I'm rooting for Bryon Chambeau

[Craig Van Egmond]

I'm pulling for my Cowboys..


Charles Howell III
Rickie Fowler
Matt Wolff


Go Pokes!

[A.G._Crockett]

It is interesting how people develop such strong feelings about others based mostly on rather superficial information.  If nothing else, Bryson has brought great interest to the game and reinforced what was once common sense orthodoxy, that strong effort thoughtfully focused produces superior results.  Golf is about as merit-based as anything that comes to mind.  It is a good thing which speaks highly of our game that a variety of approaches can succeed.  The slight Carlos Ortiz at 6' is nearly 90 pounds lighter than BC while only an inch shorter.  Horses for courses, perhaps, but it is not a foregone conclusion that BC will dominate and a player like Carlos can't win this week.  I look forward to seeing how BC plays the course.  Me, I am rooting for Patrick Reed, Charles Howell, and Lee Westwood.

Lou,

I think my information about BDC is more than superficial.  I putt side saddle, as he did for a good portion of his amateur career.  When he announced a couple of years ago that he would be going back to that method, I watched the first tournament with great interest.

To my great disappointment, I knew by the time that I'd watched one round that he was using a non-conforming putter, and I think it's safe to say that he knew as well, in part because he's that kind of guy, and in part because everybody that putts side saddle knows the 10 degree off vertical rule. 


And sure enough, a week or so later, the USGA ruled his putter to be non-conforming, at which point BDC went off on the USGA to the effect that they were out to get him.  I'm no fan of the USGA, but IMO, if he wasn't flat out cheating, he was at the very least playing fast and loose with the Rules and hoping to get away with it.  To say that the whole thing left a sour taste in my mouth is an understatement.

And as long as I'm this far down the rabbit hole, I'll go all in; after spending 40 years running athletes thru weight rooms and watching many of them try to gain muscle and weight, the number of people that I saw do to their bodies what he did to his IN THAT TIME FRAME is zero.  Maybe he did it without PED's; I just have a really hard time believing that his body chemistry, metabolism, and work ethic are that different from everybody else.  And I find it even harder to believe in light of the putter thing. 


All of that said, I didn't care one way or the other that he won the Open, and I won't care this week at ANGC.  I've got a lot of stuff waking me up in the night, but it won't be him, or any aspect of his game.  It will be interesting to watch in any case, and I'm WAY past looking for role models or anything like that out of any pro athlete.  There are lots of guys that I don't like whose performance I can appreciate for what it is.  BDC is one of them, maybe foremost right now.

[Tim Martin]

Dan Mahaffey made reference to how good he is on the greens between 5 and 10 feet. BDC saves a lot of pars.

[Terry Lavin]

Lou,

I think my information about BDC is more than superficial.  I putt side saddle, as he did for a good portion of his amateur career.  When he announced a couple of years ago that he would be going back to that method, I watched the first tournament with great interest.

To my great disappointment, I knew by the time that I'd watched one round that he was using a non-conforming putter, and I think it's safe to say that he knew as well, in part because he's that kind of guy, and in part because everybody that putts side saddle knows the 10 degree off vertical rule. 


And sure enough, a week or so later, the USGA ruled his putter to be non-conforming, at which point BDC went off on the USGA to the effect that they were out to get him.  I'm no fan of the USGA, but IMO, if he wasn't flat out cheating, he was at the very least playing fast and loose with the Rules and hoping to get away with it.  To say that the whole thing left a sour taste in my mouth is an understatement.

And as long as I'm this far down the rabbit hole, I'll go all in; after spending 40 years running athletes thru weight rooms and watching many of them try to gain muscle and weight, the number of people that I saw do to their bodies what he did to his IN THAT TIME FRAME is zero.  Maybe he did it without PED's; I just have a really hard time believing that his body chemistry, metabolism, and work ethic are that different from everybody else.  And I find it even harder to believe in light of the putter thing. 


All of that said, I didn't care one way or the other that he won the Open, and I won't care this week at ANGC.  I've got a lot of stuff waking me up in the night, but it won't be him, or any aspect of his game.  It will be interesting to watch in any case, and I'm WAY past looking for role models or anything like that out of any pro athlete.  There are lots of guys that I don't like whose performance I can appreciate for what it is.  BDC is one of them, maybe foremost right now.

I agree in full. He’s a brand guy, first and foremost. He’s properly divisive in the “current” American way. He’s either appealing or appalling, depending upon one’s viewpoint.


I don’t hope he fails, but I might quietly celebrate his failure.

[jeffwarne]

  The slight Carlos Ortiz at 6' is nearly 90 pounds lighter than BC while only an inch shorter.  Horses for courses, perhaps, but it is not a foregone conclusion that BC will dominate and a player like Carlos can't win this week. 

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that a player (exactly) like Carlos Ortiz can't win this week

[Garland Bayley]

A golfer with a 100 mph swing speed will not loose the same percentage of distance as a guy with 140 mph. That's not how the world works. To put it even more simply a guy with a 10 mph swing speed would probably loose nothing.

Do you have evidence of this? ...

I think if you were to study the physics of this you will find Barney is right. Your math works in a vacuum. But, the ball has to travel through air, and its resistance has a bigger effect on the faster traveling balls.

[Tom Bacsanyi]

Yes! I used to root against Bryson, hoping every 380 yard drive came to rest behind a tree. Now I hope he sets a Masters scoring record and forces the USGA/R&A to reign in the ball. Even if these bodies continue to sit on their hands, it might make Augusta try a tournament ball.

Not to pick on you specifically, but to those here at large who want to see a ball rollback, how does this stand to benefit the pro game? The reason I say this is that the longer hitters on the tour will still have a distinct advantage over their shorter hitting counterparts. Thus, while guys like Bryson, Brooks, Rory and D.J. are driving the ball 280 - 300 yds., as opposed to 310 - 325, players like Jordan Spieth and Zack Johnson will be going from an average distance of 270 - 280 down to 250 - 260. The longer hitters will still have a comparative advantage and arguably an even greater one over the average to below average distance hitters on the Tour in that they'll still be able to reach the majority of par 5's in two whereas it will become increasingly difficult for the shorter hitters to achieve that.

Geoff Ogilvy (Great podcast listen whenever he's on the Fried Egg) always says this about the longest players: (Paraphrasing) The guys that hit it the best tend to be the longest. It's not like DJ's out there hitting it off the toe and Bryson has no idea where his face angle is at impact. Those guys are finding the hell out of the sweet spot. And he also stresses that hitting it far should absolutely be an advantage. Bobby Jones hit the shit out of it, so did Snead. Hogan wasn't that long but it didn't matter because his 3 iron was better than Joe Pro's 7. If there is an equipment rollback, will we all really lament that Zach Johnson might fade away? He's a two-time major winner. How many aspiring kid golfers have posters of Zach Johnson on their bedroom walls? As for Speith, distance is the least of his concerns, because he can't hit a green from 150 out currently. He's snap hooking pitching wedges right now.


This benefits the pro game because the stars will win more. The marginal ballstrikers and the fringe guys riding hot streaks will be in tough shape. It will also benefit the pro game in that 7000 yard will be all you want, and the steady march toward 8000 yard "championship" layouts will be halted. This in turn will allow elite golf to be played on smaller more intimate footprints, like Merion but without the greens-width fairways. And as a practicality the pros also won't have to walk back 150 yards from the old tee to play a 520 yard par 4.

[Rob Marshall]

A.G., you left out that his brand was ruined by a guy doing his job, trying to get relief from an ant, and berating an official for telling him his ball WAS out of bounds. That was in this short season.


Then I remember a woman marshall stepping on Rory’s ball while they were searching for it by the green. The official shows him where to place the ball. Rory does and the official says he’s good to go. Rory looks at the official and says “how can this be right if we couldn’t even see the ball?” He then made the lie much worse. So who do you root for? Bryson or Rory?

[Erik J. Barzeski]

Apparently (according to the experts, who have plotted/charter his likely game plan), BDC’s dispersion rate with his driver is narrow enough such that, coupled with his distance, there are no ‘right places’ for him at ANGC — or, to put it better, there’ll be no ‘wrong places’ there that he’s likely to find.

FWIW, that's only if he hits his driver "as well as" he did at Winged Foot.

He could spray it this week and MC. Unlikely he sprays it THAT much, but he could.

[Garland Bayley]

Tom,

Hogan was one of the longest on tour when he played. In long drive contests he was always 1st or 2nd. Part of the reason he hit his 3 iron better than Joe Pro could hit his 9 iron was that Ben sought the most advantageous location to make his approach from, generally choosing a level lie. He had the ability to get the drive to these spots through his accuracy with all clubs including the driver. He often drove well short of what he was capable of just to get the lie he wanted for the approach.

[A.G._Crockett]

A.G., you left out that his brand was ruined by a guy doing his job, trying to get relief from an ant, and berating an official for telling him his ball WAS out of bounds. That was in this short season.


Then I remember a woman marshall stepping on Rory’s ball while they were searching for it by the green. The official shows him where to place the ball. Rory does and the official says he’s good to go. Rory looks at the official and says “how can this be right if we couldn’t even see the ball?” He then made the lie much worse. So who do you root for? Bryson or Rory?

Rob,

That's a great contrast, and you have asked me a VERY easy question. 

[Kalen Braley]

Bryson does his science thing, and that's great, I'm all for it.  But for many of us the real issue is the current set of circumstances which AG spelled out perfectly below. 

And as long as I'm this far down the rabbit hole, I'll go all in; after spending 40 years running athletes thru weight rooms and watching many of them try to gain muscle and weight, the number of people that I saw do to their bodies what he did to his IN THAT TIME FRAME is zero.  Maybe he did it without PED's; I just have a really hard time believing that his body chemistry, metabolism, and work ethic are that different from everybody else.  And I find it even harder to believe in light of the putter thing.

We've seen this before with top notch athletes like Sosa, McGuire, and Bonds and we know how they did it...and now we're seeing it again with a healthy dose of skepticism.

[Mike Bodo]

FWIW, Bryson's making a mockery of the 13th. He put his second into the bushes behind 13 green and hit his provisional ball into Rae's Creek. He may be taking himself out of the tournament on day one.

[John Kirk]

I'm rooting for:
Dustin Johnson (aka "The Big Guy")
Rory McIlroy
Those two have been favorites for years.

[JLahrman]

FWIW, Bryson's making a mockery of the 13th. He put his second into the bushes behind 13 green and hit his provisional ball into Rae's Creek. He may be taking himself out of the tournament on day one.

Not so fast, two birdies and he's now back to even. Nearing the turn he is tied with Larry Mize. We're headed for a showdown.

[Tim Martin]

I'm rooting for:
Dustin Johnson (aka "The Big Guy")
Rory McIlroy
Those two have been favorites for years.

I’m rooting for DJ because he said his favorite thing about the Masters is the sandwiches. When they asked him which one he said “All of them.”

[Mike Bodo]

Not so fast, two birdies and he's now back to even. Nearing the turn he is tied with Larry Mize. We're headed for a showdown.

You're right. The Hammer is back in the thick of it, although he's been struggling on the greens without the cheater books.

[Garland Bayley]

I'm rooting for:
Dustin Johnson (aka "The Big Guy")
Rory McIlroy
Those two have been favorites for years.

Good call!

[Tim Martin]

How long can BDC make that kind of move at the ball before he faces some physical issues as a result? The lash he takes reminds me of a long drive competitor.

[A.G._Crockett]

How long can BDC make that kind of move at the ball before he faces some physical issues as a result? The lash he takes reminds me of a long drive competitor.

This is a great question, and one that I'm sure his fellow competitors are wondering as well. 


And to take it a bit farther, there are two related issues about which I'm curious.  First, does he have to practice even more than others at that level do, given that he is doing something very different than most, and second, will he be able to maintain the weight training schedule that he's on for an extended period?

[John Kirk]

I'm rooting for:
Dustin Johnson (aka "The Big Guy")
Rory McIlroy
Those two have been favorites for years.

I’m rooting for DJ because he said his favorite thing about the Masters is the sandwiches. When they asked him which one he said “All of them.”

I'm happy for The Big Man.  The look on the brothers' faces on the 18th green was wonderful.  DJ made some smart and somewhat unorthodox decisions in the last decade.  He should be a primary contender in the majors for a few more years, and will be remembered as an all-time great.

Good call!

Thanks, Garland.  It was much more a declaration of who my favorites are.  I'll be rooting for these greats every year.


Regarding Bryson DeChambeau, I'm more concerned with his demeanor than any specific facet of his game.  He is wound pretty tight.  He reacts quickly to his mishit shots, and is just brutal on official rulings.  Hopefully the next phase of his evolution involves learning to accept outcomes, and mellowing with age.  I am also a bit concerned with the dizziness last weekend.  My guess is he has the coronavirus.

268 wins the Masters.  267 won the Houston Open.  That has to make a few people happy.

Finally, I'm hoping the "roll back the ball" controversy dies down a bit.  There were plenty of long irons and 200+ yard approach shots played last weekend.

[Rob Marshall]

I’m thinking that there wouldn’t have been any dizziness or at least we wouldn’t have heard about it if he had played better.

[cary lichtenstein]

How long can BDC make that kind of move at the ball before he faces some physical issues as a result? The lash he takes reminds me of a long drive competitor.

It's just a matter of time before he does something to his body that makes it breakdown, he needs to tame it now, and get it under control and more consistent and I believe he will do that.

[Gib_Papazian]

Bryson does not strike me as the sort who would use ANY banned substance with respect to PEDs - putting aside the fact I've long suspected St. Tigre was sniffing the BALCO glue. Nobody would dare ask him, just like no reporter will ever ask Joe Biden an actual question that requires a substantive, truthful answer.

That stated, Bryson is clearly a freak intellectually and if there is anybody who could - keeping within the boundaries of the rules - invent an innovative chemical sauce, smart money is on him winning first prize at the science fair. Plainly, just like with Tiger, whose physique underwent a transformation as radical as Barry Bonds with the Pirates to Barry-by-the-Bay, SOMETHING is going on. I don't give a fuck how many barbells you hoist or protein shakes you quaff, it is not enough to separate you in the gym (or on the course) from D.J. or Brooks, both of whom are natural mega-studs. Bryson was a slightly pudgy white guy, 3 inches shorter than D.J. - and now he magically looks like Ahnolt in golf spikes.

True enough, Bryson was a decorated amateur who approached golf with a slide-rule, but trying to maintain a 427 fully revved hemi on a mid-size chassis eventually snaps the drivetrain, just like Tiger's constant skeltal breakdowns and endless surgeries. The original frame was not designed to accommodate that much torque. My prediction (sadly, as it was born of innovation and noble intention) is this experiment finally snaps the the driveshaft and Bryson ends up a struggling ball striker with a bulletproof putter -  with nagging injuries that end up shortening his career.

In the end, Bryson (since there is surely some funny business afoot, even if strictly legal) is a curiosity whose star will burn bright for a short time . . . . but there is a big ass difference between being jacked like Brooks Koepka and being jacked up . . . . . . .
       

[Steve Lapper]

Bryson does not strike me as the sort who would use ANY banned substance with respect to PEDs - putting aside the fact I've long suspected St. Tigre was sniffing the BALCO glue. Nobody would dare ask him, just like no reporter will ever ask Joe Biden an actual question that requires a substantive, truthful answer.

Or like asking you to suppress your inane, totally unrelated, and ill-conceived political inclinations, even on a golf course architecture site