Power finally pays off for Bryson DeChambeau at Rocket Mortgage Classic

Bryson DeChambeau captured his first title on Sunday since his stunning transformation.

Get used to it, because the big-swinging, hard-hitting, long-driving duel on Sunday between Bryson DeChambeau and Matthew Wolff at the Rocket Mortgage Classic represents the future of the PGA Tour.

A year ago this week, DeChambeau eagled the 72nd hole at the 3M Open only to have Wolff, in just his third start as a professional, hole out for eagle from off the green to beat him by one. This time, it was DeChambeau coming out on top at the Detroit Golf Club, blowing past overnight leader Wolff with a seven-under 65 to earn his sixth career PGA Tour title. The event, though, will be remembered as a watershed moment, not for the validation DeChambeau got for his new focus on strength training, but as the day that showed off how the game will be played at the highest level for years to come.

DeChambeau’s new prowess with the driver has caught the attention even of his fellow competitors. He returned from the tour’s three-month hiatus 20 pounds heavier and looking less like the ‘Mad Scientist’ he was at the beginning of his career and more like the ‘Mad Bomber.’ He had six drives on Sunday of at least 350 yards and averaged 360 yards for the round, 40 more than playing partner Troy Merritt. His 350 yard average off the tee this week is the most in PGA Tour history by a tournament winner. DeChambeau came into the week ranked second on tour in driving distance behind Cameron Champ, a year after he was 34th and 20 yards shorter in that same category.

His added length has provided immediate dividends for DeChambeau. He’s 69-under in four tournaments since the restart, 20 shots better than any other player. He’s shot 68 or better in 14 of 16 rounds the last four weeks. His victory on Sunday was his seventh straight top-eight finish on tour dating back to the Genesis Invitational in February.

The tremendous power he demonstrates off the tee allows DeChambeau to get away with wayward drives. Coming into the round three shots behind Wolff, he didn’t find a fairway on the first four holes but still played the stretch in three-under as he was left with only short wedges into the green. A three-shot deficit quickly turned into a one-shot lead.

But it’s not just the driver that helped DeChambeau on Sunday. His putter helped preserve the margin. After DeChambeau, with a three-shot lead, hit his second shot on the par-5 14th in the water and made bogey, he came back to birdie his final three holes. Rolling in a 30-footer for birdie at 16, he let out an exuberant display of emotion. He led the field in putting this week, becoming the first player in the ShotLink era to win an event ranking first in both strokes gained: off the tee and on the greens.

DeChambeau has invited controversy since he turned pro. First, it was his unorthodox methods: his analytical, scientific approach to the game; his clubs all the same length; the excessive time he took to take a shot as he examined it from every angle. Now it’s the power, as critics cry out that he’s making modern golf courses obsolete. Hitting an 8-iron 230 yards from the rough into the green on a par-5, as DeChambeau did on the 17th hole, isn’t how the game is supposed to be played, so say his detractors.

But DeChambeau wants them to know there is more than one way to play golf. “As much as I want to be selfish, it’s really not. It’s the exact opposite. I wanted people to see a different style of the game,” he told CBS after his victory. “I knew there was an opportunity to do that. And I wanted to show people that if you work hard enough, you do your absolute best, you give everything you’ve got, you can achieve amazing things. And that’s what I was able to do.”

“I will say for the people at home, no matter how much you want to say about me, I love everyone. It’s never an issue, and I hope everyone appreciates the hard work I put in.”

The 21-year-old runner-up Wolff is a mirror image of DeChambeau in many ways. It’s certainly not the swing, where Wolff has the most distinctive takeaway on tour. He buckles his right hip as a trigger before taking the club back completely vertical. His left heel comes completely off the ground. He then drops the club back to a shallow angle on the downswing, generating enormous power.

Wolff matches DeChambeau in his ability to completely overpower golf courses. He hit seven drives on Sunday of at least 330 yards and averaged 341 for the round. Displaying a maturity that belies his youth and experience—he was still a student at Oklahoma State last year—he started the round three-over through 10 before coming back to birdie four of his last seven to take solo second. It’s his first top-10 since his victory in Minnesota last July.

You can like it or not, believe that it’s exciting or that it’s ruining the game, but the power of DeChambeau and Wolff is exactly where golf is headed in the coming years. DeChambeau is still just 26, Wolff even younger and at the beginning of his career. They should be at the top of the game for some time. The next generation will grow up trying to emulate them. Buckle up, because the days of the power hitter are just beginning.