Throughout much of the late morning and early afternoon on Thursday at Pinehurst, Golf Twitter was abuzz. No, not about Scottie Scheffler’s new prison-approved haircut, but instead about the impending tee-time of Bryson DeChambeau.
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Through two majors this year, DeChambeau has returned to the ranks of “must-see TV,” ripping up Masters signposts like Hercules and battling Xander Schauffele to the wire at Valhalla. Combine his long-ball ability and showmanship with Pinehurst’s devilish setup, and you have a recipe for death or glory, no in between.
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Arriving at the “short” 384 par-4 13th on Thursday, DeChambeau chose the latter as he whipped out the big stick and soared a 349-yard drive to within yards of the green. Watch it and weep tears of joy mingled with deep-rooted insecurity.
A 384-yard par 4?
Yeah, you know @b_dechambeau is going to try and crush it! pic.twitter.com/1NELrBjS7x
— U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 13, 2024
From there it was just a little 80-yard pitch, which DeChambeau stuck to a few feet and tapped in for a perspiration-free birdie. While dazzling on its own, the first Bryson bomb of the 2024 US Open was even more shocking in context to the rest of the field. (DeChambeau’s tee shot is the little red dot just below the left greenside bunker).
Vast majority of players laying back on No. 13. That red dot by the green-side bunker, Bryson DeChambeau (349 yds. off the tee) pic.twitter.com/ziXi0vrVWT
— Fried Egg Golf (@fried_egg_golf) June 13, 2024
Truly on another planet. It’s very possible his strategy won’t hold up over four days. We’ve seen DeChambeau’s semi-retired bomb-and-gouge approach implode at courses like Augusta National, which ask players for guile not grit. But win or lose, one thing is certain:
It’s going to be a hell of a lot of fun to watch.
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