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PGA Tour: Bryson DeChambeaus pre round interview prior to the Travelers Championship

Bryson DeChambeau prior to the PGA Tour's Travelers Championship. (Photo: Getty)
Bryson DeChambeau prior to the PGA Tour's Travelers Championship. (Photo: Getty)

Bryson DeChambeau talks to the media prior to the start of the Travelers Championship 2020 on the PGA Tour.

PGA Tour: Bryson DeChambeau pre-round interview

THE MODERATOR: I’d like to welcome in Bryson DeChambeau to our virtual press conference here at the Travelers Championship. You’re coming off a T8 at the RBC Heritage last week and you’re going for your sixth consecutive top-10 finish of the season. Can you talk about the confidence in your game right now and what has allowed you to play so well.

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Well, I think my golf swing, the ability to repeat motion has increased over the past year, and even through quarantine as I gained speed, I figured out some cool little things that allowed me to repeat motion a little more consistently. It doesn’t mean it happens all the time, but it’s definitely been a lot more lately.

Q. I just wonder, how do you characterize these two weeks because you’ve been knocking on the door for two straight weeks here. Obviously haven’t crossed the line you want to cross, but where is this on the level of positive, and I have a follow-up question after this.
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Well, I think this golf course suits me a little bit better. I can use the length to my advantage on the front nine and there’s a couple holes on the back nine I can do the same. It was pumping into the wind today on 12, I still got it down the hill over the bunkers. 13, I hit driver, 5-iron in. And so for me — well, on 15 I hit hybrid. 17, I tried to go for the green out here. I got it over when I achieved 198-mile-an-hour ball speed, but it’s just not worth it. But it was fun trying to attempt to do things that I just never thought were possible.

Q. The first two weeks have been pretty challenging with your added length because of the fact that it’s been so tight and with doglegs and whatnot. Do you feel is it a little more liberating out here as you just played this practice round, for kind of letting it go a little bit?
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Yeah, I definitely feel like I can let it go a lot more. Like I said, on 17, I just thought I’d give it a go and give it a rip, and I was able to get it over after like three or four tries. But it’s not worth it, obviously. I’d have to achieve 200- to 205-mile-an-hour ball speed every time to be able to hit it over with that wind. So I’m still going to play it normally. But it’s fun attempting to do things that I’ve never done before, and having iron shots into holes that just didn’t even make sense to me a year ago, there’s no way I could do that. So it’s a different golf course for me this year. I feel like it suits me pretty well, and hopefully I can take advantage of those holes that I can hit it really far on.

Q. What’s your level of confidence that you’re going to turn one of these into a win at some point? Obviously the last few weeks you’ve been there.
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Yeah, I’m just going to keep giving myself chances. I play it as a numbers game. I keep giving myself opportunities, it’s eventually going to happen. And shoot, if it doesn’t, it doesn’t. I’m obviously not doing something right at that point, so I’ve got to figure out how to be more consistent in whatever it is that’s going to allow me to get over that edge. But right now I’m just playing a numbers game trying to be the casino.

Q. Everyone is asking you about your driving, rightfully so, but I’m actually curious about your putting because in the space of one off-season a few years ago you jumped from 145th on TOUR to 32nd, and you’ve kept it there in that vicinity. It’s sort of this amazing breakthrough, and I’m just curious what went into that change from your perspective? What did you begin working on? What was the shift that you underwent that you decided I need to sort of solve this problem and then you did?
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Yeah, so it was a lot of understanding how to launch the ball off the green, and we used some devices that allowed me to understand how to get the ball rolling in a better way, and then going to arm lock really helped me control my starting lines a lot more consistently than any other method that I’ve ever used. So that combination. Also hitting my putts two feet past the hole, not trying to die it in, those three things just allowed me to reach this new level and gain this confidence, and I guess you could say this sensitivity to error that’s in this higher level where I just feel like I’m less sensitive to error, and it just allows me to be more consistent over the course of time. So it’s been those three things, and the SIK putter has helped a lot, the DLT technology, having a really stiff shaft, LAGP, obviously I’ve got the big shaft in it now, and we’re just still trying to improve it and make it more stable, more consistent so it comes on line every single time the way I want.

Q. I’m just asking about a lot of guys had an option and a chance to play one of their early starts as a pro or even as an amateur at the Travelers. I know it was further in for you but you are one of those young guns they’ve given a chance in the past and they continue to do so. Could you talk about in general getting those early chances and what that means to a young guy’s career?
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: It’s massive. I don’t know if I’d be here without those starts. I obviously wouldn’t. I mean, getting those seven starts or however many starts I got allowed me to get to the Web.com finals immediately, and that was massive. I went and won my first Web.com event, and the rest is history from there.

But having that start, that little jump start I guess you could say, not having to qualify, not having to Monday qualify through those qualifiers was big for me to be able to have a consistent opportunity out here. It allowed me to gain more knowledge, more understanding about what to do, how the weekend feels, getting to meet my heroes and go, okay, they’re just people, let’s just play. Just getting comfortable out here was a big deal, and those seven starts were instrumental in my success.

Q. The idea of picking a potential young up-and-coming star, do you think it’s a good future thing for the TOUR itself?
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Absolutely. It’s definitely a way to keep it young, first off, and I’d also say give it to kids that are willing to try and be the best. You look at their career and you look — or you look at what they’ve done, and you go, okay, these guys have succeeded in this amount of events. Let’s give this guy an exemption because he deserves it. Not because of some play on — there’s a bunch of other things that happened, obviously, that I won’t talk about, but give a kid that’s willing to work hard, willing to try and be the best that opportunity, that was me growing up, and I can’t thank everyone that gave me an exemption enough because I wouldn’t be here without them.

Q. Bryson, we’ve seen the hours you’ve put in on the golf course, and I’m guessing it’s probably just a tiny fraction of what you actually do. My question is are you — not that you’re worried, but how do you prevent burnout? I’m talking about short-term. It’s got to be tiresome.
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Burnout for me is when I don’t have anything else more to learn in the game of golf, and I don’t think that’s going to happen anytime soon. The reason why people get burned out is because they don’t feel like they have in the hope to go forward or keep going forward or there’s no inspiration for them to keep moving forward. I still have not reached No. 1 in the world, I still have not won a major. I hope to achieve those goals soon. When those goals hit, does that mean I’m going to give up? No, not at all. There’s still a lot more room for improvement. For me, I want to try and be — that’s, again, why I went on this journey of hitting it far because it did get boring for me for a little while, and I said, you know what, I need to make it interesting; I need to spice things up for myself. I was able to do that in the off-season and then during the quarantine. That prevented me from getting tired of the game. Definitely people have talked about that to me, but for me, when I stop learning is the day I’ll obviously burn out I feel like.

Q. When people have talked about Tiger changing his swing four times after winning majors, I get a sense you can relate to that.
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Well, I haven’t won a major yet, but —

Q. Except for that part, yeah.
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: But yes, I’ve won five times. I’ve changed my golf swing somewhat dramatically from a swing speed perspective. I’ve retained most of the alignments that I have in my golf swing, so you can still see faint images of when I was younger of what I used to do. Look, it’s always a pursuit to get better, and I feel like I understand why Tiger kind of did what he did because he always wanted to be better. He just did, and that’s him. He’s such a competitive guy and wants to kick the crap out of everybody, that I think he wanted to spice things up and see if he could get even better. That’s what I’m trying to do. Whether it plays out or not, I don’t know, I’m just giving it my best.

Q. Simple question for you: What are your goals for this season?
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: My goals, for sure I want to get to over 195 at least one time on TOUR. I think that would be pretty cool, for ball speed. I’d also say winning a major, winning multiple times this season, having a chance to win the FedExCup. Those are all goals that everybody aspires to, but for me, at the end of the day, I’m just going to try to do my absolute best every single day. That’s what I’ve said from day one, and I’ll stick to it, but there are long-term goals out there for sure.

Q. I know with the single length clubs you thought that might be something revolutionary, and it really — I don’t think it has achieved what you thought would happen —
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Well, that’s your perspective.

Q. Right. You know, you’re still the only one on TOUR using them —
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Yeah, absolutely. Well, look, here’s the reason. I personally think everybody that’s on TOUR has had great success using what they’ve done, building their game with their clubs, totally cool. I don’t think that I foresee one-length clubs changing — being consistent on the PGA TOUR for a little while. The reason I say that is it’s going to take a generational shift. You’re going to have to give these clubs to kids and they’ll experience how much easier it is to start out that way and to play the game in that manner. If you give them variable length clubs after that, they’re going to be like what am I doing, why am I playing with these different clubs. But because it’s been the social norm for so long, it’s just — this is the bleed-out on the TOUR. This is what you see. It’s a result of that.

So it’s going to take 20, 30 years before you see a lot more people having success with it that are playing on TOUR and staying on TOUR.

Q. But how about with what you’ve done with your body? Do you think a lot of players, there will be a lot of copycats who starts trying to do what you’ve done to gain speed and distance?
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: I’m sure there will be people trying to do it. I’m not one to speak in another person’s space. I can only speak for myself. And when I say that I’m going to keep pushing the limits, I’m going to keep doing that. I’m going to see how far, how fast I can get and how straight I can hit it. As a result of what I’ve done, I think it’ll affect some people. I still think at the end of the day, people are going to be like, I just want to play my own game, do my own thing and do my best with it. I think a result 10, 20 years down the road, 100 percent there’s going to be a lot of people that are hitting it close to 400 yards, there’s no doubt.

Q. Do you plan to play both weeks at Muirfield?
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Not right now. I just plan to play the Memorial, the second week, as of right now.

Q. Just wondering your thoughts on how they could make the place look different or be a little different from week to week.
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: That’s a great question. I do not know that answer. I’m sorry. I wish I could give you an answer there.

Q. I’m curious if over the years, I know you were just mentioning that you’ve changed your swing around a lot, but have you ever had one swing thought that you found yourself continuing to go back to over time, something that’s kind of worked for you? I know you talk a lot about end range of motion stuff, how it relates to that.
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Yeah, and I didn’t come up with that stuff until later, until the past couple years. But one of the things that’s been consistent throughout my career has been this ulnar deviation or unhinging sort of thing. I’ve always believed in that. I just felt like I could square the face way easier that way. There’s a lot of physics that does prove that to be true. But that’s been my biggest thing in life is trying to reduce variables, and I felt like this was a big one, the ulnar deviation, being able to control the radius of the club and where it’s at in the course of the ground. So I just feel like I’ve been really good with that.

THE MODERATOR: Bryson, what are your thoughts on the PGA TOUR honoring the front-line and healthcare workers through the caddie bib program?

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Well, it’s amazing what they’re doing. They are the people that have allowed us to play out here, and we are grateful to have them, and I’ve had a couple the past couple weeks and read through them, and last week Mrs. Keller had six years of service, and that’s certainly inspirational. I haven’t even been out here for six years. So definitely an inspiration every week, and I get to read over it and play for them. It’s pretty cool.

Q. I think it was Hogan, and you would know, who once said, Every day you don’t spend practicing, someone else is getting better.
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: That’s right.

Q. So in the early stages of the pandemic, did you find yourself checking other states’ state-at-home orders to see if anyone had an edge over you?
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Well, I wasn’t checking other states, but I knew that if I could start working out my body every single day, I’d be better the next day, and other people would be behind. I knew that people — not everybody was working out every single day, and I thought that if I could do that every single day through quarantine, I’d come back a different person, and I did, and I hope that it’s given me an edge. I think it’s given me an edge. I’m going to keep continuing to work out every day and just see where it leads me. But for sure that’s one of my favorite quotes in life. Every day you aren’t practicing is another day somebody else is getting better than you.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you for your time, Bryson, and good luck this week.

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Team USA

PGA Tour: Bryson DeChambeau Recaps T4 Finish at 2020 Arnold Palmer Invitational

ORLANDO, FLORIDA - MARCH 08: Bryson DeChambeau of the United States checks his yardage book on the second green during the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational Presented by MasterCard at the Bay Hill Club and Lodge on March 08, 2020 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Bryson Dechambeau speaks with the media following the conclusion of the final round at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in which he finished in solo 4th place, 3 strokes behind the winner.

PGA Tour: Bryson DeChambeau talks Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Players Championship Prep

Q. Gutsy shot out of the rough there at 18. I said on the air this 13-footer’s not going to be short. It was dead in the heart, the big upper cut when it went in. How much fun was that finish for you?
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Well, you know, I was trying to hit it in the fairway, obviously, and that was my goal. Unfortunately, I blocked it right. Just lost, in the last few holes today, there was a few holes where it just went right on me and I wasn’t really totally comfortable with the driver like I was the first three days. And I was lucky enough to get a really good lie in the right rough and I said, You know, what, I can go for it. And I was trying to go over the green into the rough and try and chip it or something like that. And I absolutely blocked the heck out of it. It came out a little dead, and I’m like, This is going in the water. And luckily it bounced a yard over and rolled up there perfectly and had a 13-footer and I took advantage of the good situation.

Q. A couple notes. There’s only been five birdies yesterday and today at 18. You got two of them. You’re the first player to post an under par round today. How difficult was it again today?
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Oh, man, I mean, this definitely tested every aspect of your game and you had to be driving it well. I think I drove it pretty well this week, besides a couple holes out here today. And for me that’s a true testament of how hard I’ve been working on my driving to get it right, and then iron play is getting slowly better, and putting, I’m still not there with. I had two 3-putts today and that really was the deciding factor for the total round of shooting a deep one out there today. But at the same point in time, I’m going to take a lot of good positives away from this and go into the PLAYERS with some great momentum.

2020 Arnold Palmer Invitational Leaderboard

Q. Your confidence level, state of your game as you go to the PLAYERS this coming week.
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: We’re going to work on some wedging stuff. I didn’t wedge it my best this week. Had a couple oopsies on the first couple rounds. And the putter, doing something pretty unique with the putter next week. Hopefully it will come in and we’ll have it ready and that will get me up to another level.

Q. Excellent way to cap off a challenging week. If we can get some comments.
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Challenging is an understatement. It was difficult. Everybody out here, I think struggled in some facet or another, and you just had to overcome some of those obstacles. And I was able to get a couple good breaks coming down the stretch and played some really good golf and rolled it really well. When the opportunities presented itself, I took advantage as much as possible and had a couple lucky putts go in. I’m happy about that.

Q. When you take a look at the leaderboard not a lot of Americans are on there, top of the leaderboard, but you’re there. What’s been, do you think there’s an issue right now with kind of the —
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: I don’t know. I don’t think it’s an issue. I think it’s just a different style of play. And personally, for me, I’m all about having a fair test. If you look at a situation and you go, Okay, how do you test — let’s just take this for example. Who is the smartest person in the world? How do you make a test for that, right? Well, you certainly don’t give them a test that’s 2 plus 2. And you certainly don’t give them something that we don’t understand yet, like how — what is gravity? So we need to have a fair test out there and I think that’s what we’re kind of struggling with a little bit. I think a lot of players struggled with that out there today, that just, there was some holes you just couldn’t hold greens. Like on 15 I hit a wedge shot from the intermediate or the first cut, and it bounced in the first half of the green and rolled all the way over the back. There was no way of stopping it. So at some point the physics stop working and I don’t think it’s a true test of who is better. You have to get a little lucky out there and I was fortunate enough to get lucky out there on the back nine. I was pleased with the way I held my attitude and I was able to be positive out there and just keep executing good shots.

Q. Did you kind of, you guys, the Americans, kind of talk about how just how the game’s kind of evolved? I mean, it’s always been kind of a global game but lately you seem to have more Europeans, like Sungjae Im and these younger Koreans. Do you guys kind of talk about just kind of how the game’s kind of grown, how you kind of get like the Americans involved a little bit more?
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: I think we’re still involved. You look at the top-10 in the world, there’s still quite a bit of Americans in there. And the style of golf is sometimes difficult. If you got, if you have Europeans out there that have been playing links-style golf, this is more like links-style golf, so they’re going to be more comfortable out there. And for me I do like links-style golf, so I was able to play well out there today. But to get Americans back on the leaderboard I think is just a coincidental thing, I think we’re just as good.

Q. Do you go to Sawgrass next week looking for a bit of respite after these days or do you think it’s going to be much the same another sort of torture test?
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: I hope it’s not a torture test. We have had some grueling tests over the last couple weeks at least the guys from Honda they told me it was brutal. And for me I hope it’s a good test, I hope it’s a fair test.

Q. How big was that shot on 18?
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: Oh, I totally blocked it. I thought it wasn’t going to get over. Look, I was a yard over the first cut and you got a wind that’s doing this, you just, you don’t know. It was complete luck and I’m happy it got over and I’m happy I was able to take advantage of the situation.

Orlando, Florida

March 8, 2020

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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Team USA

PGA Tour: Bryson DeChambeau Talks Outstanding Putting Performance in Round 1 of the WGC Mexico Championship

MEXICO CITY, MEXICO - FEBRUARY 20: Bryson DeChambeau of the United States checks his yardage book on the 18th hole during the first round of the World Golf Championships Mexico Championship at Club de Golf Chapultepec on February 20, 2020 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

Bryson DeChambeau addresses the media following an opening round 68 at the WGC Mexico Championship. DeChambeau is currently 3 shots off the lead after round 1.

PGA Tour: Bryson DeChambeau speaks with the media following his opening round at the WGC Mexico Championship

Q. If you look at your numbers, you had 119 feet in holed putts here in round 1. That is outstanding.
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Thanks. It was a little different than last year. Again, I feel like I’m rolling it well. I rolled it well at Riv, just putts didn’t drop there, and today they dropped quite a bit, and hopefully I’ll keep that momentum going.

Q. I saw you warming up with a teaching aid on the shaft of your putter. Tell me about that.
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Yeah, shoot, I even forgot the name, but it’s essentially just a laser, and I put it on a chalk line and I just stroke it and make sure my face path is proper.

Q. Did the wind and altitude really affect the golf today?
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: It’s a very difficult day to play golf. Rory shooting 6-under is doable. I didn’t capitalize on a couple of key holes and messed up on a few easy holes, but overall it was a difficult golf course to play today, and again, it’s about hitting a lot of fairways out here and hitting greens, and if you hit the driver straight and you’re hitting it long, it’s even more of a benefit.

Q. You’re putting so well. Same greens as last week. I’m sure growing up in California you like these types of greens —
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: No.

Q. You don’t?
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: No, I played on perfect bent at River Bend. It’s now called Dragonfly. They were the most perfect greens in Central Valley, so I was accustomed to really good greens, actually, surprisingly. When I went over to Monterey I didn’t have the right loft or anything, and I would consequently putt really bad, and it actually made me feel like I was a bad putter growing up, and it was part of the reason why I struggled with a bunch of my stuff in college, and then I realized there was a better way to putt. I think it just allows me a little bit more comfort, and I’m putting well doing what I’m doing and have the right launch out there, and it’s nice, too, with being able to tap down spike marks. That helps a lot. So utilizing that, which is appropriate — you should be able to do that. If nobody else was there and you were just putting, you wouldn’t have that. That’s nice to be able to do that.

Made a couple good putts — long one on 3. I couldn’t believe I made it. I hit a 9-iron in the bunker, plugged that far into the ground. I did not think I was going to get out of it, go down to the green and made a 45-footer. That was a great way to start the day.

2020 WGC Mexico Championship Full Leaderboard

Q. Also I noticed your assistant holding a towel —
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: It’s just to see the line. It’s literally just to see the line. If not it’s a little difficult to see in the light. It’s an even more powerful laser but then it becomes illegal through federal law. Can’t do that.

Q. How difficult did the wind make this golf course today?
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Twice as hard. Twice as hard. I felt like I played some incredible golf. I made a couple mistakes, didn’t birdie 12, didn’t birdie 1, bogeyed 16, bogeyed 10. You flip those, I’m leading.

Q. What makes putting on these greens whether it’s here or last week, what’s the challenge?
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: It’s just the inconsistency of the roll, unfortunately. I think they’re better than last year, but it’s one of those things, isn’t it a weed or something like that, and so it’s just difficult. It doesn’t grow even, so you’ve got some spots that are a little splotchy. Hey, that’s the grow of the green. It’s literally the way it works.

Mexico City, Mexico

February 20, 2020

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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Team USA

European Tour: Bryson DeChambeau Recaps Difficult Opening Round at The Omega Dubai Desert Classic

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - JANUARY 23: Bryson Dechambeau of United States plays his second shot on the seventeenth hole during Day One of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic at Emirates Golf Club on January 23, 2020 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

European Tour professional and defending champion Bryson DeChambeau speaks to the media following an opening round 71 at The Omega Dubai Desert Classic. DeChambeau speaks on the differences between the previous edition of the tournament and this year’s tournament.

European Tour: Bryson DeChambeau talks with media following the first round of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic

Q. You just closed out a round of 70 with the only birdie of the day on the difficult ninth. Give us an assessment of your play today?
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: It was great, actually. Iron play was great out of the rough and the fairway, and my wedge game around the greens was impeccable. Stuff I’m doing there is awesome. I’m putting still really well. I feel like I’m rolling it on my line except one putt on 6 today. Other than that, it was pretty much smooth sailing and still working on the driver. That’s a work-in-progress, but it will be a work-in-progress until I get the right stuff in my hands.

Full Leaderboard: Omega Dubai Desert Classic 2020

Q. It’s a very difficult golf course, one you shot 21 under par last year. Give us your assessment of the way it’s set up?
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: It’s playing at least four shots harder a day if it was to stay like this, no doubt. The fairways are tightened up. It’s almost impossible to hit the fairway on 18. I hit hybrid and it’s got 45 spin on that and it was a little downwind and landed middle of the fairway and rolled all the way into the rough. It’s a very, very good test of golf and you have to make sure your wedge game is on and your iron play is on.

Q. Second shot on the 15th, out of the deep rough, describe that one?
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: I didn’t hit that great of a drive. I hit it off the heel, kind of floated with the wind and it went pretty far still, and I had a 9-iron in my hand, a little downhill slope. Was able to munch it out of there, all that thick grass. We were trying to land it about ten yards short, which I did beautifully.

It came out perfectly. We calculated for the rough density, we played about like ten percent on that shot just based on the way it looked and that number worked out really well and rolled up really close.

Q. The tee shot on 2 where you landed it on the green on the short par 4, is that evidence of the new power and strength you possess?
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Yeah, the shot I hit even 5, it was off line but it was still so far up I had a wedge in my hand.

6 I hit 350 into the first cut. Caught a jumper on that one. I hit it really far. Now it’s just about controlling it and if I can control it, it’s going to be a scary combo.

January 23, 2020

Dubai, UAE

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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Team USA

European Tour: Bryson DeChambeau on Defending His Victory at the 2020 Omega Dubai Desert Classic

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - JANUARY 23: Bryson Dechambeau of United States lines up a putt on the ninth green during Day One of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic at Emirates Golf Club on January 23, 2020 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)

PGA Tour professional Bryson DeChambeau speaks to the media about defending his title prior to the start of the 2020 Omega Dubai Desert Classic and touches on the Twitter beef with fellow professional Brooks Koepka.

European Tour: Bryson DeChambeau speaks to the media ahead of Omega Dubai Desert Classic title defense

BRIONY CARLYON: Delighted to welcome back our defending champion, Bryson DeChambeau to the OMEGA Dubai Desert Classic.

It must be happy memories, 12 months on, coming back here to kick off the season. Just give us your thoughts on coming back as defending champion for an event. It doesn’t happen for a lot of players but you’ve had the opportunity before. How do you approach the week?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Yeah, I approach it like any other week. I’m honoured to be back. I love this city. I think it’s an incredible place, and desert golf has always suited my style of play.

I’d say all in all, it’s one of my favourite places to be, just because of how technologically advanced I feel like the place is, and the golf course is in immaculate shape. The greens are perfect. The rough is longer this year, which is pretty interesting and I also just love hitting it off the fairways out here. It’s a lot of great fun, and a lot of scoring opportunities.

So for me, it’s a great test of golf and I had a lot of fun last year. Let’s hopefully do it again.

BRIONY CARLYON: Speaking of the course, you’ve just come off playing the Pro-Am, 18 holes. What are you thinking of everything now with the game and where you’re at, and what do you need to do to have a repeat performance?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Well, I think, you know, last year, I didn’t drive it my absolute best but I was still able to get it done. It’s going to take great ball-striking, iron play, and making a lot of putts.

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My wedge game is much improved I feel like and personally I’m looking forward to the new test this week; the rough is a little bit longer, so being in the fairway is going to be key, and if you have a great wedge game, you can get up-and-down and fix those mistakes you have, it’s definitely a viable option to win.

Q. Just on your comments about the rough being thicker, at the end of last season, Rory said that some events he felt the courses were too easy. Where are you in terms of do you feel some courses need toughened up for how far you guys hit it now and how well you play on these courses?
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: I think in general, professional golfers are too good now to relate themselves to par. People look at it as relating score to par, and it’s almost impossible to try and get a tournament to play around par without it being unfair.

So for me, I think that it’s irrelevant. I mean, you’re still playing at a golf course; there’s a certain width of fairway, certain length of rough, and you have a field to compete against. We’re not really competing against the golf course. We’re competing against the field.

So as you look at it from that standpoint, I think we’ve become a little bit more relaxed on that idea of “let’s make it more difficult.” Well, we don’t want to make it too difficult to where you hit a good drive and it happens to bounce in the rough, and then a guy that happens to mis-hit it, it goes in the fairway and that guy has a better advantage. What’s to say that that could happen?

So for me, I just feel like, you know, it being too easy, well, you’re still going to play against everyone else, you know. I would say making it statistically proportionate and penalizing as you go away from the middle of the fairway should be the real answer to it. Not going from the fairway and then massive long rough. That really doesn’t make sense to me statistically speaking.

Q. You’ve talked about adding length to your game. Since last season, can you give us an indication, where maybe a different club you’ve used to?
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Yeah, 3, it’s awesome to be able to hit an iron into 3. It’s great to be able to fly the corner more on 12. 6, you have a shorter iron in. All my irons, I’m hitting at least one or two club less which is nice. Last year, I hit 5-irons in on a few holes and that was a bit troublesome for me and now I’ve got a 7-iron, and it’s like, whoa, that’s nice.

The par 3, 15, is another one where I was hitting 5-iron in last year, and now I’m hitting 7-iron, almost like a chip 7-iron. That’s pretty cool to see, and hopefully it suits me well.

Q. You were talking about drives that isn’t hit particularly well but got a lucky bounce and stays in the fairways, whereas somebody hits a good one and it bounces off. You get that a lot on links courses for majors, so how would that suit your style on links courses?
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: I just go back to it being statistically proportionate to err. The farther you hit it off line, the farther you hit it out there; the more penalising it should be.

To me golf is a game of risk/reward, as you get closer to the green it should become a little more difficult. If you want to lay up, you have a shot 200 yards in, you can hit the fairway pretty easily but then you have a tougher second shot, right. But you hit it up there and you hit it in a small area, you should be rewarded. If you hit it off-line, then it should be proportionately non-rewarding.

So for links-style, I mean, that’s an interesting conversation. It’s obviously the way the sport was played originally. As it’s become not just a game, but a professional sport where you’re playing for your livelihood, we should be rewarding people that are striking it and playing well, not rewarding people that may get a fortunate bounce here or there. That’s just kind of my own personal — that’s my take on that. When a lot of money is involved, it should be proportionately rewarding.

Q. You just said that you love this place, not only because you’re defending the title here, but also because of the technological advances, and we know how much you love technology. Can you give us instances or examples of what you like about technology here?
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Well, I certainly know that the Dubai Expo, right, is coming up, 2020, right. That’s something I wish I could be here for.

From a technological perspective, the buildings just seem way more advanced. They are beautiful to look at and fun to walk into. The Dubai Mall, going in there, it seems like everything is so nice and just clean, simple and easy. The tech, just going up to see the information boards, simple stuff like that, that may not mean much, but it’s pretty cool.

Even the stoplights, they are unique in a way — I’m serious, they are unique where they flash green, letting you know it’s going to turn yellow and then red. I mean, that’s something that’s really helpful to somebody that’s looking and it’s green and you don’t know if it’s going to go yellow, but it gives you a head-up it’s going yellow. Some of that stuff’s really kind of cool to me, and I think it could be implemented in more places.

Q. Now that we’re into 2020, how important is it for you, and also for the PGA Championship moving to May, how important is it to get a schedule right this year, and also a year with the Olympics and I guess you want to be on The Ryder Cup Team, as well?
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Yeah, it’s very, very important. It’s one that’s difficult to handle and at the same time, we’re trying our best with what fits well with my type of game and my style of game, I guess you could say.

Just trying to fit the golf courses that work for me best, and sometimes you’re not going to be able to play all of them. But I need time to rest and time to get ready and we take that all into consideration. We may not get it right, but hopefully we do.

Q. Will you play Texas before Augusta, and the Scottish before the British?
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: I don’t know. I don’t know yet. I think I’m going to come over early for the British, but I don’t know if I’ll play Texas. It’s just a different style of golf compared to the Masters.

Houston was great, obviously, because they overseeded it and kind of made it feel like more of an Augusta feel, and that was great. But it’s a little different now, and I don’t know what I’m going to do yet.

Q. It seems as though there are some mischievous people out there trying to suggest that you and Brooks have problems, and he posted a picture, sort of tongue-in-cheek, with the four trophies. What do you make of that and what’s your reaction?
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Personally to me, I’m way passed that and not even looking at that. It’s all good fun. I’ve seen him, actually, past few days where I’m staying, and everything’s fine. I mean, you know, it’s not a big deal.

Q. Did you have a laugh at that picture?
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Absolutely. Like I said, what I typed in there, there’s a reason why he’s No. 1. So I’ve got nothing but respect for him, and he knows that. I think everybody should know that. For me, I’m just trying to do my best each and every day, just as he is.

Q. You guys play maybe 22 weeks a year and there’s only four majors. How much of your mind space is taken up by the need to do well?
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: All of it. All of it. All of my mind is taken up for the need to do well in the majors. That’s what I haven’t done well in particularly in my career so far, and I am keen on changing that.

BRIONY CARLYON: Wish you all the best this week.

January 22, 2020

Dubai, UAE

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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Team USA

European Tour: Bryson DeChambeau Previews his Return to the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship

ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - JANUARY 15: Bryson DeChambeau of The United States in action during the Pro-Am ahead of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at Abu Dhabi Golf Club on January 15, 2020 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

PGA Tour and European Tour professional Bryson DeChambeau speaks with the media prior to the start of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship about 2020 goals and new pace of play standards.

European Tour: Bryson DeChambeau speaks with media at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship

BRIONY CARLYON: Delighted to welcome back Bryson DeChambeau to the. Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship Presented by EGA.

Bryson, you’re back in Abu Dhabi. You’ve been here a couple of times. Give us a sense of what you’ve been up to over the Christmas break because you’ve obviously taken a little bit of time after the Presidents Cup.

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Yeah, I’ve taken quite a bit of time off. That’s mainly to get healthier for the most part and get stronger I think. Those are my goals. I made some comments after Shriners that I wanted to be a different person coming back. I feel like I am and I certainly am swinging faster and doing things in a better way I feel like.

This year is set up to be a great year. It’s always fun to start back here in the UAE. They have always been awesome to me and the people have been incredible, and I enjoy coming back here because of that. They make it special for me and they make me feel special, and that certainly warrants me coming back for three years to come I feel like, and it’s much appreciated.

This golf course is an incredible layout. It’s a very good test of golf. The fairways are tight, and the greens are pure. So they just do a great job here personally and I love coming back to golf courses that are maintained really well, and they are fun to play.

BRIONY CARLYON: So obviously a Rolex Series Event this week with a world-class field. Lots of the top players. What are your expectations that you set for yourself for the year? Do you have goals or how are you looking ahead?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Well, I’m looking — well, every tournament I’m going to, to pretty much win, right. You’re not going to a tournament to go, oh, I’m preparing for this win.

For me, having be a Rolex Series Event and having it be this important, it’s fantastic. But every tournament I play in, I still go in with the mind-set that I’m going to win and do my absolute best to win.

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For me, it’s a great preparation for the rest of the year. It’s going to tell me what’s going right and what’s going wrong, and I’m going to try to bring my A Game to every single event that I play.

Q. You spent a lot of time on the range in the Bahamas working hard on your game. Did you find what you were looking for that week after the Presidents Cup, etc.?
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: I actually found it on Sunday — yeah, it was Sunday of the Presidents Cup. Found something nice and played pretty well there. Unfortunately didn’t get the full point, but was able to do nicely there.

I came back with the mind-set of, okay, I’ve got to solidify what worked for me in 2018 and what was going right there so I can bring it into 2020. I felt like 2019 was a growing year for me. A lot happened, a lot of good things.

And moving into 2020, I feel like I know twice as much as what I knew in 2018. For me, that’s certainly a positive benefit that will only help me for the rest of my career.

But considering what the question was, in the Bahamas, I’m always still trying to work hard no matter what. You’re always going to see me on the range working hard, trying to figure stuff out, trying to get better. That’s usually only when things are kind of not going 100 per cent the way I want it to. It doesn’t mean I’m playing bad. It means it’s not where I want it to be, not my A+ game. I didn’t feel like any point in 2019 I was playing my A+ game. And trying to get it ready for this year and I feel like I’m very close to that right now, very, very close.

Q. This week is the introduction of the new regulations on The European Tour, the four-point plan to tackle slow play.
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Considering how far I’m hitting, I don’t think that will be an issue anymore.

Q. Do you welcome something like that?
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: I love it. I love it. I told you guys, even back at — on the PGA TOUR, when stuff was happening, I told you guys, I welcome it. I was playing under the rules and there was no rhyme or reason to be called out, other than the fact that it looked like it was a really, really long time that it took, and it was, absolutely. I’m not saying it wasn’t.

But I was playing under the rules at that point in time, and there’s no reason or why I should have been given so much heat, considering other things that had occurred that day and previous days of other people that I played with and other things that occurred. It’s just .01 per cent of the time that that happens on Tour, which it happens literally with everybody out there. They just caught it on camera at that specific moment in time.

You know there, was no time assessed, there was nothing that occurred and I played under the rules. To be called out like that was kind of weird, but it is what it is and I take it and I understand it.

All I’m doing is my absolute best to be better, and that’s what I look forward to this year is, again, like I said, a new me, a new person, and a way that’s going to represent all tours, all golf in general in a positive way to help grow the game.

That’s what I’ve always been about is trying to shine a light on the game of golf and not push people away, with developing the one-length irons, having a new way of swinging the golf club and doing all these different things that look weird, but have been a massive benefit to the game, that’s what I’m about. So when considering change like that, I welcome it.

Q. There’s been a revision now from the original plan, two bad times in a tournament and a one-shot penalty. Is that a good thing, as well?
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Absolutely. Look, I don’t want to be out there for six hours, nor does anybody, right. And there’s numerous times out there, more than not, I’m waiting — our group is waiting for people to go, and so I certainly don’t want to be waiting on players. It’s going to hurt my momentum. Every time it happens, I feel like I get cold.

So yeah, absolutely. I don’t want that to happen to people behind me or in front of me. There’s a lot of things that happen during the course of a golf round. People don’t just hit in the middle of the fairway or on the green all the time. You have situations that occur.

Taking that into account, which I think they have done beautifully, it is a good thing. Having the, hey, can I get 40 more seconds because this is a weird shot, the wind came up, or something happened, I think that’s great. I think what they did there is awesome.

Q. You’ve been playing all over the world, and not many Americans come to Europe or to the UAE. What is your motivation to actually come and play in those countries, and different continents? Is it part of your goal to make golf more —
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Global.

Q. Global? And then also, it’s been really nice to see you engage on Instagram and on Twitter because of all, I would say, the bad words about slow play involving you and defending yourself. How much impact did this have on you as a player, but also on your willingness to become a global player worldwide and be a likable player?
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Well, I want people to know who I truly am and I don’t to be a guy behind closed doors and he’s protected and everything. There’s points in time where you need, that obviously, but I want people to realise who I am as a person.

So playing globally, being a part of global golf, is definitely on my list. I want to be able to say that I can win worldwide, which I’ve done. Now I won last year in Dubai. I want to win multiple times, and I also want to grow the game globally.

We need to show how positive of an impact the game of golf is on communities, on people’s lives. Every week, someone’s life is affected in a positive way because of the game of golf. What we’re doing here, what Abu Dhabi is doing, is incredible. We’re literally trying to grow the game and that’s what I want to be a part of.

Just like building the one-length clubs like I said before. I keep going back to it, but I made it at age 18. It wasn’t in college or some scheme or anything like that. It was literally to help grow the game. Obviously benefit me, but help grow the game in general. I thought it would be a great way for people to play the game. As you talk about the game globally, that’s absolutely one of my top priorities.

And the second thing, engaging with fans, again, I want people to know who I truly am. I don’t want people to think who I am. I don’t want anyone else to write my own legacy. I want to control that and let everybody know who I truly am.

Bryson DeChambeau speaks on his recent physical transformation ahead of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship

Q. Can you tell us a little bit more about your physical transformation, where you started weight-wise? A few years ago, people were saying it was crazy to get big.
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Yeah, so I started out right after Shriners at 208, and as I sit right here right now, I’m 225 pounds. Last year, I was 195 pounds at the end of the Hero World Challenge.

So 2018 [sic] Hero World Challenge, and I felt brittle. I felt like a gust of wind could push me over if I wasn’t careful. I’m not super light at 195, right, but I still didn’t feel like I was solid.

I just made it a goal of mine this year after I figured out my — some of the stuff in my golf swing that wasn’t going right at Shriners, after I figured that out, I said, okay, now I feel like I have good control of my game and I feel like I can add mass and size and strength and speed to those principles, and so it was kind of a test for me. It wasn’t that I was bored or anything. It was just I wanted to see if I could do it, and quite honestly, it’s been a massive benefit.

And it’s made me excited for the game again because I get to go back out and play a game that is completely different than what I knew it to be. I mean, I went out yesterday and hit shots and hit drives. I’m like, I’m hitting — two years ago, I was hitting driver, 5-iron — driver almost 4-iron into 16 yesterday, or, well, two years ago. But yesterday, I hit driver — I could have hit 9-iron into it but I hit a chip 8-iron into that hole and it was the same into the wind, 10, 15 miles an hour, I flew a driver 315 yards into a 15-mile-an-hour wind. I’ve never been able to do that before.

So it’s really a new game for me. It’s going to be interesting to see how it plays out. The direction hasn’t really changed that much. I just feel like I’ve got more control and more stable.

So this transformation, I’ve literally been working out twice a day. At least after Shriners, I pretty much worked out twice a day for a good month and a half, month, somewhere around there. I just kept going to the gym, and luckily I have a gym at home, so I just go in there probably for 30 minutes and then I go back out and then I go back in for another 30 minutes and accumulated like about 3 1/2 hours of working out a day. It was a lot. It was ridiculous. But I said I’m going to do it. I’m going to do it right.

It was funny, when I got to Australia to The Presidents Cup, I ate about 6,000 calories. It was a ridiculous amount of food, just because I felt like I needed it to sustain that amount of weight and with travel, I didn’t really have the food I wanted on the plane. Just needed to eat, eat, eat, eat, and just kind of maintained that since.

But it’s been a long, tough process. I have a lot of days where I’m lying, I just don’t want even to get up out of bed and then I go work out and swing it really fast and then go work out.

The thing is, people normally say, well, you’re going to get injured doing this; you’re going to get hurt doing this. And yeah, there are going to be some things that pop up. But I’m luckily to know a guy like Greg Roskopf, MAT, and any time that something has occurred, I’ve been able to get fixed immediately. I hurt myself doing a back extension there probably two, three weeks before the Hero, and within the next three, four days, I was swinging it 185 ball speed, and that was after pretty much throwing out my back. So what he’s able to is incredible.

So I’m able to fix myself when things go bad in the gym, if they do. I go to the gym with a mindset to fix myself, never to break myself down.

Q. Are you the sort of person that sets yourself New Year’s resolutions, goals?
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: I used to. Not anymore, though. It’s all about progress for me. So I look at every day is going to be better than the last day. So let today’s garbage be better than yesterday’s.

Q. On the back of that question, in a jam-packed sort of golfing season, with the Olympics, Ryder Cup and four majors, is there one particular thing, and in this second week of January, that you really look forward to this in new year and this new decade?
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Well, this new decade —

Q. Is there one thing in one year, we’re going to have a jam-packed golfing year that you’re really looking forward to?
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: I feel like — and this is related to golf, but it’s an overall macroscopic view of it. I think my health is the No. 1 thing I’m looking at; looking at getting stronger and bigger than ever before. Hoping to go to places that no golfer has ever gone to in a way that’s going to hopefully show people that with a lot of hard work and dedication, you can change yourself.

I came here two years ago, nowhere near the body mass, size that I am today. It just shows progress and growth. I used to feel like I could hurt myself and injure myself every time going on the golf course. Now I feel like I could withstand a lot more than just golf.

BRIONY CARLYON: Thank you, Bryson, for your time. All the best this week.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

January 14, 2020