There is no sign of the Bryson DeChambeau novelty factor wearing off. Which is good news; this charismatic 22-year-old amateur continues to impress with words and unorthodox action.
DeChambeau’s firmly scientific approach to golf is now widely rehearsed. Every one of his irons is the same length, allowing the precise same setup and posture position for shots. A 1969 book written by an aircraft mechanic, The Golfing Machine, provided inspiration for DeChambeau’s style. Other players, including Rory McIlroy, find the American genuinely intriguing.
With the Desert Classic in Dubai, finishing this Sunday, DeChambeau will complete a three-week spell in professional events. In his native United States, there will be an appearance in the Arnold Palmer Invitational next month.
This will soon become the norm; the Californian will abandon amateur status after competing in the Masters. Phil Mickelson has already lined up an Augusta Tuesday practice match with his fellow Californian. Word has long since got out that this is a player worth spending time around.
“I’m just a person,” said DeChambeau to the suggestion he is golf’s most interesting character. “I just look at myself as: ‘Hey, I’m here to play some golf and do my best, whether that’s a win or a major championship, it doesn’t matter.’ It’s about learning every single day. In regards to being the most interesting person in golf, look, I just like being different I guess, and if people say that I’m that, then it’s fun. I guess it’s cool.
“Everybody has been incredible and really nice through this whole process. It’s a little different for me, obviously. Last year at this time, I was kind of a nobody and to be honest with you, I still think of myself as that.
“I try to be as humble as possible, and it’s difficult at some points in time but I’m learning how to go through that process. And it’s a lot of fun, too. It’s a platform where you can speak your mind and say what you want for the world to hear; it’s a little different. But I’m embracing it. I’m liking it. It’s enjoyable. It’s something I look forward to doing quite honestly for a long time.”
DeChambeau – a physics student at Southern Methodist University in Dallas– is only the fifth player to win the US Amateur Championship and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) title in the same year. There have been flashes of brilliance in more esteemed company; DeChambeau led the HSBC Championship in Abu Dhabi after one round last month and in November finished second at the Australian Masters. Also in Abu Dhabi, DeChambeau delivered a handwritten and expansive note of thanks to tournament organisers for affording him a place in the field.
“I have learned a lot,” he added. “I have messed up a couple of times but that’s how it goes as an intern.
“I never thought I would win the NCAA and US Amateur in the same year. That’s just something that I never even dreamed of. That’s something that’s come about because of the process and how I’ve worked through this. And in that comes a lot of attention and we’re working through that. I’m getting better at it. I wasn’t very good at first.
“Last week in Qatar, I stopped playing my best, just because I got a little tired. I’m hopefully going to be ready this week. I know I will get some good rest in this week but I already see these break-off points of when I can play and when I’m not able to perform my best. We’re learning that aspect, and that’s really going to help we in the Masters, figure out when I can play and when I can’t and how to get ready.”
(Guardian service)
