Bryson DeChambeau's elevation in the driving distance stats has been one of the most remarkable stories in modern times. In 2020 he added 20 pounds before the Covid pandemic and another 20 before the resumption of the PGA Tour and, with the muscle mass, came some phenomenal gains.
In his first three seasons on the PGA Tour the two-time US Open winner's driver exploits were in the average bracket – 299 yards for 45th in 2017, 305 (25th) in 2018 and then 302 yards (34th) in 2019.
Then, for the next two seasons, the American topped the listings with average drives of 322 and 323 yards.
He spoke of Augusta National becoming a par-67, thanks to his additional yardage, captured his first US Open at Winged Foot with a mixture of brilliant driving and a supreme touch and he then produced an iconic moment at Bay Hill in 2021.
At the Arnold Palmer he smashed a driver 370 yards, with an incredible 194mph ball speed, to cut the corner of the par-5 6th hole and leave himself a short flick into the green.
"I felt like a kid again, for sure. It was exciting," DeChambeau said. "Especially when you pull it off. It was almost like winning a tournament. I got the same chills and feeling when I saw it clear and there was no splash. I gave the fans what they wanted."
He would win the tournament by one over Lee Westwood.
Throwback to when Bryson DeChambeau attempted to drive the green of the par 5 6th at Bay Hill 😅pic.twitter.com/AwxTqC2pIxMarch 5, 2024
In 2022 DeChambeau would participate in the Professional Long Drivers Association’s World Championships for the second time and, from a field of 16, he would remarkably reach the final. In the showpiece he would land three drives in the grid, with a high of 406 yards, but he would be undone by Germany's Martin Borgmeier who eclipsed him by 20 yards.
In terms of the real bombs on the PGA Tour, DeChambeau's longest hits were recorded as:
2020 - 428 yards (Travelers)
2021 - 414 yards (Sentry)
2022 - 403 yards (Sentry)
Amusingly the first of those came via a cart path while the others were notched at Kapalua where there are some huge elevation changes.
His longest recorded drive, though, came during The Match exhibition in 2021 where he was paired with Aaron Rodgers. At the 8th hole at The Reserve at Moonlight Basin in Montana he unleashed a drive of 480 yards. The hole measures a ridiculous 777 yards and, needless to say, is straight downhill – Rodgers' tee shot went 438 yards.
“That was disappointing for me. I thought I had it, dude. That was super close to being 550 pretty easily,” commented DeChambeau, who would go on to win the exhibition against Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady.
These days DeChambeau, according to his own Instagram account, averages 343 yards with a Krank Formula Fire driver which is primarily used by elite long-drive players and has a loft of 5˚.
DeChambeau is now 31 and we hear slightly less of his driving exploits but, with the right conditions, there might be more to come from one of the most entertaining talents in the game.
