DISTANCE KING DECHAMBEAU CALLS GOLF BALL ROLLBACK PROPOSAL 'ATROCIOUS'
MARANA, Ariz. – Bryson DeChambeau is not on board with the proposal to rollback the golf ball in order to reduce hitting distances by elite competitors.
“If you could say I’m the complete opposite times 1,000, that’s what I would be,” the Crushers GC captain said Tuesday prior to starting a range session at The Gallery, site of this week’s LIV Golf Tucson.
In an announcement earlier in the day, the USGA and The R&A proposed a Model Local Rule (MLR) that “gives competition organizers the option to require use of golf balls that are tested under modified launch conditions to address the impacts of hitting distances in golf.”
The MLR is intended only for elite competitions, with no impact on recreational players. If adopted, it would take effect on Jan. 1, 2026.
The proposed rule, according to the governing bodies, is expected to reduce hitting distance by 14-15 yards on average for the longest hitters with the highest clubhead speeds.
DeChambeau is one of golf’s biggest hitters and has been the driving distance leader for his primary tour in each of the last three years. After joining LIV Golf in the second event of the inaugural 2022 season, he led the Invitational Series with a career-best 327.1-yard average.
He has worked diligently to increase his clubhead speed, along with other aspects of the golf swing, in order to achieve maximum distance. The 2020 U.S. Open champion is one of golf's highest-profile players due in large part to his power game. It’s no surprise that he is against the proposal.
“It’s a great handicap for us guys that have worked really hard to learn how to hit it farther,” he said. “Look, if they do it in a way where it only affects the top end, I see the rationale. But I think it’s the most atrocious thing that you could possibly do to the game of golf. It’s not about rolling golf balls back; it’s about making golf courses more difficult.”
He added: “I think it’s the most unimaginative, uninspiring, game-cutting thing you could do. Everybody wants to see people hit it farther. That’s part of the reason why a lot of people like what I do. It’s part of the reason a lot of people don’t like what I do.
“But again, it creates more conversation in a positive way than cutting it back and trying to make everybody equal. I’m all about equality. I’m not about equity on this front.”