DeChambeau brushes aside ‘mockery’ criticism

Reigning US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau has politely brushed aside Matthew Fitzpatrick’s fiery criticism of the American’s controversial new approach to the game, an approach that has everyone involved in golf talking.

The World No. 19 ranked Fitzpatrick was asked at the recent BMW PGA what he thought of Bryson DeChambeau striving to hit the golf ball 380-yards.

Bryson DeChambeau (Credit: PGA Tour)

Fitzpatrick responded: “Seeing everyone is talking about it — I’m going to be biased because I’m not quite the longest, but Winged Foot, fair play to him, he won and shot 6-under, but Winged Foot, the fairways were tight as hell, and I drove it brilliantly, and I actually played pretty well, and I’m miles behind.”

“He’s in the rough and miles up and he’s just hitting wedges everywhere. It just makes a bit of a mockery of it I think.”

“I just looked at Shot Tracker yesterday, some of the places he hit it, and he’s cutting corners — when he’s on, there’s no point, is there? There’s no point.”

“It doesn’t matter if I play my best, he’s going to be 50 yards in front of me off the tee. The only thing I can compete with him is putting, and that’s just ridiculous.”

“I really hope the authorities do something. It’s not a skill to hit the ball a long way in my opinion. I could put on 40 pounds, go and see a biomechanist and I could gain 40 yards. That’s a fact.”

“I could put on another two inches on my driver. I could gain that, but the skill, in my opinion, is to hit the ball straight. That’s the skill. He’s just taking the skill out of it, in my opinion. I’m sure lots would disagree.”

DeChambeau was asked about his reaction to Fitzpatrick’s ‘making a mockery of the game’ comment.

“I appreciate that comment. It’s a compliment to me honestly. A year ago I wasn’t hitting in anywhere near as far as I am today. It took a lot of work, a lot of hours to work through the night to figure out a lot of this stuff,” said DeChambeau.

“I would say it actually takes more skill to do what I’m doing, and albeit I may have — my fairway percentages are a little bit down, I still believe I’m hitting it straighter than what I was last year with the distances that I was hitting back then.”

“I think he’s looking out for a certain set of players, and I appreciate that. My whole goal is to play the best golf I possibly can, and this game has given me the opportunity to showcase something pretty special.”

“I feel like I’ve started to go down a path that’s allowed me to have an advantage over everyone, and I think that is a skill set when you look at it. If anything, it’s more difficult to hit more fairways the way I’m doing it with the rules the way it is today. It’s more built for players like Matthew Fitzpatrick and his distances and players like that.”

It seems like every week since the US Open more and more players are being asked to comment on the impact DeChambeau is having on the game.

No doubt, those charged with administering the game continue to note all that is being said.

The next chapter of the nightmare for those administrators will unfold starting on 12th November when DeChambeau tees-up in a fourth Masters appearance.