Bryson DeChambeau Hitting Wooden Drivers Off First Tee

Voice over: Michael Robles
Writer: Gabrielle Herzig
Video editor: Lance Keller

What is Bryson DeChambeau doing hitting a
persimmon wood off the first tee at the site of
the 2023 U.S. Amateur? Golf Channel’s Smylie
Kaufman had the very same question on the eve
of the championship’s quarterfinals matches.
“When I tell you, Dan, this was the last thing I
thought I was about to see come on the
television screen,” Kaufman said on the
broadcast.
DeChambeau might be a past U.S. Amateur and
U.S. Open champion, but no one expected him
to make a surprise appearance at Cherry Hills
Country Club—the site of the 123rd edition of
the amateur tournament—let alone put on a
long-drive exhibition with a vintage club while
on property.
Dressed in a casual shorts and t-shirt, the LIV
golfer watched the Round of 16 match between
UVA’s Ben James and UNC’s David Ford, before
stepping onto the first tee box to hit some old-
fashioned drivers.
Earlier in the week, championship participants
were invited to step up to the first tee at Cherry
Hills to replicate Arnold Palmer’s famous tee
shot at the 1960 U.S. Open.
Palmer drove the 346-yard par-4 on the first
hole of the final round, and he ultimately
captured his first and only U.S. Open title that
day. Palmer came back from a seven-stroke
deficit to beat Jack Nicklaus.
It turned out that DeChambeau, who played in
the 2012 U.S. Amateur at the Denver-area
venue, wanted to take a shot at the challenge
as well.

With a dense crowd forming around him,
DeChambeau cranked drive after drive with the
wooden club.
The LIV golfer’s high-speed drives already have
a distinct sound, but the noises that
reverberated from the old-school club-head at
Cherry Hills were otherworldly.
“Bryson’s not laying up here on No. 1,” Kaufman
said. “I think that’s the play today.”
DeChambeau finally hit the putting surface on
the fly, only for the ball to gently trickle into the
thick greenside rough.
The major champion might not have been
satisfied with his efforts, but the collection of
eager onlookers couldn’t have been more
pleasantly surprised with the show.

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