Bryson DeChambeau spoke earlier this week of how he planned to leave the flagstick in while putting when the new rule allowing that on the green goes into effect January 1. He wasted no time providing an advance showing of why his reasoning makes sense by draining a putt from 57 feet, 7 inches from the back fringe on the par-5 16th (with the flagstick in) at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open for an eagle that catapulted him into the lead and allowed him to win for the fourth time during the 2018 calendar year.
On the greens DeChambeau uses a Sik Tour prototype 39-inch putter. DeChambeau put the putter in play after meeting with the company’s president in Florida earlier this year and utilising the Quintic putting system (in effect a launch monitor for putting) to work on his launch angle on the greens (yes, putts have a launch angle). DeChambeau had used SIK putters previously, which feature a face designed to produce similar lofts at impact regardless of where you strike the ball on the face.
The clutch putt notwithstanding, DeChambeau’s putting for the week at TPC Summerlin was only OK. His work off the tee, however, with a 7-degree Cobra King F9 driver was exemplary. DeChambeau ranked sixth in strokes gained/of the tee and was first in strokes gained/tee to green, picking up more than 13 shots on the field.
The driver, which features a milled face to promote consistency and has interchangeable weights (DeChambeau has the heavier 14-gram weight in the forward position to lower spin and bring the ball flight down), also is designed to be aerodynamically efficient while producing a low centre of gravity.
Or in other words, the kind of driver the scientist in DeChambeau can appreciate – at least when he’s not worrying about whether or not to leave the stick in.
What Bryson Dechambeau had in the bag at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open
Ball: Bridgestone Tour B X
Driver: Cobra King F9 (TPT Model 14 MKP LT), 9 degrees|
3-wood: Cobra King LTD, 14.5 degrees
5-wood: Cobra F8+ Baffler, 17.5 degrees
Irons (4-5): Cobra King One Utility; (6-PW): Cobra Forged One Length
Wedges: Cobra King (50, 55, 60 degrees)
Putter: SIK Midsize
