AUGUSTA, Ga. – Perhaps Bryson DeChambeau hasn’t abandoned his idea of using a 48-inch driver this week, after all.
After his nine-hole practice round Monday at Augusta National, DeChambeau expressed some frustration that he hasn’t yet been able to dial in his much-talked-about 48-inch model for competition. He said he hadn’t tested the club on property, and that he “won’t use it until it’s ready,” already looking ahead to other tournaments and even other Masters.
Apparently, he moved a step closer toward implementing it about an hour later, however, in the tournament practice area. He reported substantial gains off the tee: his ball speed up, his spin rate down, his shot dispersion about the same, all while maxing out with 144-mph clubhead speed.
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“It looks really promising right now,” DeChambeau said Tuesday. “I didn’t expect it to work yesterday. I was like, This is going to take even more time, but it did work yesterday. I’m not 100 percent sure if I’ll put it in play yet, just because of the unknown. It’s so close to the Masters, but if it’s an improvement in every facet of launch conditions, then I don’t see why not.”
It’s not yet known whether DeChambeau will use the club in competition, or when he’ll make his decision. He said that he would not use two drivers – both his regular 45-inch driver and this new 48-inch model (technically, 47 ½, just shy of the maximum length allowed under the Rules of Golf).
In Monday’s practice round DeChambeau was still plenty long, routinely carrying the ball more than 325 yards. Though frustrated with his spin rate with that driver, DeChambeau said he would reduce the loft from 5 degrees to 4 ½ degrees in hopes of achieving, in the proper conditions, a 350-yard carry.