Bryson DeChambeau wins Rocket Mortgage Classic after bulking up 40 pounds
HighLifeChannel
July 9, 2020
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Powered by 40 pounds of additional muscle, Bryson DeChambeau claimed his sixth PGA Tour title at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit.
The American shot seven-under on Sunday to finish three shots clear of compatriot Matthew Wolff and record a seventh consecutive top-10 finish on the Tour.
DeChambeau’s latest victory comes off the back of a productive period with golf on pause during the coronavirus outbreak, which has seen him pile on muscle and reshape his entire game.
“It’s a little emotional for me because I did do something a little different; I changed my body, I changed my mindset in the game and I was able to accomplish a win while playing a completely different style of golf,” DeChambeau told reporters.
“It’s pretty amazing to see that and I hope it’s an inspiration to a lot of people that if they set their mind to it, they can accomplish it.”
He trailed by three shots ahead of the fourth round, but a closing 65 — his lowest of the weekend — saw him leapfrog Wolff on the final day.
The event at the Detroit Golf Club took place behind closed doors for the fourth time since the PGA Tour resumed in June.
DeChambeau’s victory was marked by a heated exchange of words with a cameraman on Saturday as he played an errant bunker shot on the seventh hole.
After the round, DeChambeau questioned why the cameraman was “literally watching me the entire way up” to the next tee, which he said was “hurting (his) image.”
On Sunday, he said of the incident: “I respect everybody, I think people took it the wrong way and I’m sorry that they did so.
“I just want to provide the best entertainment out here. I just felt like a minute long for videoing me was kind of a bit weird. But we talked it out and there were no issues, no issues whatsoever.”
Victory in Detroit was DeChambeau’s first since 2018.
Time will tell if this revamped game will reap rewards at majors, where his best result to date is a tie for 15th place at the US Open in 2016.
While The Open was canceled amid the coronavirus outbreak, the first major of the year is scheduled to be the postponed PGA Championship in San Fransisco on August 6.
