Getty Image / Sam Greenwood
Bryson DeChambeau’s recent body transformation and quest to find more swing speed and ball speed has quite literally changed the game. The distance issue in golf has been a major topic of discussion for years now, but the way DeChambeau has been overpowering golf courses since the PGA Tour’s restart has ramped up those discussions.
Earlier this week, R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers weighed in on DeChambeau’s absurd power, particularly his new-found distance off the tee, while expressing the idea that “golf is a game of skill.”
“But I still come back to the belief that golf is a game of skill. And we believe we need to get this balance of skill and technology right.”
“It is too simple just to say change the ball. Way too simple. You can do things with the ball.
Slumbers comments about golf being a game of skill are true, but so is the fact that DeChambeau is playing the same exact golf courses as his fellow competitors with the same technology. The fact that he’s put on some serious muscle and picked up distance shouldn’t be looked at as ‘anti-skill.’
Nevertheless, DeChambeau was asked about those comments during a Wednesday presser at the Memorial. It’s safe to say that he isn’t too worried about any new rule changes or technology changes that could be implemented at the professional level.
“No matter what rules they give me, I’m going to try and do my best to maximize my athletic ability,” DeChambeau said according to Golf Digest.
“They can’t take working out away from me. I know that.”
“Just going to look at my game and how I can improve it in the best way possible, no matter if they roll the ball back there’s still going to be a percentage difference. Even if it gets rolled back there’s still going to be a gap. Whether it’s closer now, it is what it is. I’m not really worried about it.”
DeChambeau isn’t going to slow down in terms of spending time in the gym or eating practically everything in sight. His new experiment is working as he’s earned a win and three other Top 10 finishes since the restart while leading the Tour in average driving distance.
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Mark is an associate editor at BroBible. Follow him on Twitter @ItIsMarkHarris for the occasional good tweet. Feel free to contact him at Mark@BroBible.com.