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DeChambeau holds straight to claim U.S. Open title

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Although the rounds came out of order, let the record show that Bryson DeChambeau did record a 70, a 69, a 68, and, on the most important of days, a Sunday 67. He was the only player to shoot under par on day four, and the only player to finish under par for the week.

His six-shot victory was not a dominant one, but it was the next best thing: impressive. DeChambeau balanced strategy and sinew to perfection, decoding the challenges and opportunities offered by the West Course at Winged Foot, and he claimed his first major title just four days after his 27th birthday.

For nine holes on Sunday, DeChambeau was in a battle with pairing competitor Matthew Wolff. First #BigBangTheory, and then #RipDog, posted eagle at the par-five 9th, thanks to identical driver-pitching wedge combos. They went to the back nine at 5 under and 4 under, respectively. At 10, Wolff’s iron turned over just enough to miss the green and leave him the most awkward of stances. He made bogey, and the lead was doubled. The eagle at nine turned out to be Wolff’s only hole below par all day, and he would drop three more shots on the way in. Wolff finished the week at even-par, a number that many projected to win after Friday’s round.

DeChambeau simply gave no openings to anyone on this final day. His final birdie came at the 11th after his approach failed to release and finished on the fringe. Undeterred, he putted from the fairway, as he had all week, and the sphere found the bottom of the tin can. DeChambeau didn’t hit many fairways this week, but he didn’t need to. Clubhead speed and short approach shots conquered the rough, and the Calixan (a blend of Californian and Texan) played the course as if it were just another Fortnite stream on Twitch (where you might find him tonight).

The two, non-player topics to hold our attention all week are absence of fans and distance gains. Would the oohs and ahhhs, and possible interruptions, of galleries have impacted this week’s result? No question. Some golfers feed off the electricity, while others wilt. No doubt a chorus of “You da man” and “Big Bang Theory” would have caused some influence, at some juncture.

Next, what about distance? Remember 1997, when Augusta did its level best to Tiger-proof the golf course? DeChambeau is only 73 inches tall. What happens when a 75- or an 80-inch golfer adds the mass that he did? All facets of the distance conversation amount to one of many discussions to be had. Anyone see how well he putted? How well he chipped and pitched? How well he decoded slopes of greens? The puzzle was there for the taking, and one golfer solved it.

Cheers, kudos, Hogan hats off to the champion!

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Ronald Montesano writes for GolfWRX.com from western New York. He dabbles in coaching golf and teaching Spanish, in addition to scribbling columns on all aspects of golf, from apparel to architecture, from equipment to travel. Follow Ronald on Twitter at @buffalogolfer.

19 Comments

19 Comments

  1. Barbara Barrett

    Sep 22, 2020 at 1:20 pm

    Congratulations to Bryson from a fan since your beginning on the tour. I admire your intellectual approach and your work habits. I wish you continued success!!! Don’t let the jealous comments get you! You are always a gentleman and I’m proud to cheer for you!!!

  2. Maximillian

    Sep 21, 2020 at 1:27 pm

    Good for Bryson. It’s not easy to be nicknamed “The Scientist” in a country that stands anti-science. It’s not easy to be considered intellectual in a country that pushes against education and critical thinking. He balances the science with great feel – see his variety of iron shots, short game and putting.

    One place he did “dominate” – I thought he was the only player in the field who didn’t let Winged Foot get under his skin.

  3. Joe

    Sep 21, 2020 at 12:33 pm

    Can’t watch him play. Totally forced and unnatural. Doesn’t look like he enjoys the game at all.

    • Rich

      Sep 21, 2020 at 1:00 pm

      Yeah, all that winning can be a distraction.

  4. Mark

    Sep 21, 2020 at 11:50 am

    Easy to bag a win when you cheat!
    Putter anchors against the left forearm – perhaps not strictly illegal but against the spirit of the rules! R&A / USGA – please fix that one in the next Rules update! – eg: No part of any club may extend 6” beyond the wrist.
    Also Rules Officials – Why don’t you penalise a guy that regularity takes more than 2 minutes over a putt?
    One good thing to come out of the 2020 US OPEN – Now they’ll definitely roll back the ball (at long last!)

  5. Jim Taylor

    Sep 21, 2020 at 8:41 am

    As a television spectator, I do not at all miss the galleries, the hospitality tents, the concession stands and the attendant Porta Potties. Wingedfoot is such an amazing course and facility and it presented itself so much better without Bobba Booey and Mashed Potatoes there to muck things up.

    I have often been highly critical of the USGA for how they have, at times, set up and managed course conditions throughout their premier tournament, but this time they demonstrated that they capable of doing things right.

    Much will be made of Bryson’s bomb and gouge victory only because he physically personifies the bomb and gouge golfer to a greater extent than say a Dustin Johnson or a Roy McIlroy, but the USGA absolutely must restrain itself from interfering through some senseless technological “rollback”. If they don’t, they will render themselves obsolete. “Making Golf Great Again” in this fashion, is a really bad idea.

  6. William Davis

    Sep 21, 2020 at 6:29 am

    I found it very uncomfortable viewing – the slowness, the mannerisms, the violence. But that’s just me. It is his life and good luck to him.

  7. MhtLion

    Sep 21, 2020 at 12:40 am

    Kudos to BDC for the hard-work, innovative thinking, and the courage to try new ideas! Bryson is definitely not a run of cookie-cutter golfer. I have no doubt BDC will inspire many next-generation golfers.

  8. Bob

    Sep 20, 2020 at 9:02 pm

    Terrible writing. Not dominant! Are you smoking tar? He was 6 strokes clear of the field and The ONLY professional golfer on planet earth under par for the tournament. If I heard correctly on radio he picked up 8 strokes on the field today. Basically every other hole Bryson gained a stroke over the next guy. That is not only dominant that is incredible! Amazing! Historic! This was the toughest us open maybe ever with technology and analytics having maxed human performance and Bryson said nah! Hold my protein shake while I take this trophy. If this was tiger in his prime you would have wet the bed and claimed it was the single greatest moment in golf. Get a grip and get better writers. Maybe you should join Faldo In wine and cheese lounge and you can regale each other with the length of brysons wedges. Which are are longer than yours.

    • Ronald Montesano

      Sep 20, 2020 at 10:37 pm

      Hello, Bob. Thank you for checking in. You’re calling the writing “terrible” because of one split hair? That’s quite ephemeral of you.

      Did you notice that Bryson was one clear of Matthew when they sawed off the skin on nine with eagles? Also, fawns and faroles aside, Wolff’s performance has no impact on Bryson’s dominance. Dominant is a word reserved for someone who plows a field under from start to finish. Bryson didn’t do that. He chipped away, little by little, and stuck to his plan.

      Don’t you agree with me now?

      • MhtLion

        Sep 21, 2020 at 12:44 am

        I agree that BDC was impressive. Dominant? A bit tricky. I think he was dominant in the last 9 holes.

  9. Hyperbolic Anabolics

    Sep 20, 2020 at 8:51 pm

    BAD isn’t natty though. Look at the Hawaiian Islands around that man’s pie hole.

  10. jeff

    Sep 20, 2020 at 8:10 pm

    I smile thinking about all the haters out there having an aneurism today. The bulging eyeballs and spittle coming from their lips as they mutter to themselves and whoever will listen; “It’s just not the way the game was meant to play”

    • Ronald Montesano

      Sep 20, 2020 at 10:40 pm

      I’m confident that Allan Robertson, Babe Didrickson, Joanne Carner, Ted Ray, Laura Davies, Frank Stranahan, Ben Hogan, and many more, made the genteel heeled ones quiver in their cups, as Bryson did today. Golf evolves, humans evolve. I’m with you, bruh.

  11. Miamistomp

    Sep 20, 2020 at 8:09 pm

    how was that not dominant- Wolff looked like a deer caught in the headlightswhen the chips were down and Bryson never deviated from his plan

    • Ronald Montesano

      Sep 20, 2020 at 10:42 pm

      See what I wrote to Bob above. I blended your comment with his in my mind, so your answer is up their, labeled fawns and faroles. Tournament not decided until final nine holes. You can’t call that dominant. Tiger in 2000 was dominant. US Opens are rarely “dominated.”

  12. Rich

    Sep 20, 2020 at 7:28 pm

    Well, the Genius did it again, this time at a major. Not only that, his success can be directly attributed to his modern, innovative thinking. The only player under par for the day, the only player under par for tournament, and 6 shots clear of the field. He absolutely crushed the idea that you can’t bomb-and-gouge your way to a US Open win. And if he can do that to Winged Foot, imagine what’s in store for Augusta in November.

    BDC was my inspiration to try single-length irons 4 years ago (Wishon Sterling). I’ve never gone back, and iron play has gone from my weakest area to being as strong as every other part of my game. Thanks, Bryson! (And Tom Wishon, too!)

    • Ronald Montesano

      Sep 20, 2020 at 10:45 pm

      I don’t think that he will have the same advantage at Augusta. His advantage was strength out of the rough. Augusta doesn’t have rough like WF.

      Also, Augusta’s greens don’t feed like Winged Foot’s did. I bet the members ask Hanse to change the greens to non-feeder. Or, they will ask for hole locations that don’t allow true feeding, as the green jackets do each spring.

      He was brilliant, wasn’t he? He bided his time. He didn’t rush. Reminded me of Koepka in his prime.

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News

Morning 9: Wyndham Clark on back injury | DiMarco’s bold Champions Tour take | Houston Open photos

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By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: [email protected]

Good Thursday morning, golf fans, as day one of the Houston Open gets underway.

1. Wyndham Clark hurts back…still hopes to play

ESPN’s Mark Schlabach…”Reigning U.S. Open winner Wyndham Clark injured his back while working out at home Monday, but he hopes to play in this week’s Texas Children’s Houston Open, which starts Thursday at Memorial Park Golf Course.”

  • “Clark, the fourth-ranked golfer in the world, said he was lifting weights and “got caught in an awkward spot doing a lift and [his] back went.”
  • “It’s not something that happens regularly, but it happened and you live and you learn,” Clark said. “I’m trending in the right direction. I’m hitting it or feeling stronger and more mobile every day. I’m going to give it my best effort tomorrow and hopefully I can play and compete. If not, I’ve got to get ready for tournaments to come after this.”
Full piece.

2. DiMarco’s bold Champions Tour take

Our Matt Vincenzi…”While speaking on the Subpar podcast, former PGA Tour winner and current PGA Tour Champions player Chris DiMarco said he hopes LIV buys the Champions Tour.”

  • “We’re kind of hoping that LIV buys the Champions Tour,” he said.
  • “Let’s play for a little real money out here. I mean this is kind of a joke when we’re getting $2 million. There were like seven guys last week from TPC (Sawgrass, at the $25 million PLAYERS Championship) that made more money than our purses.”
Full piece.

3. Charley Hull’s course management problem?

Our Matt Vincenzi…”Charley Hull came just short of her third LPGA Tour victory over the weekend at the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship when she played her last two holes at 3 over to slip all the way to 10th on the leaderboard.”

  • “After the round, Hull was blasted by Sky Sports commentator and former LPGA Tour player Trish Johnson for her lack of golf course management.”
  • “While speaking on the Sky Sports Golf podcast, Johnson spoke harshly of Hull.”
  • “I’m probably her harshest critic, because I know how good she is. She doesn’t win anywhere near enough for her talent, and she doesn’t get involved enough, in all honestly.
  • “The thing with Charley is that you’re never going to change her. I read something the other day that said how much she loves the game and it’s her love of the game [that costs her]. She’s never going to change and she’s just going to go for every pin.
  • “In theory that’s great, but it won’t win you golf tournaments, it just won’t because she’s not that much better than anybody else.
Full piece.

4. Sahith’s interesting idea

Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine…”Which brings Theegala to his big idea: “There’s got to be something, like a fan challenge or – I think it would be awesome to see a scratch handicap go out and play like the Monday after a tournament, keep the same conditions and see what they would shoot just to put it into perspective how hard a PGA Tour golf course is.”

  • “Theegala loves the thought so much that he’d even come out and watch.”
  • “Shoot, I’d commentate on it,” Theegala added before continuing, “I have a pet peeve, sometimes when I watch golf on TV, a great example is hole 8 at Valspar last week. It’s a 230-yard par 3, the green’s 12 yards wide and someone will hit the middle of the green and, you know, they’ll be like, ‘Oh, really smart shot there.’ I’m like, ‘Well, no, he’s absolutely laced this 4-iron in the middle of the green, that’s right where he’s looking and to hit a 4-iron that straight is really, really hard.’ … Even like chipping, a lot of the stuff just looks flat on TV, but then when you get over the chip, like, oh, great, I have to land it over a mound on a downslope down grain?”
Full piece.

5. Top am Rachel Heck not going pro

Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine…”As Rachel Heck nears the end of her college golf career, she has decided that the LPGA isn’t for her.’

  • “Heck, the 22-year-old Stanford senior who won an NCAA individual title as a freshman and has climbed as high as second in the world amateur rankings, penned a first-person essay for No Laying Up in which she explained her reasoning for remaining amateur after graduation this summer and starting an internship not in professional golf but rather private equity. Heck, a political science major, also will be pinned as a lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force.”

Read her piece on No Laying Up: https://nolayingup.com/blog/why-im-remaining-an-amateur

Full piece.

6. DJ’s new LIV signing

Golf Monthly’s Elliott Heath…”Dustin Johnson‘s LIV Golf team 4Aces GC has announced former TravisMathew CEO Chris Rosaasen as the side’s new General Manager.”

  • “Rosaasen, who is a long-time friend of Johnson, is also the founder of the team’s apparel sponsor Extracurricular and has been CEO of the Omniverse Group for the past four years.
  • “He joins with more than 20 years of “brand-building, marketing, and business leadership” according to LIV Golf, which says his “record of innovation in the golf industry will strengthen and accelerate the growth of the 4Aces GC brand.”
Full piece.

7. Photos from the Houston Open

  • Check out all of our photos from this week’s event!
Full piece.
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Four books for a springtime review

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One thing that never changes over time: snowy evenings give purpose to reading (is it the other way around?) It has been a snowy 2024 in western New York, and I’ve had ample time to tuck into an easy chair with a blanket, coffee, and a book. You’re in luck, because despite the title of this piece, I’ll share five books and their worth with you.

There is great breadth of subject matter from one to five. Golf is as complicated as life, which means that the cover of the book isn’t worth judging. The contents begin the tale, but there is so much more to each topic presented within. If you’re like me, your library grows each year. Despite the value of the virtual, the paper-printed word connects us to the past of golf and humanity. Here’s hoping that you’ll add one or more of these titles to your collection.

        

Rainmaker

Hughes Norton interviewed with Mark McCormack for 20 minutes (30 if you count the missed exit at Logan International) while driving the founder of IMG from Harvard to the airport. The lesson of taking advantage of each moment, of every dollar, because you might not get another opportunity, is the most valuable one that life offers. I say to you, be certain to read this book, because another opportunity to bend the ear of Hughes Norton may not come our way.

Hughes Norton was with Tiger Woods for waaayyy fewer years than you might guess, but they were the critical ones. Be warned: not all of the revelations in this tome are for the faint of heart. Some, in fact, will break your heart. Golf was a sleepy hamlet in the 1990s, until the 16-lane interstate called Eldrick “Tiger” Woods came into town. Everything changed, which meant that everything would change again and again, into eternity. Once the ball starts rolling, it’s impossible to stop.

My favorite aspect of this book is its candor. Hughes Norton is well into his time on Planet Earth. He has no reason to hold back, and he doesn’t. My least favorite aspect is that George Peper got the call to co-author the book (and I didn’t.) Seriously, there is no LFA for me, so this is the best that I could do.

Decision: Buy It!

The Golf Courses of Seth Raynor

Michael Wolf, James Sitar, and Jon Cavalier, in abject partnership, collaborated to produce a handsome volume on the work of gone-too-soon, engineer-turned-golf course architect. Seth Raynor was pulled into the game by Charles Blair MacDonald, the crusty godfather of American golf. Raynor played little golf across the 51 years of his life. His reason? He did not wish to corrupt his designs with the demands and failings of his own game.

Jon Cavalier began his photography career as a contributor to the Golf Club Atlas discussion group. I met him there in a virtual way (we still have yet to shake hands) and have exchanged numerous emails over the years. Despite the demands of his day job, Cavalier has blossomed into the most traveled and prolific course photographer alive today. His photography, both hand-held and drone, makes the pages pop. Michael Wolf invited me and two friends to play his home course, despite having never met any of us in person. His words, melded to those of James Sitar, are the glue that connect Cavalier’s photos.

My favorite aspect of the books is the access it gives to the private-club world of Raynor. Fewer than five of his courses are resort or public access, and knowing people on the inside is not available to all. My suggestion? Write a letter/email and see if a club will let you play. Can’t hurt to try! My one complaint about the book is its horizontal nature. Golf is wide, but I like a little vertical in my photos. It’s not much of a complaint, given the glorious contents within the covers.

Decision: Buy It!!

Big Green Book from The Golfer’s Journal

Beginning with its (over)size, and continuing through the entire contents, there is no descriptor that defines the genre of the Big Green Book. It is photography, essay, layout, poetry, graphics, and stream of consciousness. It harnesses the creative power of a lengthy masthead of today’s finest golf contributors. Quotes from Harvey Penick, verse from Billy Collins, and prose from John Updike partner with images pure and altered, to immerse you in the diverse golf spaces that define this planet.

One of my favorite aspects is the spaces between the words and photos. Have your friends and others write a few notes to you in those blank areas, to personalize your volume even more. One aspect that needs improvement: the lack of female voices. I suspect that will be remedied in future volumes.

Decision: Buy It!!!

Troublemaker and The Unplayable Lie

Books that allege discrimination and mistreatment check two boxes: potentially-salacious reads and debate over whose perspective is accurate. In the end, the presentation of salacious revelation rarely meets the expectation, and the debate over fault is seldom resolved. Lisa Cornwell spent years as a competitive junior and college golfer, before joining The Golf Channel as a reporter and program host.

Despite the dream assignments, there were clouds that covered the sun. Cornwell documents episodes of favoritism and descrimination against her, prior to her departure from The Golf Channel in 2021. Her work echoes the production of the late Marcia Chambers, who wrote for Golf Digest in the 1980s and 1990s. Chambers took issue with many of the potential and real legal issues surrounding golf and its policies of access/no access. Her research culminated in The Unplayable Lie, the first work of its kind to address issues confronted by all genders and ethnicities, and immediately predated the professional debut of Tiger Woods in 1997.

My favorite aspects of the two works, are the courage and conviction that it took to write them, and believe in them. My least favorite aspects are the consistent bias that many groups continue to face. Without awareness, there is no action. Without action, there is no change.

Decision: Buy Them!!!!

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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open

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GolfWRX is on site in the Lone Star State this week for the Texas Children’s Houston Open.

General galleries from the putting green and range, WITBs — including Thorbjorn Olesen and Zac Blair — and several pull-out albums await.

As always, we’ll continue to update as more photos flow in. Check out links to all our photos from Houston below.

General Albums

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

See what GolfWRXers are saying in the forums.

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