RESPECT: McIlroy Commends DeChambeau For Taking Advantage Of Golf Landscape

DeChambeau’s performance at Winged Foot was one for the ages. Going into the event, every golf expert you’d ask would say the most important part of playing the course would be hitting the fairways, even if that means sacrificing some distance. Well, Bryson and his newly formed body didn’t follow that strategy and bombed the ball down the course on his way to a six-stroke victory.

With his transformed body and high octane approach, you would expect that DeChambeau to have the highest average drive distance for the week but he actually finished 7th at Winged Foot. One of the players who finished ahead of him is Rory McIlroy. And Rory, who finished the tournament T-8th, is commending DeChambeau for taking advantage of the current golf rules and landscape.

Bryson DeChambeau of the United States and Rory McIlroy of Northern…

Bryson DeChambeau of the United States and Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland wait on the 14th hole during the continuation of the third round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship at the Abu Dhabi… Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

“I think it’s brilliant, but I think he’s taken advantage of where the game is at the minute,” McIlroy said. “Look, again, whether that’s good or bad, but it’s just the way it is. With the way he approaches it, with the arm-lock putting, with everything, it’s just where the game’s at right now. I’m not saying that’s right or wrong. He’s just taking advantage of what we have right now.”

The key point that Rory made here is that he doesn’t know if this is good or bad for the game. You will certainly have people who say that Bryson is almost “ruining” the game with his style, breaking all the conventional molds but you’ll also have others who think he’s bringing much-needed excitement to the PGA TOUR. Regardless, Bryson won’t be changing his playstyle any time soon.

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While Bryson’s game will continually be debated for at least the next few months, it will definitely be interesting to see if other players start mimicking his strategy. And if they do to great success, it will be even more interesting to see how the PGA TOUR responds to the changing landscape of their players.

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