Bryson DeChambeau shares strategy for tackling Winged Foot

If you were expecting Bryson DeChambeau to play more conservatively at Winged Foot this week in the face of the so-called ‘toughest test in golf’, guess again. 

The 27-year-old plans to blast his way around the New York course as he goes in search of his first major title. 

The American has completely transformed his physique in order to hit the ball further off the tee, with mixed results so far. 

He posted seven consecutive top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour in the season just ended, the last of which yielded his sixth victory on the world’s most lucrative circuit. 

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Since then, though, DeChambeau has struggled to find his best form. Even so, he plans to play continue his aggressive ways at Winged Foot this week.

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“I’m [going to be] hitting it as far as I possibly can up there,” said DeChambeau.

“Even if it’s in the rough, I can still get it to the front edge or the middle of the greens with pitching wedges and nine irons. That’s the beauty of my length and that advantage.

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“Obviously, if it’s into the wind and there’s some of those situations going on, it’s going to be different. There are certain holes I might lay up on just because of the situation but for the most part I’m going to be trying to go after it as much as I possibly can.”

He added: “Even if I hit it in the rough, I still feel like I can make birdies out here. I still feel like I can run it up the middle of the green and make a 20-footer.”

DeChambeau, one of the game’s quirkiest characters, also revealed plans to start using the longest driver shaft the game’s rules currently allow.

“We’re working on testing a 48-inch driver after this week,” said the American, who currently uses a 45-and-a-half-inch shaft. “It’s just going to happen, too. So we’ll see how far I can go.

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“I’m working with [shaft brand] LAGP to build a shaft that’s stable but that I can use to get my ball speed up to 210mp. That would be fun.

“If it’s as consistent as what I’m doing now, there’s no reason why [I wouldn’t put it in play]. If I was 205-mile-an-hour ball speed, I’d be using it everywhere out here. It would be even more of an asset to me. That’s the way I look at it.”