Can Augusta cope with ‘Incredible Bulk’?
LOS ANGELES: Bryson DeChambeau won the US Open in astonishing fashion, while a tantrum and a tennis star also made headlines this week.
BRYSON’S BREAKTHROUGH
Bryson DeChambeau dismantled one of golf’s most feared courses to win his maiden major title at the US Open by six shots, raising concerns about what he might do to Augusta when the Masters rolls around in November.
DeChambeau, bulked-up from a regime of weight training and protein shakes during the coronavirus lockdown, brutalised Winged Foot with a singular strategy that upset the purists and prompted soul-searching among the golfing establishment.
Tossing convention out of the window, the 27-year-old eschewed accuracy in favour of smashing his drives for pure distance — hitting just four of his last 21 fairways — and relying on his new-found strength to muscle recovery shots out of deep rough.
Together with rock-solid putting, the result was a six-shot triumph, with DeChambeau the only player to shoot below par in the final round on Sunday.
The fact that it came at a course famed for 1974’s ‘Massacre at Winged Foot’ and the 2006 meltdowns of Phil Mickelson and Colin Montgomerie — when Geoff Ogilvy won with a five-overpar total — underlined the feeling that this could be a game-changer.
“I don’t really know what to say because that’s just the complete opposite of what you think a US Open champion does,” said a flabbergasted Rory McIlroy, a four-time major winner.
DeChambeau, a physics major, has long prided himself on the analytical approach that has earned him the nickname ‘Mad Scientist.’
He’s known for cutting his irons and wedges to the same length, floating his balls in Epsom salt to discover their lighter and heavier sides, and even writing backwards and left-handed to improve his fine motor skills.
For the Masters, Dechambeau, dubbed the ‘Incredible Bulk’ since his physical transformation, is planning to add another 10 pounds (5kg) of muscle and is considering using an outsized, 48-inch driver.
The danger for the sport’s hierarchy is that DeChambeau repeats his success at Augusta, which suits long hitters and has little rough, forcing them to change the rules or equipment to stop golf turning into a driving contest.
But DeChambeau warned: “It’s tough to rein in athleticism. We’re always going to be trying to get fitter, stronger, more athletic.
“Tiger [Woods] inspired this whole generation to do this and we’re going to keep going after it. I don’t think it’s going to stop.”
BARTY’S BIRDIES
Women’s tennis world No.1 Ashleigh Barty has been without her coach for most of the year due to Australia’s coronavirus restrictions, leaving her at something of a loose end.
Not one to mope around the house, the reigning French Open champion has been out on the golf course, where she showed her skills by winning the women’s title at the Greg Norman-designed Brookwater Golf Club near Brisbane.
“Is there anything you can’t do?” asked one social media user of Barty, who famously took a break from tennis to play cricket for Brisbane Heat in the 2015-16 Women’s Big Bash League.
Australian media said Barty had slashed her handicap from 10 to four while playing rounds with fellow Grand Slam winner Pat Rafter and her boyfriend Garry Kissick.
Last December, the multi-talented Aussie even upstaged 15-time majorwinner Tiger Woods by finding the green at her first attempt in a demonstration event before the Presidents Cup in Melbourne.