Editor’s Letter
Welcome to the future of professional golf. Like it or not.
BRANDEL CHAMBLEE paused to gather his thoughts before calmly exhaling his considered assessment. “The future just happened”.
The GolfChannel antagonist indexed the profound claim by calling it as seismic a moment for golf as the 1997 Masters. That April Sunday 23-years ago when Tiger claimed his first green jacket by a cool 12 strokes over Tom Kite and the hearts and minds of the sporting world forever.
Earlier at Winged Foot, poor old Rory McIlroy was completely befuddled. Asked for his reaction to the fact Bryson DeChambeau had cruised to a six-stroke victory despite finding just four of his final 21 fairways, McIlroy admitted he never imagined the gnarly old U.S. Open being conquered in such cavalier fashion.
Having finished 12 shots back tied for eighth, the Northern Irishman could only doff his cap. There is no arguing at the ingenuity or hard work that has allowed DeChambeau to shatter conventional norms. But McIlroy’s praise was so thinly veiled even the game’s pedantic rule-makers surely received another concerned transmission loud and clear.
“It’s just where the game’s at right now. I’m not saying that’s right or wrong. He’s just taking advantage of what we have right now.”
We all witnessed it. One of the toughest, tightest courses on the planet being man- handled. DeChambeau even doubled down on his extraordinary pitch and putt strategy by immediately promising to experiment with a 48in driver in the search of yet more distance off the tee.
“I thought, I can see it [DeChambeau’s approach working] for week in and week out, PGA Tour setups that are a little more benign,” McIlroy continued. “But I sort of said, ‘OK, wait until he gets to a proper golf course, he’ll have to rein it back in.’ This is as proper as they come, and look what’s happened. Yeah, he’s got full belief in what he’s doing, and it’s pretty impressive.”
McIlroy may well have been impressed. But there were the same caveats they’re struggling to find answers to within the halls of the USGA and R&A.
“I don’t really know what to say because that’s just the complete opposite of what you think a U.S. Open champion does,” McIlroy said. “Whether that’s good or bad for the game, I don’t know, but it’s just—it’s not the way I saw this golf course being played or this tournament being played. It’s kind of hard to wrap my head around it … I think it’s brilliant, but I think he’s taken advantage of where the game is at the minute.”
What we have right now is a crazy old world where DeChambeau’s unique methods aren’t as criminal (as distance off the tee is now seen) as everyone would have you believe. It was notable that the incredible bulk was only seventh in driving distance stats at Winged Foot. McIlroy? Sixth.
It’s a shame the DeChambeau’s ability to bully the ball out of the hay with recoveries hit high for soft landings, rather than scudding across greens into deeper trouble, didn’t receive the same press. Nor his vastly improved putting, lock arm and all.
Chamblee got it. “This is a game- changer”, the analyst said. Whether you like it or not.
As a former OMEGA Dubai Desert Classic champion and regular visitor to the Middle East, we have an enduring interest in DeChambeau’s progression. It’s an endlessly fascinating, and opinion dividing, journey we’ll continue to cover within these pages. To help you follow along with the rapid developments and advance your own game with golf’s best instruction, we’ve adapted to the times ourselves by making it even easier to get your monthly fix of GolfDigest
MiddleEast. You may have already seen the QR code at clubs around the region that allows you to get the print version, even back issues, on your favourite device. Simply open the camera function on your smartphone, snap a pic and you’ll be directed to the region’s No.1 golf title.
This has been a weird year (how about the next two men’s majors on the calendar being the Masters and the... Masters) but we share DeChambeau’s 2020 ethos.
“I felt like it was an opportunity, not a lost year at all. I felt it was an opportunity to do something great, change my lifestyle, make it healthier, make it better, and I hope this inspires everybody else to do the same.
“When you have time, when you have that little free moment, don’t squander it. Look at it as an opportunity for you to make yourself better. That’s what I did this year and I’m going to keep trying to do that.”
We don’t have DeChambeau’s muscle off the tee or new-found weight in all the right places. Sadly no. But we are working on incremental gains to bring the thoughts of the game’s biggest names, the latest equipment and course developments and best instruction to a screen near you when it is difficult to get your hands on a print copy.
Indeed, it’s Bryson’s world now and we’re just living in it, trying our best to not squander a moment. We hope you continue enjoying some of your precious downtime within these now digitally accessible pages. The future happening right now, on device near you. Enjoy.
“We don’t have DeChambeau’s muscle off the tee or new-found weight in all the right places. Sadly no. But we are working on incremental gains…”