, I’ll give myself a chance,” he said. “I know how to get the job done. It’s a matter of if I’m as consistent as I was at the U.S. Open. If I can play the golf that I have been, I give myself a great chance.”
DeChambeau plays with Ludvig Åberg and Tom Kim for the first two rounds of The Open Championship. They tee off at 4:47 a.m. on Thursday and at 9:48 a.m. ET on Friday.
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @golf_girl_sl.