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Despite His Distance Exploits, Controversial Golfer Bryson DeChambeau Once Fumed After Failing to Conquer a Major Championship Course Setup

Published 09/14/2022, 4:30 PM EDT

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via Reuters

Bryson DeChambeau is renowned for his golf striking distance. He once broke a 17-year-old PGA record for driving the longest distance during the 2019-20 season. However, did you know he was once left complaining about a course’s setup and its length?

What did Bryson DeChambeau say about the Bethpage Black course?

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At the 2019 PGA Championship, DeChambeau shot a first-round score of 72, 2-over par. After sitting down for an interview with Golf Channel, he criticized the golf course and its setup.

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“If you really want to prove who the best champion is, it’s not a long-drive contest,” DeChambeau said in his interview. “It’s about precision…When you start lengthening it to the amounts that they’ve been lengthening it to, I just personally think that it’s a mess-up.”

The Bethpage Black is one of the most demanding courses on the golf tour. A municipal course, the 7,406-yard, par-70 course was on the lips of many who complained regarding its length at the 2019 PGA Championship.

via Reuters

In total, DeChambeau hit a decent 8 of 14 fairways during his first round. He was 40th in field distance and 80th in strokes gained. The ‘Mad Scientist’ wasn’t over with his tirade yet.

“You just can’t make golf courses that long with guys on the lower end of the stick driving it 275, 280, 290 and then hitting hybrids into greens,” he complained.

What else happened at the 2019 PGA Championship?

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With its heavy rough and tight fairways, especially at the 16th hole, the scores remained low. Only one golfer was able to avoid any bogeys in the first round – and that was DeChambeau’s arch-rival, Brooks Koepka.

via Getty

The Former World No.1 shot a course record of 63, the best score by a defending champion on opening day. Koepka followed that up with 65 in the second round, extending his lead by an extraordinary 7-strokes over his closest competitor. He eventually went on to win the tournament, securing his fourth and till-date final Major Championship.

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Written by:

Sharan Nair

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One take at a time

Sharan is an Engineering student with a desire to carve out a career in sports journalism. He is an ardent Tiger Woods fan and his 2019 Masters victory is what further cemented his love for the golfer. A die hard football fan, Sharan can be seen cheering for Real Madrid, and playing FIFA every chance he gets.
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Edited by:

Manaal Siddiqui

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