The PGA Tour’s return at the Charles Schwab Challenge had lots to purr about. If it wasn’t the stellar leaderboard, it was Jordan Spieth’s return to form, or another Sunday meltdown for Rory McIlroy. But it was the beefed-up Bryson DeChambeau that had most people talking.
The numbers are incredible. Before the PGA Tour was suspended, DeChambeau was averaging 321 yards off the tee – 19 yards more than in 2019.
In the three-month break, he put on 9kg and at Colonial averaged 344 yards with a 190mph ball speed – 15mph faster than the PGA Tour average.
It has, of course, reignited the golf-ball-going-too-far debate, and none have been more outspoken on the subject than Colin Montgomerie.
Speaking of DeChambeau, the Scot told BBC Sport: “He is huge. It’s great to see athleticism in the game but this is a whole new game we are beginning to witness.
“On Friday [at Colonial], Bryson had 10 holes on which he was within 100 yards of the green for his approach. And if you include the four par threes that means there were only four holes on which Bryson was more than 100 yards away for his approach.
“The game has changed dramatically. It’s now brute force and a sand wedge.”
The R&A and USGA released a report in February that said the increase in distance “is detrimental to the game’s long-term future”. And Montgomerie is a fully onboard with changes being made.
“I’m an advocate of what Jack Nicklaus proposes – a tournament ball for professionals, that goes only 80-85% as far,” he said.
“The time has come, because we can’t be building courses at 10,000 yards. We haven’t the money or the space and there are the obvious ecological reasons.
“A tournament ball would be a massive step, because of that term ‘bifurcation‘. Yet haven’t we reached that stage, now?”
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Do you agree with Monty about Bryson DeChambeau?
I’ve said it before and I’ve said it again. Why is golf the only sport in which we don’t celebrate its players’ athleticism or pushing the boundaries of what is considered average?