Bryson DeChambeau says he ‘definitely’ wants to drive this par-5

One of the most compelling things about Bryson DeChambeau’s unapologetic quest for more driving distance is the speculation that accompanies his every start. What might he do next?

Every tournament, a new storyline about Bryson chasing a previously unthinkable feat emerges: driving the 17th at the Travelers, the 18th at the WGC-FedEx, the first hole at The RBC Heritage, and even the first hole at Augusta National.

But when it comes to a true video-game style ‘break the course’ line, there’s nothing quite like driving the green — on a par-5. Enter the 6th green at Bay Hill Club & Lodge. On paper, the hole is a 590-yard dogleg that wraps around a lake, but there’s a direct line from tee to green which means it’s ‘only’ about 340 yards as the crow flies.

““In one physical model of the universe, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, in the opposite direction.” – Ty Webb, Caddyshack (Google Earth)

There’s a reason most mortal golfers don’t try this line: As you can see from the photo above, keeping your ball dry requires hitting a drive that’s more then 330 yards of pure carry. There’s no rolling it up onto the green, it needs to fly the entire way. If you go for the green and don’t make it to the other side, you’re re-teeing hitting 3. But this year, Bryson says he’s ready to take it on.

“If I play this year I will definitely do it,” Bryson told GOLF.com’s Sean Zak during a one-on-one interview last week, sponsored by CDW. “Number six at Bay Hill is one of those I’ve been eyeing. I think I can do some pretty cool things on it.”

Bryson added that the only thing that could throw a wrench in his plans is if the wind swirls unexpectedly. He won’t try it if the wind gusts into him, obviously, but if it’s a little downwind as usual, it’s a “100 percent go.”

Watch the full video above, and get excited for some heroics this year at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

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Luke Kerr-Dineen

Golf.com Contributor

Luke Kerr-Dineen is the Game Improvement Editor at GOLF Magazine and GOLF.com. In his role he oversees the brand’s game improvement content spanning instruction, equipment, health and fitness, across all of GOLF’s multimedia platforms.

An alumni of the International Junior Golf Academy and the University of South Carolina–Beaufort golf team, where he helped them to No. 1 in the national NAIA rankings, Luke moved to New York in 2012 to pursue his Masters degree in Journalism from Columbia University. His work has also appeared in USA Today, Golf Digest, Newsweek and The Daily Beast.