Bryson DeChambeau is one of the biggest stars in golf right now, in part due to his single-length irons and unique style of play. But some golfers are sick of the breathless Bryson coverage. One such person, PGA Tour pro Brendon Todd, is making his displeasure known.
On Tuesday evening, Todd took to Twitter and took DeChambeau to task. As part of a Twitter Q&A, one follower asked Todd why every player isn’t adopting DeChambeau’s single-length irons given his recent success on the course. The tone of the tweet was a touch condescending and included the hashtags #Dechambeau #smarterthanmost.
The question directed at Todd, who won his only PGA Tour victory at the 2014 Byron Nelson Championship, is referencing DeChambeau’s innovative use of irons that are all the same length. While DeChambeau has used single-length irons for a long time, their popularity has exploded in the game since he turned pro.
But that question seemed to set something off for the veteran Tour pro, who jabbed Bryson in his answer, writing, “Because nobody has ever f’in done that until this nut came around.” He continued, “Let’s focus on the million guys who have won on Tour that don’t do this instead of the one who does.”
https://twitter.com/BrendonTodd/status/1108207422332641281
We don’t hear this type of candid response come from PGA Tour players, who are usually reserved and worried most about not damaging their endorsement deals (unless the topic is the new rules).
But while it’s probably not advisable to diss a fellow pro publicly, Todd’s frustration is understandable.
Bryson DeChambeau has become a huge topic of conversation among golf fans and media alike. His eccentric strategy and style are worthy of the intense interest he has garnered. Once DeChambeau started winning Tour events in bunches at the end of last year, the coverage increased accordingly, as did the Bryson questions asked of other players like Todd.
Years ago, players used to regularly get frustrated having to constantly field questions about Tiger Woods instead of their own games. In the end, I think we can chalk Todd’s vent-tweet up to a similar species of frustration.
The struggle to maintain one’s game at a high enough level to stay on Tour is hard enough without having to worry about another pro’s game.
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