Bryson DeChambeau has made another important change with the Masters fast approaching…
Bryson DeChambeau is always chasing something.
It’s often distance, it’s often YouTube subscribers and it’s always major championships. DeChambeau, forever a compelling figure, is constantly tinkering in his unorthodox pursuit of perfection.
Just last month, it emerged that the burly Californian had severed ties with his longtime equipment company, LA Golf. The two-time US Open winner is still using the boutique brand’s shafts in his bag as a customer, but has exited his role as ambassador.
With his latest intriguing change at LIV Golf Singapore, DeChambeau now wants to focus on chasing improved spin control. A short-game adjustment at Sentosa Golf Club has seen DeChambeau move from Ping to Bettinardi wedges.
He’s switched his 50° Ping S159 to Bettinardi’s HLX 5.0 Forged club, which is bent to 49°. DeChambeau has also swapped his 56° Ping Glide 4.0 wedge to a Bettinardi, bent to 54°.
The results seemed immediate after DeChambeau recovered from an early double bogey to share the first round lead in Singapore alongside Jon Rahm, Lee Westwood and wildcard Richard T. Lee.
But DeChambeau conceded after his round that he has not had enough practice with the wedges to determine whether they will make a material impact just yet.
“I didn’t really get to test the wedges but they feel good,” he said. “In practice they felt great. It’s going through the turf a lot better from the fairway. I am trusting of that and hopefully that new bounce I’m using is going to be a benefit to me in softer conditions. That’s really what I’m struggling with.
“The same thing with my irons, too. I don’t think I have enough bounce on my irons and its going through the turf differently which is making it spin differently and go different distances.”
DeChambeau did not play a competitive round between last year’s Ryder Cup and LIV’s season-opener in Riyadh last month. He started with a tie for 17th, was tied third in Adelaide and T24 in Hong Kong.
“I’ve really just been trying to get back to my 58 form when I shot 58 at Greenbrier,” DeChambeau added after his four-under opening 67 at Sentosa. “Been focused on that and things just haven’t quite lined up yet. I was pretty nervous out there on some of the tee shots and took them with stride and hit a couple fairways.
“But I really want to be more comfortable out there on the golf course because the putting was great.”