DECHAMBEAU BRINGING SENSE OF ENTITLEMENT TO NEW LEVELS
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU had no reason to shy away from the glare of the cameras last night as he demolished the Detroit Golf Club to win the Rocket Mortgage Classic.
The pumped-up, and beefed-up, DeChambeau showed none of the vulnerabilities that led to an argument with a TV cameraman during Saturday’s third round as the 26-yearold Californian powered his way to a scintillating seven-under-par 65 to win by three strokes with a final score of 23-under-par.
While Seamus Power had to settle for a share of 12th place after yesterday’s level par 72, overnight leader Matthew Wolff was the one challenger who stalked his compatriot down the back nine. But after four bogeys and two birdies on the front nine the 21-year-old left himself with too much work to do to reel in the big-hitting DeChambeau.
Wolff, who ripped up the course on Saturday with a 64, fought his way back into contention with birdies on 12, 13 and 15 but after lipping out for eagle on 17, which would have reduced the gap to one, DeChambeau firmly shut the door on the last with his longest drive of the day – 367 yards – setting up his eighth birdie of the round.
The self-styled mad scientist of golf, has added 30 pounds to his frame this season as part of his new formula for success and that extra power reduced parts of the Detroit track to a pitchand putt course. He averaged a staggering 350 yards off the tee for the week.
“I wanted people to see a different play style of the game, I knew there was an opportunity,” said DeChambeau, who climbs to fourth in the FedEx Cup standings with his sixth career victory on the PGA Tour.
Amazing
“I wanted to show people that if you work hard enough and give your absolute best, if you give everything you got, you can achieve amazing things. And that’s what I was able to do and what we were able to do as a team. Everyone in the background that makes this all possible.”
However, the new World No 7 was clearly stung by the criticism he received for Saturday’s outburst.
“But I will say for the people at home, that no matter how much you want to say about me I love everyone, there’s never an issue,” he added. “I hope everyone appreciates the hard work I put in.”
The Sunday smiles were in stark contrast to his display in front of the cameras 24 hours earlier.
After a poor shot from a greenside bunker on the seventh, he petulantly swiped at the sand. Yet it was his reaction on the way to the next tee that teleported his behaviour to the year before pre-kindergarten. For a full minute, DeChambeau remonstrated with the cameraman who had, as his contract dictates, kept the tape rolling.
“He was literally watching me the whole entire way up after getting out of the bunker, walking up next to the green. And I just was like, ‘Sir, what is the need to watch me that long?’” DeChambeau whined to the Golf Channel.
“I mean, I understand it’s his job to video me, but at the same point,
I think we need to start protecting our players out here compared to showing a potential vulnerability and hurting someone’s image. I just don’t think that’s necessarily the right thing todo.”
DeChambeau was not done. Unaware of how ridiculous he was sounding, he developed his rant into a public broadcast on behalf of persecuted multi-millionaires.
“As much as we’re out here performing, I think it’s necessary that we have our times of privacy as well when things aren’t going our way,” he said.
“I mean, we’re in the spotlight, but if somebody else is in the spotlight they wouldn’t want that either.
“I feel like when you’re videoing someone and you catch Tiger (Woods) at a bad time, you show him accidentally doing something, or someone else, they’re just frustrated because they really care about the game.
“It could really hurt them if they catch you at a potentially vulnerable time.
“We don’t mean anything by it, we just care a lot. For that to damage our brand like that, that’s not cool in the way we act because if you actually meet me in person, I’m not too bad of adude.”
After starting the day just five off the lead, Power struggled to match the pace at the top of the leaderboard but his tied-12th finish in his first PGA Tour outing since the 91-day break will be confidence boosting for the West Waterford man.