‘Incredible Bulk’ Dechambeau uses strength to tame monster
American’s added muscle helps him overpower course Westwood’s late blip proves costly as he drops four shots
Winged Foot punched back with a fury on the second day of the 120th US Open, but Bryson Dechambeau – aka The Incredible Bulk – was not for belittling. With an eagle on his last hole, the American shot a 68 to take the clubhouse lead, before claiming that the only way to crack this toughest of golfing nuts is with a sledgehammer.
And his final drive of the day said it all – 380 yards.
Yes, it is fair to comment that the 27-year-old did not hold back. DeChambeau did not pile on that extra 40lbs over lockdown to look bigger in the mirror, but to whack the ball further down the fairway and while his rivals tried carefully and cautiously to plot its path around the Monster of Mamaroneck – the infamous layout 25 miles north of Manhattan – Dechambeau attempted to barge his way past the subtle nuances. With some effect.
In the first round – characterised by the barest of breezes, generous pin positions and soft greens – 21 of the 144-man field shot under-par. Only two of the 72-strong morning wave managed to go into red figures for their rounds yesterday, with Bubba Watson, that other well-known intellectual heavyweight, shooting a 69 for a oneover total.
Maybe that is the way to do it in this bomb-and-gouge era and DeChambeau was certainly not making any apologies. In fairness, it was not just brawn.
Realising it would be much colder than on the opening day, he analysed how far he would launch the ball in the differing conditions by staying on the range late on Thursday night after the sun had gone down. Dechambeau might resemble Captain Caveman, but there is plenty of Erwin Schrodinger thrown in for good measure.
“Well, it was just saying on the devices that I was hitting it shorter than what it was actually going,” he said, before trying to assist the baffled journalists listening in. “OK, I’m going to try to make this as easy as possible [to understand]. So for me, my 47-degree flies normally 145. Well, last night I was hitting shots and it was flying 155.
“That’s what we were on the normalising mode with that wind. And we just didn’t calibrate correctly. So I was flying everything 10 yards long consequently with my wedges. And we recalibrated all of them today, and I felt like they worked out really well.”
Indeed it did, whatever it meant. Dechambeau recorded five bogeys, but also accumulated five birdies
and it was the ninth [his 18th] where he won the ding-dong showdown between man and course with a brutal knock-down. A 557-yarder reduced to a drive, a pitching wedge (from 178 yards) and a sixfooter.
“It was a fun way to finish a US Open round,” he said, to the disgust of USGA officials everywhere, before daring to plead with those bloodthirsty organisers to be at their most sadistic this weekend.
“I want this place to play as hard as possible,” the world No 9 added, as he eyed his major breakthrough. “I feel like there are so many holes out here that I can take advantage of that some people can’t. Now, that doesn’t mean that I’m going to win or anything. You’ve still got to execute, you’ve still got to hit the driver straight.
“If I’m hitting the driver far but all over the place, you can’t make birdies from the rough. So I still have to work on hitting it straight while hitting it far. And that’s a unique combo that I’m going to strive for the rest of my life.”
When he is in this mood, DeChambeau will venture to areas where even his most wayward drives would not contemplate. The Californian was asked if he could “will” his way to the title. “That’s a great question,” he said. “That’s a question for God. I don’t know if you can. I mean, Tiger [ Woods] has been able to do something like that many times before, so I think there is something. But human scientific research does not say that there’s anything about that.”
Meanwhile, on Planet Earth – with world No 3 Justin Thomas, the overnight leader, setting out on his lead at five-under – the likes of Dustin Johnson and Lee Westwood were scrutinising the state of play and figuring they were both not sitting that ugly on a three-over halfway total.
In fact, Johnson, the world No 1, sounded quite chipper after a levelpar 70. “On this course with the conditions that we’re supposed to have the next couple days, I don’t feel like I’m out of it,” he said. “I’m
going to have to play really well, but I like where I’m at. Two solid rounds and right back in the mix.”
Westwood concurred, after his own 76. “I’m disappointed because I was one-under with three to play and dropped four shots [with a double-bogey on the 16th and bogeys on the 17th and 18th] and those holes are all playing downwind,” the 47-year-old said. “But threeover is by no means out of it.”
Alas, Phil Mickelson is definitely out of it and it must be wondered if this was the 50-year-old’s last US Open round ever, after a record six runner-up finishes and no title. If it proves so, then a 74 for a 13-over total is no way for an American legend to bow out from his national championship.