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Kyle Berkshire is the No. 1-ranked World Long Drive competitor, but he sees himself as much more than just a big hitter. Speaking at the GOLF Top 100 Teachers Summit, Berkshire revealed his on-course strategy for clubs throughout his bag. Top 100 Teacher Bernie Najar also joined Berkshire on stage to discuss what they’ve worked on for more than a decade, from short-game execution to managing Berkshire’s eye-popping distance on the course.

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Fully Equipped hosts Jonathan Wall and Andrew Tursky take on two-time World Long Drive Champion Kyle Berkshire in a battle of their drivers against his 2-iron.

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With drives in excess of 400 yards, Kyle Berkshire is the undisputed longest golfer on the planet. The Cobra staffer takes us through the three drivers in his bag, why he rarely uses the big stick on the course and the benefits of choking down on the iron.

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The post ‘He has opened doors’: Inside Bryson DeChambeau’s far-reaching impact on long drive appeared first on Golf.

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Perhaps it was obvious from the beginning that Bryson DeChambeau’s appearance at the World Long Drive Championships was fundamentally altering the sport. After all, the easiest way to know something had changed on the ground in Mesquite, Nev., came well before anyone caught a glimpse of DeChambeau pounding drives into the ether.

The Bryson Effect could initially be observed at the gated entry to the Mesquite Sports Complex, where, for the first time ever, the Professional Long Drivers Association charged people a fee to watch the action in person.

“We didn’t really want to do that but we had to,” Bobby Peterson, the PLDA’s de facto commissioner, said in a telephone interview this week. “We had to do it just to cover the expenses, because we don’t have a major sponsor to help it.”

Peterson is a long drive lifer, and he looks the part — tall with thick shoulders, high-and-tight, salt-and-pepper hair and large, wraparound sunglasses. He speaks with a Southern drawl, and when he’s not competing in the senior division at long drive events, can be found running the “One Stop Power Shop,” a full-service long drive factory in Newton Grove, N.C. Peterson builds drivers for aspiring long drive pros, structures their training sessions and otherwise lends an ear to those hoping to add distance to their game (like DeChambeau, with whom Peterson frequently conversed during tournament week).

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'He's been so much happier': How Bryson DeChambeau found joy, acceptance in long drive

By: James Colgan

After Golf Channel left the sport in the early stages of the pandemic, Peterson was among the first to formulate the idea of creating what he called a “grassroots long drive tour.” After meeting with some of the game’s other stakeholders, he drafted the charter for the Professional Long Drivers Association. The tour is technically player-run, but on tournament days, people answer to Peterson, who also handles the finances.

It was Peterson’s call to charge a gate-entry fee, a landmark decision for a league that has rarely ever had to worry about a glut of fans. For $10, anyone who wished to enter could watch the game’s longest hitters compete for a full day, with action running from sun-up to sundown. Of course, the star of the show was DeChambeau, who flew to Mesquite fresh off helping the Americans clinch a convincing win at the Ryder Cup, and was the first pro to compete in a long drive event in several decades.

The price was right. Fans swarmed the event, pressing up against the gates to get a closer look at the PGA Tour’s longest-hitter on the range. When it came time for DeChambeau to compete “on the grid,” on-lookers packed the bleachers, leaving dozens to stand in the aisles and alleyways. The environment was chaotic. Fans hooted as music blasted from speakers, cheering as DeChambeau blasted drive after drive.

“I’ve been to a lot of long drive tournaments, that was probably the most energetic one that I could possibly remember,” Peterson said. “The energy level at that event was just incredible.”

And yet, the response on the ground paled in comparison to the one on the Internet. Fans surged into the PLDA website, briefly crashing it on Tuesday morning and, eventually, racking up more than a half-million hits on Wednesday alone. Due to the sport’s not-yet-existent TV partnerships, the tournament’s broadcast was a grainy, YouTube livestream. And yet, highlights from Friday’s round of 16 have wracked up more than 768,000 viewers to date.

During last week’s Bryson-mania, the PLDA saw its Instagram following nearly triple — from 11,000 to 28,000 followers — and watched as its YouTube channel comfortably crossed the 20,000 subscriber threshold.

“I think it was super-critical, because our mandate as an organization was to respect the players and create an opportunity for them to showcase their talents,” Peterson said. “The other thing is, we had to showcase as an organization with potential to sponsors. Companies that want to be involved, that want to showcase their brands along with ours. This was almost like a sales presentation.”

To that end, DeChambeau’s appearance served its purpose. Peterson and others received phone calls from a host of sponsors hoping to engage in the sport — business they admit didn’t exist before DeChambeau landed in Mesquite.

“Yeah, there’s been a lot of interest, a lot of buzz,” Peterson said. “We actually have some calls this afternoon, and Bryson obviously has opened some doors that were probably never going to be open without his help and influence. So we have a call this afternoon with a couple of parties and we’ll see what happens. Fingers crossed.”

While every indication from DeChambeau would seem to suggest his performance was only the beginning of a long and fruitful partnership with the sport, Peterson and Co. need to plan as if that won’t be the case. Fortunately, he says, the sport is well-stocked with talent, even if DeChambeau doesn’t return to the long drive.

“We’ve literally got probably 20 more competitors out there around the world that we know are as fast as the guys that were in the top 32,” Peterson said. “So, that holds well for us once international travel restrictions are lifted.”

After a week in Mesquite, it’s clear the calculus has changed for the world of long drive. Now, comes the biggest question: Can the sport capitalize on it?

“I don’t know if it’s mission accomplished, but I think that we won a huge battle,” Peterson said. “We’ve touched people who maybe have never heard of us before. Our hopes and dreams are that the people that did hear about us will go out and tell someone. They’ll go to the driving range and see a person just hit bombs and say, ‘Hey, have you heard of this sport?'”

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Bryson DeChambeau had already exceeded expectations by advancing into the Round of 16 at this week’s World Long Drive Championship in Mesquite, Nevada, and on Friday, he had a chance to achieve his ultimate goal: to be crowned champion.

The final 16 players were whittled down from an initial field of 80. In order to make the Elite Eight, DeChambeau needed to rank in the top eight of the remaining 16 players in terms of total points accumulated over five hitting sessions.

In the Round of 16, each player hits a maximum of 30 balls over five sessions. In each session, the player has two minutes and 30 seconds to hit six balls. The longest drive wins the session and earns 200 points. Second place is worth 100 points, third place is worth 50 points and fourth place is worth 25 points. Players who hit every ball out of bounds receive 0 points. The eight players with the highest cumulative points total advance to the Elite Eight.

Instruction

The sneaky reason Bryson DeChambeau has been so successful at the World Long Drive Championship

By: Josh Sens

With more than 40,000 viewers tuning in live to the stream on YouTube and a packed grandstand onsite, DeChambeau rose to the occasion.

Conditions were slightly downwind, and at first, DeChambeau looked as though he might not claim any points in his first session, which included his mentor Kyle Berkshire, Martin Borgmeier and Nick Vorbeck. DeChambeau’s first drive went 389 yards while two of his competitors posted drives over 400 yards. But then, DeChambeau blasted his fourth drive 416 yards (!) to tie Borgmeier for the session win.

“He belongs! What a stud!” The commentator enthused.

DeChambeau was second his next session with a drive of 387 yards — two yards shy of Wes Patterson at 389 yards.

In Session 3, DeChambeau pumped out two 400+-yard drives, but his 403-yard best was only good enough for second to Colton Casto’s 404-yard pop.

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'He's been so much happier': How Bryson DeChambeau found joy, acceptance in long drive

By: James Colgan

DeChambeau had a quick turnaround into Session 4 — the second-to-last of his Round of 16 — and the pressure was on to keep performing. DeChambeau was amped up and engaged throughout, gesturing to the crowd for noise and shouting after his best drives. Hi best drive of 396 yards was only good enough for third though, behind drives of 397 and 408 yards.

With only one session remaining, a win became critical for DeChambeau, whose point total had him on the bubble in ninth place. As the competitor directly ahead of him, Canadian Ryan Gregnol, fell to the ground with an injury, DeChambeau maintained his focus to blast a 394-yard drive — and incredibly, he won the session!

With a total of 500 points, DeChambeau ended up eighth out of 16, meaning he just qualified for the Elite Eight, and took one step closer to claiming the World Long Drive crown.

In the Round of 8, which commenced right away after a quick re-seed, players were divided into two groups of four. Each player got six shots, and the two longest drives in each heat qualifed for the final four.

Though DeChambeau put in a valiant effort, his best drive of 391 yards was short of second place by six yards. Martin Borgmeier (397 yards) and Justin James (403 yards) ended up advancing.

What a ride it’s been!

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In bashing his way into the Sweet 16 of this week’s World Long Drive Championship, Bryson DeChambeau has been a model of consistency.

What hasn’t been consistent is the wind.

For the most part, the variable breezes have benefited DeChambeau.

“A lot of guys might modify their equipment according to the conditions, but they’re not necessarily going to change their shot shape,” says Bobby Bradley, a long-drive competitor who has doubled as a live-stream commentator for this year’s event. “Bryson’s a different animal. He’s a sniper with his driver. A total assassin. He can pretty much move the ball however he wants.”

Take Tuesday evening, the opening night of the competition in Mesquite, Nev., when the wind was left to right and helping. Rather than fight against it with his go-to draw, DeChambeau started hitting straight balls and baby fades, the better to ride the breezes. 

On Wednesday, when the wind switched, blowing right to left and against him, DeChambeau readjusted, going back to a tight draw, the shape most favorable to the conditions.

News

How to watch Bryson DeChambeau in the World Long Drive on Friday

By: Zephyr Melton

Thursday evening’s session brought another curveball. This time, the fan was blowing straight into the players’ faces. Given that his ball-flight is relatively low by long-drive standards, coupled with his ability to control spin, DeChambeau once more enjoyed an edge.

What he and the other competitors have yet to deal with is a wind straight at their backs. DeChambeau is hoping it stays that way.

“The second these guys hit downwind, it’s over for me,” he said on Wednesday evening, after advancing to the Round of 32.

He wasn’t being defeatist. He was just acknowledging basic physics.

Over the course of the competition, DeChambeau has produced ball speeds in the 210-215 mile-per-hour range. That’s plenty fast, but still upward of 15 miles-per-hour slower than the speeds generated by the likes of Justin James, Martin Borgmeier and Kyle Berkshire, all of whom DeChambeau will face in the finals.

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'He's been so much happier': How Bryson DeChambeau found joy, acceptance in long drive

By: James Colgan

Hitting into the wind, DeChambeau might stand a chance against those guys. Because they tend to hit it higher and with more spin, their shots have a greater chance of getting gobbled up or sent off course by the breezes. DeChambeau’s more penetrating flight would give him an edge.

With the wind behind them, though, the longest of the long would be near-impossible for DeChambeau to beat.

“Into the wind, it’s more of a ball-flight contest,” says Jason Zuback, a five-time World Long Drive champion who also won a world title in the senior division. “But downwind, it’s more of a horsepower contest. Those guys who launch it high and spin it more are rewarded with the wind behind them.”

By that measure, DeChambeau should be feeling good about the current forecast for this evening in Mesquite, which calls for light winds, moving right to left and into the players’ faces.

But based on the past few evenings, that could always change.

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Just a week removed from a successful week at the Ryder Cup, Bryson DeChambeau is making waves once again. This time, it’s at the World Long Drive Championship.

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'He's been so much happier': How Bryson DeChambeau found joy, acceptance in long drive

By: James Colgan

Although DeChambeau wasn’t expected to be much of a force against some of the longest hitters in golf, thus far he’s held his own. He’s already wracked up multiple 400-yard blasts and has battled through a strong headwind to advance to the fourth day of competition.

Check out below for all you need to know to watch DeChambeau compete on Friday.

How to watch World Long Drive Championships on Friday

Friday is the final day of competition at the World Long Drive Championships, and the schedule of events can be found here. DeChambeau will compete in the open division, which is scheduled to begin at 6:45 p.m. ET. The top eight finishers will advance to the quarterfinals, where they will be separated into two groups. The top two finishers in each group will advance to the semifinals. The top two competitors from the four-man semifinal will then advance to the final for a head-to-head match to determine the champion.

You can watch all the action on the PLDA Youtube page, which is running daily livestreams of the tournament.

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MESQUITE, Nev. — Even before this week, it wasn’t hard to see Bryson DeChambeau’s value to the world of long drive. The sport that showcases players putting a jolt into golf balls was in desperate need of a jolt itself.

In 2020, Golf Channel dropped the World Long Drive Championships at the beginning of the pandemic despite owning a majority stake in what was then called the World Long Drive Tour. The network’s decision was a death knell. Sponsors scattered and the league quickly folded, leaving many to wonder if the sport had a future. Instead, players and a core group of sponsors came together to form the Professional Long Drivers Association — resuscitating the sport with shoestring budgets and grassroots events.

At about the same time, DeChambeau emerged from the PGA Tour’s pandemic-induced hiatus with stories of 10,000-calorie days, endless protein shakes and intensive workouts — and with 40 pounds of new muscle. He looked like a different person, with a thicker neck and meatier shoulders. DeChambeau said he’d bulked up in pursuit of speed and, by extension, distance, and that he’d learned by stealing the best practices of long drive pros.

The irony was painful. Here, long drive had waited for 30 years for a missionary in the pro game to jumpstart interest in their niche sport, and now he shows up, with long drive on life support? Word also soon trickled out that DeChambeau had forged a relationship with the brightest young star long drive had seen in years — a long-haired, soft-spoken fire-breather named Kyle Berkshire.

Berkshire is to long drive what Jordan and Magic were to the NBA. He’s the longest, fastest hitter in the world, and if you’re anywhere within several hundred feet of him at the time of impact, you know why. PLDA merchandise features his silhouette in follow-through position, and it’s obvious he’s been asked to carry the weight for the future of his sport, despite being just 24.

“Golf Channel made a mistake dropping us,” he said. “But I also think they had no choice. We had something happen to us, two years ago, that was a once-in-a-lifetime thing [the pandemic]. They’ve got to protect their business. So I think it’d be unfair to say they’re villains in the sport. But I do think we’re on the precipice of a massive resurgence.”

That energy is largely due to DeChambeau, who threw a charge into both long drive and traditional golf when he saw Berkshire’s unusual swing and decided to reach out for advice. The two hit it off, sharing an affinity for the scientific minutiae of the swing. Before long, they were training together, swinging so hard they approached “blacking out.” Through Berkshire, DeChambeau’s exposure to long drive grew, and he began reaching out to other pros on social media. Soon he was sharing highlights on his social media accounts, tracking data to see how his speed compared to the best in the sport and hosting long drive pros at his Dallas compound.

“What he’s doing is absolutely incredible,” said Martin Borgmeier, a Hulk-sized long driver from Germany who also competes in standard stroke-play tournaments. “He’s elevating the whole game, and he knows what it takes to be successful in long drive. What he’s doing for the sport, he showcases that you can use these principles on the golf course, too. There’s a lot to come for us.”

At the World Championships this week, The Bryson Effect is real. The event has generated much social media attention ever since DeChambeau accepted his invitation, and Golf Channel is back on-site at a long drive event for the first time in two years. For a sport on the brink, a week of nonstop media attention harnessed through one of the game’s biggest personalities has been a blast of oxygen.

Before DeChambeau’s first set on Wednesday, a public address announcer excitedly asked that fans stop trying to connect to the WiFi network that supports the tournament’s live stream.

“We have 18,000 people watching this right now,” he said. “We’ve had more than 500,000 hits on our website. Please, don’t cause us to lose those fans.”

Among some of the competitors, DeChambeau’s attention brought with it a pang of wariness.

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Band of Bombers: How Bryson DeChambeau found a confidant in another big hitter

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“Are you here for us,” wondered Kanani Lodge, one of the favorites in the women’s division. “Or are you here for Bryson?”

Fair question. I, for one, came to Mesquite primarily for Bryson, and no doubt many others did, too. But to his credit, in interview after interview he has tried to deflect the attention to others.

After I interviewed DeChambeau earlier in the week, he asked if he could introduce me to Scottie Pearman. DeChambeau ushered me over to a bearded man dressed in purple.

“Why don’t you tell him about your son?” DeChambeau said.

Pearman and DeChambeau proceeded to share the story of Scottie’s son, Xander, who was born three months premature at less than 2 pounds, and who survived two stomach surgeries in the first days of his life.

“Now, Scottie donates his winnings from long drive events to charity,” DeChambeau said. “He wears purple for the Family Support Network. How great is that?”

“All this attention on us, it’s all because of Bryson, man,” Pearman said later. “He’s bringing it back for us.”

To others, the biggest benefit of DeChambeau’s presence is not the media buzz. “It’s validation,” Berkshire says — an acknowledgment that long drive isn’t one of golf’s weird sideshows, but one of its supporting acts.

“I think he’s doing it because he wants to see other guys get involved from the PGA Tour,” Berkshire said. “Obviously, when they’re in the offseason, and they’re not competing in golf. I think he wants other guys to try to do it, too, and see how fun it is. It’s a great way to be swinging a golf club and still get away from the game — a great way to improve that outlook.”

Observing DeChambeau this week and how much he is clearly reveling spending time around his fellow bombers, one can’t help but ponder another question: Does DeChambeau need long drive as much as it needs him?

On its surface, it seems a silly question for a golfer with more money in his bank account than he can reasonably spend in a lifetime, and a schedule overflowing with sponsorship obligations. But then you see the version of DeChambeau on the range in Mesquite, and you start to wonder whether it might be true.

This golfer is nothing like PGA Tour Bryson, the guy who oozes so much intensity he sometimes appears ostracized from his fellow competitors. At the long drive, his ramblings about the central nervous system and his “speed reserve” are met with enthusiastic rebuttals, not eye rolls. On the range, he smiles genuinely — not the cocky smirk that occasionally follows his big-swinging exploits. He trades playful barbs with his competitors, but also encouragement.

On Monday night, DeChambeau had dinner with a group of long drivers. He came alone and stayed for a while, shooting the breeze and absorbing jabs from his soon-to-be competitors, who were surprised he’d showed up at all.

“You’re just a rookie out here, bro,” long driver Bobby Bradley teased. “I’m going to big-time you tomorrow. Show you the ropes.”

“A rookie?” DeChambeau said with a laugh. “Didn’t I just win the Ryder Cup?”

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Bryson DeChambeau dazzled at the World Long Drive Championships, but can he actually contend?

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“You think that matters?” Bradley fired back.

On Tuesday morning, DeChambeau arrived at the Mesquite Sports Complex with a showman’s flair. He grabbed the first range slot — closest to the grid, where the crowds were assembled — and began launching balls into the abyss. A small group of cameras swarmed, and DeChambeau assumed character. He was jocular, jawing with influencers and sharing launch numbers as he cranked drive after drive. When it finally came time to “enter the grid” for the first time, he raised his fists, beckoning the crowd for more noise. He later admitted the introduction was a little too much to handle.

“Being out there, the first set was a little nerve-wracking for me,” he said. “It was uncomfortable.”

Nerve-wracking? Over the weekend, he’d hit shots in front of 20,000 fans at the Ryder Cup; on Tuesday, there might have been 200. Who cared how he played? These results were irrelevant.

Still, he performed well, riding a surge of adrenaline to a handful of 400-yard drives. When DeChambeau finished his sets, Bradley and Borgmeier engulfed him in a hug. It would have been a perfect end to his day, only his day wasn’t over. DeChambeau stuck around for another two hours, shadowing Berkshire. They were separated only when DeChambeau broke away to sign autographs and pose for selfies, which lasted for close to an hour.

DeChambeau’s admiration for his fellow long drivers is sincere. If anything, he seems as if he’s hoping to earn their affirmation, not the other way around. He seems to be just one of the guys, and maybe that’s because in the world of long drive, he is.

“It’s a great escape for him,” Berkshire said. “You can literally see it in his face, how much happier he is being out here. Not to say that he’s not happy at PGA Tour events, but it’s noticeable, especially this week. He’s been so much happier, more pep in his step. I think this is something he’s doing because he loves it.”

Berkshire has become one of DeChambeau’s closest friends over the last two years. They talk weekly, exchanging advice on everything from speed training to the pressures of fame. I asked Berkshire whether he believes DeChambeau when he says this week isn’t about him.

“I think he legitimately doesn’t want to be the center of attention,” he said. “I think Bryson has always been a center of attention. He’s got a lot of attention on him even in this sport. But he’s not someone who necessarily always enjoys that. In fact, I don’t think anybody does.”

Whether DeChambeau liked it or not, all eyes were always going to be on him this week, but that was a tradeoff the sport was happy to make. DeChambeau could never just quietly show up. If he did, he’d be letting down his friends and the sport, both of whom need his influence even when it brings the circus to town — and perhaps because it brings the circus to town. When you’re scared of going dark, it doesn’t matter who pays the electric bill.

And, oh yeah, it was hard to keep him away. DeChambeau loves long drive. He might show off for the cameras, but his passion is real. His performance Tuesday, he said, “felt like I’d won a big PGA tournament.” On Wednesday, it was a “dream come true.” He couldn’t stop smiling when he edged Borgmeier by a yard to reach the round of 32 (“the second these guys hit downwind, it’s OVER for me,” he said, stifling a laugh). For the better part of a half-hour on Wednesday evening, he was deep in conversation with a group of senior division competitors about their histories of long drive injuries.

So, how does DeChambeau see it? He could support the game in many ways — why long drive, why here, why now?

“These guys all have families and lives and this is usually their hobby or second job,” he said. “They’re just trying to survive, a lot of them are, and I think they need to be getting support. Support from the world of golf, and support financially. This is the best way for me to do that. So why wouldn’t I? Why wouldn’t I do what I can to make this thing what it should be?”

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When Bryson DeChambeau advanced to the Round of 32 in this week’s World Long Drive Championship, he said it was a dream come true. And on Thursday, DeChambeau took one step closer to his ultimate goal of winning the whole thing.

In the Round of 32, the remaining players competed in five four-man sets. Each set has a time limit of two minutes and 30 seconds for the players to hit a total of six shots. Players are awarded 200 points for winning a set, 100 points for finishing second, and 50 points for third. To make it from the Round of 32 into the Round of 16, DeChambeau needed finish in the top eight of his group of 16, which turned out to be a breeze for DeChambeau, who won his first and fourth of five sets, and ultimately finished fourth in his 16-man group with 575 points. DeChambeau’s winning drives traveled 358 yards and 333 yards, respectively, into a strong headwind.

“I’m telling you right now,” said the commentator. “Bryson DeChambeau’s got a shot to win the World Championship.”

As a member of the Sweet Sixteen, Friday’s schedule will be jam-packed for DeChambeau. The remaining players will be divided into two groups of eight, with the top four players from each group advancing to the final eight.

Once the final eight are identified, the format changes significantly. The players are then split into two groups of four and are given just six total shots to hit. The longest two shots count, and the top two finishers from each group will comprise the final four. Then, they’ll repeat the process: two groups of two, six shots, and the top two players will emerge as the finalists.

The final two players will then compete head-to-head: six shots each in two minutes and 30 seconds. The player who hits the longest single drive will be crowned the champion.

So, are you ready to watch DeChambeau try to add another line to his increasingly lengthy playing resume? He’ll have to beat his long-drive mentor, Kyle Berkshire, who also qualified for the Round of 16, to do it. The action begins at 6:45 p.m. ET on Friday, and you can watch it all unfold on YouTube. Check out DeChambeau’s Round of 32 performance on Thursday, beginning at the 7:18 mark below.

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On the face of it, it seems wild, untethered: a bunch of big guys gathered in the desert, seeing who can bash a golf ball farthest.

But, of course, it’s an organized event.

The 2021 Professional Long Driver’s Association World Long Drive Championships (Bryson DeChambeau edition), which kicked off Tuesday and will wrap up Friday in Mesquite, Nev., abides by a format that marries elements of March Madness with playoff customs from other major sports. Rocket science? Nope. But not exactly second nature to most golf fans, either. A lot of us could use a primer. If you plan on watching the action (it’s being live-streamed here), here’s an explanation of how the format and scoring worked over the first two days of competition, and how the system will play out to the end.

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Bryson DeChambeau turns heads again, advances to Round of 32 in World Long Drive Championships

By: Josh Berhow

Tuesday: Getting down to 64

Format: With 80 long drivers in the field to start, the players were divided into five groups of 16 for a series of knockout rounds, with the top 12 finishers in each group (a total of 60 players) automatically advancing. The 13th-place finisher in each group (five players altogether) then went into a wildcard round, with the four top finishers advancing to round out the group of 64. If you’re keeping score at home, DeChambeau breezed through this session, blasting five of his 30 attempts more than 400 yards to finish second in his group of 16.

Scoring system: If you tuned in on Tuesday, you might have thought you were watching synchronized hitting. You were right. In those knockout rounds, players took the tee four-at-a-time in a round robin format that ensured that all the players in each group got to compete against one another. Every player was given five hitting sessions. In each of those sessions, they had 2 minutes and 30 seconds to hit six balls, or 30 balls total. Points were awarded for longest ball, second longest ball, third longest ball, and so on. The cumulative score over those five sessions determined the final ranking in each group of 16.

Wednesday: Trimming the field to 32

Format: On the second day of competition, 64 players were divided into groups of 16, with the top 8 finishers in each group automatically advancing. There were no wildcard spots. In this stage of the competition, DeChambeau shined again, notching the longest drive in three of his five sessions, and placing second in the other two. It’s on to the final 32 for him.

Scoring system: Rinse and repeat from Tuesday night. Every player was given five hitting sessions, six balls per session, with the top eight cumulative scores moving on to the round of 16.

Thursday: Getting to 16

Format: With 32 players in the field Thursday, players will be split into two groups of 16, with the top 8 from each group advancing.

Scoring system: As in the first two days of the competition, every player will get five hitting sessions, six balls per session, 30 balls total, with cumulative scores determining who moves on. In each session, the same 2 minute and 30 second shot clock will apply.

Friday: Round of 16, Round of 8 and Round of 4!

Format: With 16 players remaining, the players will be divided into two groups of eight, with the top four from each group advancing.

News

Bryson DeChambeau dazzled at the World Long Drive Championships, but can he actually contend?

By: James Colgan

Scoring system: works: Once again, every player in each group will hit a total of 30 balls over five sessions, with the the cumulative scores determining the final 8.

Round of 8, and the Final 4

Format: Now that we’re down to just 8 players, the format shifts and things start moving faster. In this session, players will be split into two groups of four. But each player will hit just 6 balls total, with the two longest balls counting toward the final score. The top two finishers from each group will advance to the final four, where the same format will apply.

And the winner is?

Format: It’s mano-mano. Nothing fancy. Each finalist will get one hitting session, striking 6 balls in an allotted 2 minutes and 30 seconds. The longest single ball wins.

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