Bryson DeChambeau hits his drive on the 2nd hole at Winged Foot Golf Club last Sunday.
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Bryson DeChambeau led the U.S. Open by a stroke heading to Winged Foot Golf Club’s par-5 9th hole last Sunday. He hit his tee shot 375 yards, the fourth-longest drive on the hole during the fourth round. He then hit a wedge to about 40 feet. He dropped the eagle putt. DeChambeau walked to the 10th with his lead intact, even after Matthew Wolff matched the eagle (he also hit wedge into the green), and he was never threatened the rest of the way.
Big tee shot. Short iron. Small score.
And not just on the 9th.
In an examination of Winged Foot’s 56 par-4 and par-5 holes, DeChambeau averaged 313.96 yards off the tee (longest: 385 yards, on his very first hole; shortest: 241). That left him an average of 130.21 yards to the green on his 56 approach shots (defined as either his second shot on the par-4s, or his third shot on the par-5s). According to his yardages released by GolfTV earlier this year, that’s just over his 53-degree wedge.
In other words, on just over three-quarters of his holes, DeChambeau went driver-wedge to win his first major championship.
Earlier this year, DeChambeau added 40 pounds to add distance. He subtracted distance, too. It was never really about the driver. It was what came after it.
“I’m hitting it as far as I possibly can up there,” DeChambeau said two days before the tournament. “Even if it’s in the rough, I can still get it to the front edge or the middle of the greens with pitching wedges or 9-irons. That’s the beauty of my length and that advantage.
“Now, obviously, if it’s into the wind and there’s some of those situations going on, it’s going to be different. There’s certain holes I might lay up on just because of the situation, but for the most part, I’m going to be trying to go after it as much as I possibly can.”
DeChambeau, of course, still had to hit those approach shots.
Of the 56 par-4 and par-5 holes, he hit 37 greens in regulation, or 66 percent. Of his 19 missed greens, he made seven bogeys, 10 pars and two birdies, including one on the par-4 11th during the fourth round, where he rolled in a 13-footer from off the green to help seal his victory. In the Strokes Gained metrics across every hole, DeChambeau was third in the field in both SG: Off the Tee (+5.38) and SG: Approach (+6.98).
And, of course, DeChambeau still had to hit other clubs, too. He played Winged Foot’s four par-3s at two under for the tournament. And, over all 72 holes, he hit 115 putts, or 1.6 per hole, and was 18th in the field in SG: Putting (+4.59).
“The only way to make a golf course really hard is to firm up the greens and grow the rough,” he said after the tournament. “It’s going to make it hard for everyone, and you’d rather be the guy in the rough with a lob wedge than with an 8-iron or 7-iron.”
Bryson DeChambeau’s drives and approach shots on Winged Foot’s par-4s and par-5s
ROUND 1
Hole 1 455-yard par-4 Drive: 385 yards Second shot distance away: 72 yards Score: Birdie (green in regulation)
Hole 2 477-yard par-4 Drive: 339 yards Second shot distance away: 118 yards Score: Par (green in regulation)
Hole 4 453-yard par-4 Drive: 343 yards Second shot distance away: 107 yards Score: Par (green in regulation)
Hole 5 483-yard par-4 Drive: 321 yards Second shot distance away: 166 yards Score: Par (green in regulation)
Hole 6 329-yard par-4 Drive: 298 yards Second shot distance away: 33 yards Score: Par (missed green in regulation)
Hole 8 478-yard par-4 Drive: 318 yards Second shot distance away: 177 yards Score: Par (green in regulation)
Hole 9 566-yard par-5 Drive: 323 yards Second shot distance away: 245 yards Third shot distance away: 137 yards Score: Par (missed green in regulation)
Hole 11 373-yard par-4 Drive: 348 yards Second shot distance away: 36 yards Score: Par (missed green in regulation)
Hole 12 643-yard par-5 Drive: 299 yards Second shot distance away: 333 yards Third shot distance away: 172 yards Score: Par (green in regulation)
Hole 14 449-yard par-4 Drive: 329 yards Second shot distance away: 118 yards Score: Par (green in regulation)
Hole 15 422-yard par-4 Drive: 296 yards Second shot distance away: 125 yards Score: Par (green in regulation)
Hole 16 497-yard par-4 Drive: 324 yards Second shot distance away: 162 yards Score: Par (green in regulation)
Hole 17 507-yard par-4 Drive: 313 yards Second shot distance away: 183 yards Score: Bogey (missed green in regulation)
Hole 18 466-yard par-4 Drive: 303 yards Second shot distance away: 160 yards Score: Par (green in regulation)
Nick Piastowski is a Senior Editor at Golf.com and Golf Magazine. In his role, he is responsible for editing, writing and developing stories across the golf space. And when he’s not writing about ways to hit the golf ball farther and straighter, the Milwaukee native is probably playing the game, hitting the ball left, right and short, and drinking a cold beer to wash away his score. You can reach out to him about any of these topics — his stories, his game or his beers — at nick.piastowski@golf.com.
