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While most of us spend our days hoping – maybe even trying – to drop a few pounds, Bryson DeChambeau has become the PGA Tour’s new hulk.
Adding about 20 pounds late last year wasn’t enough. DeChambeau added another 25 pounds during the Tour’s three-month break and when he showed up at the Charles Schwab Challenge last week, he looked – almost literally – like a different person.
It’s all by design because, well, everything DeChambeau does is based on physics, science or his own theories. One-length clubs. Fat grips. Beefing up to nearly 240 pounds.
That’s a lot of protein shakes and gym time. It also means outgrowing his medium-sized shirts to XLs these days.
DeChambeau’s theory is simple – the bigger and stronger he is, the more clubhead speed he can generate. More clubhead speed equals longer tee shots and, consequently, an advantage as borne out by his leading the field in strokes gained off the tee.
The goal, DeChambeau has said, is to be able to fly tee shots 340 yards, and he averaged 345.4 yards on the two holes set up to measure the longest drives in the first round. Changing his body has meant changing virtually everything.
“I think when I play these next three weeks, I'll get down to 230, but my ultimate goal is to get as strong as I can, and I don't know what that weight is,” DeChambeau said. “I'm just going to keep proportionally making everything stronger and applying some force and speed to the golf swing to see what it can handle.
“I've had to change my lofts like crazy recently. I'm down to 5½ degrees on the driver. I'm looking to go get a 3-wood that's around 10 degrees. ... I'm producing so much spin I have to change the clubs itself. It's crazy.”
It’s the DeChambeau way.
Staff and Wire Reports