Bryson de Chambeau's initial foray into long driving has ended. DeChambeau reached the final eight at the Professional Long Drivers Association World Championship, but was eliminated in round two in Mesquite Nevada.
DeChambeau made it to the top eight in the final round of the 16-player round robin. His first set was 406 yards. This was second to Martin Borgmeier’s 416 yard drive.
DeChambeau won his fifth set with a 394-yard drive. This put him in the eighth spot for the next round.
In five sets, each golfer hits six balls against three others. The set's first place award is worth 200 points. Second, third, and fourth are worth 100, 50, 25, and 25 respectively. DeChambeau reached the top eight and was able to drive 391 yards. However, that was only third in his set to Justin James' 397-yard drive or Borgmeier’s 397-yard drive.
DeChambeau's longest drive in the tournament was 412 yards in round one. He also managed to hit the 400 yard mark nine times.
DeChambeau admitted that he didn’t expect much going into the event. However, he stated that he was not expecting to be disappointed.
DeChambeau stated, "I'm going to keep doing it, and these guys who are bigger, faster, stronger, faster than me will keep pushing me to get faster," "And I believe this will translate really, really well into the PGA Tour."
DeChambeau stated that despite not winning the competition, one of his goals was increasing awareness about long driving. Each day saw an increase in viewers to the Professional Long Drivers Association livestream, reaching a peak of around 45,000 viewers Friday.
Kyle Berkshire is world's No. This event saw the victory of Kyle Berkshire, who is the world's No. 1 long driver. He was a friend of DeChambeau and had previously worked with him.
Berkshire was impressed by DeChambeau’s contribution to the sport after seeing the numbers and the attention it received this week.
Berkshire stated that "It's quite safe to say, you can almost call him the savior" of the sport. It's testament to Bryson, how exceptional an athlete he truly is, that he went from winning the Ryder Cup and dominating to reaching the final eight at his first World Championship. That would be comparable to me finishing in the top 10 at a PGA Tour event on my first attempt.
It's almost unbelievable what he did. It's almost impossible to comprehend."
Berkshire had predicted DeChambeau would make the top 16 before the event. However, he knew that it would be tough for him to win due to the talent involved in the event. It was one of the most competitive final-16 groups he had ever seen, and DeChambeau was able to compete with the best in the sport.
Berkshire expressed gratitude for DeChambeau's involvement and was full of praises. He stated that he believed long driving was heading in the wrong direction, but he has a better outlook for the future now.
Berkshire stated that the sport of long driving has been in trouble for over a year since Golf Channel dropped it. "I literally believe we just brought long drives back from the dead." With today's events, I believe we saved the sport. You know that we all played a major role in this. Everybody, including all the hitters -- Martin Borgmeier Josh Koch and Justin James -- all played such a significant role. It's amazing to see the sport get the attention it deserves."
DeChambeau stated that he will continue to promote the sport but that he won't be giving up his job as a PGA Tour professional. He said that he will continue to be focused on the Tour but that he feels more confident on Tour after seeing his performance at the event.
DeChambeau stated, "I have learned how to control the ball at these speeds, and this will translate into having extreme confidence on Tour." That's the thing people don't know. It's not the distance you hit it, but the irons, how fast you can make it with your irons, and the shots that you can hit from the tee. Drivers can hit four irons off the green, but you can't hit three wood. I can control the ball better and keep it in the fairway.
"Having that confidence is key to having a new level in play on the PGA Tour."
