Golf’s mad scientist is having a breakout season—and he’s put himself in a great spot in the opening tournament of the FedExCup.
Bryson DeChambeau finished the Northern Trust, the first tournament of the four-tournament FedExCup, at 18-under, four shots ahead of Tony Finau.
“I’ve been grinding and working really, really hard on my golf swing, and this golf course set up perfect for me,” said DeChambeau, known for his single-length Cobra irons and analytic approach to the game. “I was able to go out there and execute shots to the level that I know I can, and then at times when I didn’t, I was still able to recover really, really well, and I caught a couple breaks.”
With a unique approach to the sport (DeChambeau caused some controversy during the season by using a compass during a round), DeChambeau now has more than $6-million in winnings on the season, two wins, and leads the FedExCup. But he said the quest to get better never stops.
“It’s something that I’ll continue to try—to perfect,” he said. “I’ll never perfect it. I have tolerances and I allow for error because you innately have to. There’s human error. You can’t control everything all the time.”
FedExCup Challengers:
Tony Finau: Had an outstanding week, shooting 68 on the final day and 14-under overall to finish in second, one shot ahead of Billy Horschel. “It was a solid week,” Finau said. “Really solid all around. Just really proud of the way I played in the first playoff event. The way the points system works, somebody in my position can get punched in the neck, really fast. All of a sudden you miss a cut and guys are starting to creep up on you. I was proud of the way I played this week to hopefully lock up that Tour Championship, which is cool.”
Tiger Woods: The game’s biggest star wasn’t happy with his putting while finishing in a tie for 40th. In fact, he said it pretty much sucked: “I didn’t make any birdies this week,” Woods said. “I didn’t putt well and at the end of the day, I found a piece of my game that has been missing, which is driving it well. But you have to make putts. That’s the only way we’re going to shoot low rounds. I didn’t do it this week.”
Canadians: Abbotsford, BC resident Nick Taylor missed the cut and won’t progress to the next stage. Canadian Adam Hadwin moved from 70th to No. 52.
The next stage: The Top 100 golfers on the FedExCup standings move to the Dell Technologies Championship at the TPC at Boston starting Friday.
Standings
- Bryson DeChambeau 3617
- Dustin Johnson 2969
- Justin Thomas 2954
- Tony Finau 2709
- Brooks Koepka 2332
What’s in the bag—Bryson Dechambeau
Driver: Cobra King LTD Pro 8.5 degrees
3 wood: Cobra King LTD 3/4 14.5 degrees
5 wood: Cobra King F8+ Baffler 17.5 degrees
Irons (4-5): Cobra King Utility
Irons (6-PW): Cobra King Forged One Length 37.5-inch
Wedges: Cobra King V Grind 50 degrees and King WideLow Grind 55 and 60 degrees. All 37.5 inches.
Putter: Sik blade