Welcome to Spotted on Tour, where we’ll highlight buzzy apparel, gear, gadgets and more that caught our eye over the weekend. Better yet, we’ll help you get your hands on your own.
The golf world will not soon forget Bryson DeChambeau’s driving display at Bay Hill this weekend.
That Bryson won the Arnold Palmer Invitational is almost secondary to how he won. An overwhelming display of force accentuated by his performance on Bay Hill’s 6th hole, a 550-yard par-5 that horseshoes around a massive lake.
At the beginning of the week, DeChambeau indicated he might attempt to clear the water and drive the green. Remaining dry would require a 350-yard carry, a longshot even for a long-hitter. On Thursday and Friday, he stayed safe, ripping drives into the fairway short of the green.
Then, on Saturday, the wind changed. Suddenly Bryson had a breeze at his back and a boatload of confidence. Minutes later, he uncorked a missile on a positively ridiculous line. When his ball came to rest in the rough beyond the fairway and right of the green, he screamed. His drive had traveled 377 yards, 340 of them in the air.
In the aftermath of the first Brysquake, it was easy to forget he made birdie on the hole. The lasting image of his performance would not be a tap-in for 4, but rather the emphatic celebration that followed his blast. How he launched his arms into the air, fist-bumped caddie Tim Tucker, and began the long stroll around the lake to his ball.
Bryson did a lot of strolling in his week at Bay Hill, leading the field in Strokes Gained: Off-the-tee and overall driving distance. And the footwear responsible for that stroll — Puma Ignite PwrAdapt spiked shoes — play a surprising role in what comes before it.
A golfer’s feet are his or her only point of contact with the ground prior to impact. When reaching for higher speeds — like DeChambeau so often does — that contact is even more valuable. It’s why he spends so much time working on building strength in his lower body.
“People think I’ve got all these crazy theories, but when you really break it down to the root principles of what I’m trying to do, it’s a lot of common sense,” he told Men’s Health in June.
Proper support and stability isn’t important to Bryson, it’s necessary. In the PwrAdapt, support is provided by a unique saddle that wraps around either side of the foot. For big-hitters, a frame in the shoe’s upper is specifically built for added strength in high-stress areas, while a three-dimensional traction system provides enhanced gripping power.
You can find Bryson’s Puma Ignite PwrAdapt shoes in the GOLF.com Pro Shop by clicking the link below.
