Golf revolutionary Bryson DeChambeau from normal to muscular to winner

Golf revolutionary Bryson DeChambeau from normal to muscular to winner

When the famous US Masters start today at Augusta National Golf Club, American Bryson DeChambeau will be one of the top favorites. He has changed his body massively and is therefore about to revolutionize golf.

Dick Fosbury revolutionized the high jump when he became the first person to successfully cross the backward bar. Ever since Jan Boklöv celebrated victories with it, V ski jumpers have been sailing through the air. And in the NBA, teams have tried far more three-pointers since Stephen Curry’s Golden State Warriors ushered in an era of success.

Perhaps Bryson DeChambeau’s name will soon be listed in line with these athletes. The 27-year-old American is currently preparing to revolutionize golf. His physics degree earned him the nickname “The Scientist” and DeChambeau uses scientific methods to try to be successful.

The “Happy Gilmore” of the real world

First there was the thing with his thugs. With him, unlike the other players, they all have the same length. Only the slope of the clubface is different. The Californian has been playing this way since he was a teenager. He believes it makes golf easier.

His optical trademark is an old-fashioned flat cap, which he wears in various designs on the court and for which he is often smiled. But now you can recognize Bryson DeChambeau not just by his headdress. But also because of its muscle mass. Within a year he pumped his body so that he is now 20 kilograms heavier. He puts the power into his shot – and that’s the revolutionary approach to his game.

Thanks to his power, the scientist hits farther than anyone else, he is the “Happy Gilmore” of the real world. It recently broke the magic limit of 200mph (320km / h) at a discount. So he can play around many obstacles: sand bunkers, ponds or trees. He hits so hard and far that his ball falls closer to the green than his opponents’. Critics speak with contempt of “mini golf” because DeChambeau must first of all beat well. When he played a training round with last year’s winner Tiger Woods on Monday, DeChambeau’s tees usually landed 20 meters ahead of those of his teammates.

Woods is “seriously impressed”

The Woods golf icon is full of praise. “What Bryson has done is absolutely amazing. We are all very impressed with how much he has changed himself and his game in such a short time, “said the 44-year-old.” There’s never been anything like it in the Gulf. “

Since playing again following Corona’s forced breakup, DeChambeau has been the furthest hitting golfer. And it’s better than ever. He first won the Detroit tournament, then led the PGA championship, the first big event in 2020, on the final day to finish fourth. Six weeks later he literally dealt a heavy blow by winning the US Open in mid-September, his first major tournament triumph. This has now put him in the position of first favorite in Augusta.

What makes the story of “Hulk of Golf” exciting is the fact that he was one of the best in the world even before he was transformed. In 2018 DeChambeau finished 5th in the world rankings, he is currently in 6th place, so it’s not like someone comes straight out of the gym and slams his balls forward. Rather, the 27-year-old has broken down the game into its individual parts and tries to put them back together using scientific methods.

For him, this means that those with more strength can hit the ball farther and get closer to the hole. Simple physics. Just as Cristiano Ronaldo has beefed up and changed his game, with the result that he is no longer the fast dribbler on the wing, but an icy guarantor and arguably the best leading player in the world.

“I can be good anywhere”

Like the Portuguese football star, the Californian golfer is characterized by his obsession. “I don’t have an extraordinary talent,” he once said, “but I give it all. I can be good anywhere if I like something and get involved. ”On the pitch he also works on the body: every six holes he drinks a protein shake and eats energy bars like a professional cyclist.

US broadcaster ESPN has identified a total of five holes in the Masters run, where competition with their shorter hits could be left behind. For example, while with them the ball almost reaches the level of a bunker, DeChambeau easily hits it above it. And it doesn’t have to aim between two rows of trees – it just slams the white ball over the trees. “I get up and try to hit the ball as hard as I can, like a baseball player wanting to hit a home run,” DeChambeau describes his “tactic”. Five holes mean four rounds: thanks to his strength, he has 20 times the chance to outpace his opponents on the first shot.

In the rather cool and wet conditions this weekend, its strengths come into play. “The course will be super soft,” his coach Mike Schy told the BBC and announced: “The fact that Bryson can hit the ball so far gives him a huge advantage.” Schy pointed out that his protégé has also improved his putting considerably over the past year and a half: “The fact that he can hit balls so far has generally given him more confidence. It is one of the ten best putters in the world, for me it is number 1. “

Nobody knows where the limit is

If this type of player prevails in the long run, operators may be forced to convert their golf courses. Or the referees change the rules for racquets, just as a new spear with a different focus was once introduced in athletics. The athletes shot so far that the stadiums became too small.

In theory, the path to winning the tournament seems easy. And in practice, Bryson DeChambeau has proven in recent months that his approaches actually have what it takes to forever revolutionize one of the world’s most traditional sports. The future will tell if one day his name will be mentioned in the same breath as Dick Fosbury or Jan Boklöv.

He himself believes he can still strike. In recent days he said, when asked about his discounts: “Now I have been improving continuously and I have felt stronger day after day. So I don’t really know where the limit is for me. “If he actually becomes the great Dominator, he will surely get a German Wikipedia entry as well. Its lack says more about the importance of golf in German-speaking countries than the lack of importance of Bryson DeChambeau …