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Bryson Dechambeau makes final 8, falls short of title at long drive world championships

ryan young
Staff writer
·2 min read

Bryson DeChambeau may be one of the longest drivers on the PGA Tour, but his run at the Professional Long Drivers Association’s World Championships didn’t go far enough on Friday night.

DeChambeau, after making it into the final eight, was eliminated from the competition on Friday in Mesquite, Nevada.

DeChambeau fell only six yards shy of making it into the final four on Friday night, too.

The eight-time Tour winner snuck into the final eight, though he pulled out a 394-yard drive on his final attempt to take the final spot in the quarterfinals. He had a drive during the round of 16 that reached 406-yards — he hit nine drives more than 400 yards, with the longest hitting 412 — with his ball speed hitting a wild 219 mph.

“I was super excited to get to the final eight. I never expected that in my first competition,” DeChambeau said, via the PGA Tour. “I think I have shown the world that I can perform at these high speeds and still go play golf on the PGA Tour.

“It’s crazy. 220 is the next barrier. I am going to give myself a little bit of a break, I need to rest the body because I am shot beyond belief, but it was the best speed training session I could have ever had and competing against these guys was the best motivation I could have had. I am going to improve my strength and my body. I am nowhere near as big as these guys, and I’ve got to get up there.”

DeChambeau has led the Tour in driving distance the past two seasons, and averaged 323.7 yards off the tee in 2021. He was second in ball speed, too, behind Cameron Champ by only 0.22 mph.

Though he fell short of eventual winner Kyle Berkshire, DeChambeau was thrilled with his showing at the unique event.

“Getting to 219 ball speed out here was a dream come true. I never thought I’d get to that speed – I broke the barrier by three miles an hour faster than I’d ever gone in my entire life,” DeChambeau said, via the Tour.

“I learned I can control the ball at these higher speeds. I think I hit the most balls in the grid this week and my swing felt really good at the speeds so hopefully that translates to the TOUR.”