HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – The Kraken may be shackled, but Bryson DeChambeau remains a beast.
A day after feeling a bit frightened during his first tussle with threatening Harbour Town Golf Links after adding 40 pounds of mass to his already large frame and gaining 15-20 mph of ball speed, DeChambeau was more comfortable decelerating his roll around this tight, tree-lined course full of menacing overhanging trees, devilish greens and intimidating doglegs.
Instead of trying to unleash 360-yard tee balls with his driver – which is his mythical sea monster power move, hence, the name Kraken – DeChambeau relied on 300-yard 3-woods and 290-yard long irons to get a better handle on the place.
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He hit 11 of 14 fairways in regulation and 15 of the smallish 18 greens en route to a 7-under 64 that moved him to 11 under through 36 holes and into second place, a stroke behind pacesetter Webb Simpson.
“I didn’t let the Kraken out today. I can’t,” DeChambeau said. “So for me, I was a little more comfortable out there hitting 3-wood, changed shafts in it and helped me draw a little bit more. So I was fine with that.”
After making a bogey on the par-4 10th – his first hole of the day – DeChambeau didn’t put another 5 on his scorecard and wrote down eight red numbers. Even without the Kraken, DeChambeau is still terrifyingly long and can rely on power to get around any course. Like 235-yard-5-iron power. He can comfortably hit his 8-iron 180, his pitching wedge 160.
Now he just has to figure out his Sik putter.
“It’s been a weird couple of days, to be honest with you. I felt like my swing was all right, wasn’t going after too much, keeping it in play and hitting some good iron shots when need be,” he said. “My putting, man, it was either on or off. I still haven’t figured out something with my putting.”
But he’s still feasting on Harbour Town, which has yet to fully flash its sharp teeth as the winds of the sea have been calm. And he’s still having no trouble devouring food off the course. To the tune of 8,000-plus calories a day. Five protein shakes take care of a bulk of the intake, and DeChambeau takes care of the rest.
“It’s a two-to-one carb-to-protein ratio, and I literally just have at it,” DeChambeau said. “I eat whatever I want whenever. Obviously, I’m trying to control the intake of sugars, but carbs are fine because I’m obviously sweating like crazy out here.
“So I just eat as much as I want right now. It’s nice. And I don’t gain weight. I actually lose weight. I’ve lost a little bit of weight this week.
“I just keep going. I just listen to my body. If I get too full, OK, I’m done.”
DeChambeau, who tied for fourth in his PGA Tour debut here in 2016, has the weekend left to win his first plaid jacket.
“I feel like I’m not playing my absolute best,” he said. “I still haven’t figured out something with my putting. I’ve got to figure some stuff out because a couple years ago, I was rolling it the best I’ve ever rolled it.”
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