Is the ‘Nappy Factor’ the next step in DeChambeau’s bid for world domination?

The golf world, particularly on social media, has been buzzing since Rory McIlroy announced he and wife Erica were expecting their first child.

Poppy Kennedy McIlory was born on August 31.

People – and I include myself in that – are particularly excited about the combination of the upcoming Masters, the so-called ‘Nappy Factor’, and the fact McIlroy is yet to win the Green Jacket he so desperately craves.

The phrase Nappy Factor, if you don’t know, was coined by golf betting analyst Keith Elliott in his 1996 book The Golf Form Book and it applies to improved performances from golfers who have just had a new baby.

Many golfers have benefitted from the Nappy Factor, including most recently Danny Willett, whose wife Nicole gave birth to their son Zachary just days before he headed to the 2016 Masters and won.

There’s a lovely interview with Elliott by the Telegraph’s golf correspondent James Corrigan where they discuss it in more detail – here’s the link if that’s your sort of thing – but there was one little snippet that grabbed my attention.

Of course it involves Bryson DeChambeau, who has already entertained us so much this year – whether it’s smashing records, screaming at camera operators, upsetting legends, falling out with rules officials, ranting about ants, or snapping his driver mid tournament.

Elliott, a retired economics lecturer, told Corrigan: “I no longer keep the figures, but I know from two different sources that DeChambeau disclosed recently to fellow pro Andrew Landry that he’s worked out the percentage win-rate of new fathers and it’s abnormally high.”

Aside from the incredible revelation that DeChambeau is not only thinking about this but actually doing the maths, does it suggest the six-time PGA Tour winner, who has already done so much in his bid to succeed, has put having a baby on his to-do list?

I’m not entirely sure of DeChambeau’s relationship status – he was dating Instagram model (that’s a thing now, apparently) Sophia Bertolami as recently as 2018 – but man I’d love to be a fly on the wall for that pillow talk.

I can already see diagrams and graphs and pie charts of when would be best to conceive. And which of the four majors would DeChambeau and his offspring want to target?

Maybe just stick to the crazy diet, Bryson, because babies are for life, not just for major weeks.

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