The tight, tree-lined seaside course with menacing doglegs had the muscle-bound Bryson DeChambeau feeling like he was in a straightjacket.
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – After bashing Colonial Country Club into submission last week in the Charles Schwab Challenge with tons of tape-measure tee balls, Bryson DeChambeau got knocked for a loop in Thursday’s first round of the RBC Heritage.
Courtesy of Harbour Town Golf Links.
The tight, tree-lined seaside course with daunting overhang limbs and menacing doglegs had the muscle-bound DeChambeau feeling like he was in a straightjacket. So much so that he couldn’t fully make use of his favorite weapon – his driver, which he has taken to comparing to a mythical sea monster.
“Around the golf course, I couldn’t unleash the Kraken today,” said DeChambeau, who has startled his colleagues by gaining 40 pounds and 15-20 mph ball speed by devouring five protein shakes a day and pounding the weights on a regular basis. “There’s no way I could unleash it. It was just too tight out there. The wind was swirling all day, and I couldn’t feel comfortable to give it a good whack, but I was still able to manage keeping it mostly in the fairway.”
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Despite being on edge, he managed to sign for a 4-under-par 67 and stood three shots out of the lead set by Ian Poulter and Mark Hubbard. Still, he looked dazed after going 18 rounds with Harbour Town.
“It’s scary at some points in time for me because I’m like, how do I fit it in there rather than just trying to give it my full blow that I’m comfortable with,” DeChambeau said. “But that’s a part of the game. We don’t play the same course every week, and you’ve got to adapt.”
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Last week, he hit 19 drives that reached at least 330 yards and averaged 340.5 yards off the tee as he tied for third at Colonial. In the first round this week, his longest drive was 336 yards and he averaged 289.5 yards off the tee.
“I just have to pick my battles,” said DeChambeau, who added he had no idea how many drivers he hit but guessed five or six.
DeChambeau and his long ball still impressed playing partner Davis Love III, who back in his prime was as long as anyone in the game.
“Well, now I know how I made some guys feel, I guess,” said Love, who shot 72. “He got me really good at 16. That’s when I realized holy moly, because I hit a good drive at 16 and he just flew it over into the corner.
“What’s impressive is how straight it’s going. He not only got longer, but he got straighter, and it looks like it’s under control, and it actually looks like it could go farther if he didn’t try to make sure it went straight.
“That’s what is impressive, with the TrackMan, with the training, with putting a lot of thought into it, you can figure out a way with your body and your swing to pick up some distance and still hit it straight. Technology and good thinking is helping these guys get longer and straighter.”
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