While every world-class player will have been inspired by someone who came before, it is particularly interesting to know just who helped shape Bryson DeChambeau into the force that he would become.
Bryson DeChambeau plays the game like no one else. DeChambeau is unique in so many ways. He immediately caught the eye when he burst onto the scene by being the youngster using a set of irons and wedges with shafts all the same length.
He has adopted a range of intriguing putting techniques. And there does not appear to be anyone else who swings the golf club like the LIV Golf star.
Of course, DeChambeau’s most significant contribution to the current game is surely his decision to undergo a body transformation in an attempt to add as much speed to his swing as possible. While few tried to copy all of his methods, his victory at the 2020 US Open showed that his way of playing the game could be successful.
Bryson DeChambeau names the three players who really inspired him
The quirks show the level of detail DeChambeau is prepared to go into in the quest to get better. So perhaps it is not a surprise that he has a couple of inspirations that you would not expect from a 31-year-old in this era.
Speaking on The Pat McAfee Show about the players who inspired him, DeChambeau picked out two of the all-time greats, as well as something of a cult-hero of golf’s past.
Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images
“Honestly, who influenced me as a kid, as a youngster, was Ben Hogan, no doubt, Moe Norman, who was his own trailblazer in his own way, pretty cool. I don’t know if you guys know him, but he’s one of the greatest ball strikers of all-time. What’s funny, Tiger actually said he’s one of the best, if not the best ball striker of all-time. It’s funny because he didn’t win a lot. But I would say Ben Hogan is probably one of the best, if not the best of all-time,” he said.
“And then Tiger obviously. From his physical preparation, how he prepped on the golf course to be ready was never seen before. And that I think instilled a lot of passion being the best you possibly can for our generation to come, which is really cool to see.
“I hope from a footprint standpoint of me, I hope to just inspire a bunch of kids to play the great game of golf. I’ll continue to keep doing my best in tournaments and improving the best I can and trying to win a bunch of majors, but ultimately if I could just get a kid to pick up a golf club or pick up some sort of racquet or whatever, go outside, be outside, that’s what I’m really here to do on this Earth.”
Who Moe Norman was as Bryson DeChambeau picks him out as an inspiration
Moe Norman was one of golf’s most fascinating characters, known for hitting the ball unbelievably straight. He actually won 55 times during his professional career, spending most of that career playing in his home country of Canada.
In fact, Norman only ever featured in two major championships, and never actually teed it up at the US Open, The Open Championship or the PGA Championship.
But, as DeChambeau noted, Tiger Woods is among Norman’s biggest admirers. And DeChambeau – who clearly is a real student of the game – is just as impressed by everything he has seen of Norman.
Given Norman’s eccentric character, perhaps it should come as no surprise that DeChambeau has taken plenty from how he played the game.
