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Who is Bryson Deschambeau?

 

Who has ever come tied for 4th place in their first PGA tournament as a pro? Absolutely no one had until yesterday’s finish by Bryson Deschambeau at the RBC Heritage in Hilton Head. Not Tiger, not Rory, not Jordan.

Bryson Deschambeau, winner of the U.S. Amateur and NCAA Championship (both wins in the same year) made an outstanding pro debut this past weekend to follow up his equally outstanding low amateur finish at the Masters only one week ago.

Deschambeau has a lot going for him right now. He is confident, he wants to win, and he appears to be well on his way to securing his PGA card for next season. He is currently able to play in PGA tournaments as a non- member, playing with sponsor exemptions of which he can and likely will receive a maximum of 7. However, his top 10 finish at Hilton Head this week grants him an additional entry into the PGA’s next tournament, the Valero Texas Open. In addition, because of his status as reigning US amateur, he is granted entry to the Memorial and the Quicken Loans National, and those starts will not count against his seven. What this all adds up to is an opportunity for Deschambeau to earn enough Fed Ex Cup points to receive temporary status on tour and an unlimited number of sponsor exemptions for the remainder of the season. This is also a fast road to earning his PGA tour card in the near future.

But who is this guy?

The 22-year-old Deschambeau, originally from Clovis, California, is a graduate of Southern Methodist University. While at SMU, he majored in physics. In doing so, he learned a lot about swing mechanics. This might very well be what led him to have a unique set of clubs made just for him by Edel Golf. Notably, Deschambeau plays with a set of irons and wedges that are of the same length, approximately that of a standard 7-iron. This may prove to be not only an innovative approach for his game, but perhaps for others to follow. Personally, I struggled in my game for many years to adapt to clubs of differing lengths. I was good with my irons, but not with my longer clubs and then somehow the opposite happened. I figured out the driver and the fairway clubs only to find it difficult to hit the short irons. As Deschambeau finalizes his first major deal with Puma/Cobra, I wonder if it won’t be long before they come out with a set of equal length clubs for the masses. I might be in the market for a new set!