For years, Bryson DeChambeau has been LIV Golf’s poster boy for power. His 400-yard bombs and muscle-bound reinvention of distance dominated headlines. And at one point, he looked like the new standard of modern driving. But in a surprising twist, the biggest compliment for driving excellence from fellow LIV player Cameron Smith didn’t go to DeChambeau — it went to Rory McIlroy, the PGA Tour loyalist who has been LIV’s most outspoken critic!

On The Colin Cowherd Podcast, Smith didn’t think twice when asked about the most impressive driver he’s ever witnessed. “Rory’s the most impressive driver of the golf ball I’ve ever seen…I don’t think anyone could ever be better than him. Um, off the tea. [He] just does all the right stuff. Hits it in the right places…He can be very dominant when he’s on. I feel like he’s very, very tough to beat.”

Coming from Cameron Smith, the praise carries extra weight. He isn’t just another golfer admiring McIlroy from afar — he’s someone who once stood shoulder-to-shoulder with him at the Old Course. After Smith lifted the Claret Jug at the 2022 Open Championship, McIlroy (who secured third place) called to congratulate him but also tried to persuade him to stay loyal to the PGA Tour. “There was a bunch of stuff he wanted me to know before I made my decision. I wouldn’t say he tried to directly talk me out of it, but he definitely wanted me to stay,” Smith told Sydney Morning Herald back in 2022. Within weeks, the Australian shocked the golf community by signing with LIV, a move that made him one of the faces of the Saudi-backed league. Since then, the two have stood on opposite sides of golf’s most heated divide.

And yet, here we are: Smith, now a LIV defector, putting McIlory’s name above even his own teammate, Bryson DeChambeau — the very player LIV built its power narrative around. DeChambeau’s feats of distance have made him a cult hero — The People’s Champion. But Smith’s words show that driving isn’t just about raw yardage. Rory McIlroy, with his repeatable mechanics, balance, and ability to place the ball exactly where he wants, remains the gold standard.

Additionally, due to the Scientist’s and the Masters Champion’s rivalry, it adds more depth to Cam’s answer. The two have been rivals ever since they were on equal footing. It reached its boiling point during the 2025 Masters.

Moreover, just earlier this year, Smith complimented DeChambeau’s drive. Yet when asked to name the best driver he’s ever seen, he changed his answer this time. He crossed the battle lines to give credit to someone who might never return the compliment. Some things in golf transcend politics and paychecks. When it comes to driving the golf ball, even LIV’s brightest stars still look toward Rory McIlroy. But is McIlroy actually any better than Bryson DeChambeau, or is it Cam Smith’s personal opinion? Let’s have a look.

Who really owns the tea? Bryson or Rory?

Bryson DeChambeau has built his entire identity around brute power, and the numbers prove it. On both LIV Golf and in majors, he routinely averages over 330 yards off the tee, and at the 2025 Masters, he topped the field with 330.8 yards. Drives over 350 yards are standard for him, and he’s even stretched past 400 yards in competition. Dubbed “The Scientist,” DeChambeau takes an experimental approach to his equipment and biomechanics, using everything from single-length irons to a near-48-inch driver in search of speed. His swing is explosive from takeaway to follow-through, built on a wide base and incredible ground force, and it’s optimized for one thing above all else: distance.

Rory McIlroy, on the other hand, offers a study in controlled power. While he averaged 329.4 yards at the Masters — just behind Bryson — he was the penultimate winner of the major. Currently sitting second in driving distance on the PGA Tour, 323.9 yards (after Aldrich Potgieter‘s 327.4 yards), it is his accuracy that sets him apart from most long hitters. McIlroy’s swing is all rhythm and flow, built on impeccable timing, flexibility, and balance, rather than raw muscles. He creates effortless speed with a smooth takeaway and explosive downswing, while keeping the clubface under remarkable control.

Stacked side by side, the contrast is stark: DeChambeau is golf’s power experiment, while Rory is its natural virtuoso. Bryson often gains a 5- to 10-yard edge in pure yardage and thrives on equipment tweaks and scientific optimization, but Rory’s blend of length, accuracy, and consistency makes him the more reliable weapon week to week. Overall, if pure distance is the metric, Bryson DeChambeau holds the advantage. But if it’s about overall effectiveness, Rory McIlroy excels.