Bryson DeChambeau has removed all doubt.
He has made this one a no-brainer for Jim Furyk.
No debates, no calculations, no discussion necessary.
The Sultan of STEM — as in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math — was cool and calculating and hit golf shot after golf shot all week to excel in this first leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs.
DeChambeau, who will turn 25 in three weeks, is your Northern Trust champion and a more-than-virtual lock for a spot on the United States Ryder Cup team.
He rode the momentum of his Saturday 63 at Ridgewood to a smooth, steady 69 on Sunday and finished right where he started — ahead by four shots.
On Saturday, he was short and to the point when he was invited into the CBS broadcast booth to sit with Jim Nance and Sir Nick Faldo.
He had just four words for that pair before they got into it:
“Man on a mission.”
He looked every bit of it on Sunday. How about a birdie-birdie start to his day just to send a message.
Keegan Bradley shot 62 on Saturday, earned a spot in the last pairing with DeChambeau and promptly got his doors blown off. Bradley melted faster than a pad of butter in Death Valley. By day’s end, he was 16 shots worse than that 62.
DeChambeau was gracious and grateful after his third PGA Tour win. He thanked his coach and the team that makes those same-shaft-length clubs for him at Cobra.
“To be able to hold and keep the lead was great,” DeChambeau added. He pointed out that there were testy moments. His lead was cut to two shortly after the turn but by the time he left the 14th green, it was back to four with four to play. He was hitting fairways and greens, looking every bit the embodiment of Homer Kelley’s book The Golfing Machine.
Bryson can be very machine-like with the no-wrist-hinge swing.
“Bryson takes it to another level,” Faldo said of the science and physics behind DeChambeau’s swing.
Bryson also mentioned a key word: “consistency.”
He said that is what he wants to bring to the next three playoff events and it’s something he should be bringing to the Ryder Cup matches in France at the end of September and beginning of October.
“If I can keep playing the way I’m playing, I expect good things,” he said.
Then there was the topic, the subject, the spot, yes that spot on the U.S. team.
Again, he was short and to the point and sounded like he is taking nothing for granted when it comes to Furyk’s four remaining picks for the team.
“Whatever happens, happens. I’m gonna try and play my best next week and see what happens,” he said.
His win moved him right into the top spot in the FedEx Cup points list. He’ll strive to stay in that top five going to the Tour Championship at East Lake.
But first things first.
There’s Boston coming up then Aronimink in Philadelphia in two weeks.
Bryson won’t say it but others will.
He’s a cinch for the Ryder Cup.
“He’s exactly who you want on your team,” said Faldo, who played so long and well on the European side.
“A simple decision,” declared Faldo.
Thank-you, sir Nick.
We’ll pass this on to Jim Furyk.
6 Comments
baxter cepeda
Yes Bryson is in sure, as are Tom’s two favorite veterans, Tiger and Lefty. Guaranteed.
This leaves 1 spot.
While I really Like Xander, pound for pound He is in JT territory, its looking like a Tony; Shaufflee was my 4th choice; till recently the sophomore was ahead of Bryson in my book too.
But clearly things have changed.
There are various good options for Jims last pick but it really is looking like Tony Finau is close to a win and therefore clinching that last spot. Even sans a win whom would not want a guy whom hits steady drives longer than most can ever dream of bombing one. And he can putt. Super steady play and emotional control to go with the edfortless power. And he is Likeable as it gets. Good luck competing with that.
Tom Edrington
I think momentum may be building toward Tony Finau. The kid’s a gamer, has performed in the majors and is off to an impressive start in the playoffs. If he plays well in Boston, he might be the guy.
baxter cepeda
According to Ferguson at AP the pga tour are finally considering real playoff changes.
The tour want to make the tour championship winner take all, which regardless of how bad the rest of their idea is, is still an improvement.
The tour wants to give the fed ex cup leader a -10 start to the final event, and down from there. This is a terrible idea, needless to say.
As Jim Gallagher jr agrees, The Tour Championship needs everyone to start even and be winner take all.
There are ways to please those like scribe Jaime Diaz, whom argue regular season leaders should get credit in the playoffs. They should, but only at the beginning of the playoffs.
First, the Coke Tour Championship, assuming it continues to have that iconic title sponsor, should probably be made even more prestigious by dropping the field from 30 to at least 25. The smaller the field in the tour championship the more fair it would be for anyone to win it all regardless of ranking, not that a low rank winning is a bad thing. It is a great thing.
But how are the regular season stars given any advantage?
Simple. Byes.
The tour can Give as many byes to as many players as they want (regular season points leaders, playoff event winners, major winners, Players champs). Some could get byes all the way to Atlanta while others just a first round bye.
The obvious concern is losing top guys from playoff fields. The tour can simply require a minimum number of completed playoff events for players with byes to qualify to Atlanta.
To make the playoffs most interesting The rest of the guys in the playoffs should be required to finish that weeks event in the top half of the field to move on to the next round. No more points in the playoffs. This would make the early coverage on Sunday of every playoff event very, very exciting.
Finally you Gotta wonder if not me, what effect Tiger and Phils mano a mano for almost 10$ Million had to do with the change.
While the tour avoids the NFL with all the golf stars and the same prize at their disposal, it speaks volumes these two arguably not what they once were stars can go pay per view like Moneyweather while facing off with turkey weekend football.
Volumes!
This had to be the final straw for the Play-Iffs.
Determining the top 125 is all that really matters on the pga tour because that decides jobs and livelihood for the following season.
After that it really needs to be a lot more: what have you done for me lately!
Golf playoffs can be as simple as any. The pga tour are getting closer.
C’mon! You can fo this PGA Tour!
Do not overthink it.
Just focus on the meaning of the word:
Playoffs.
Tom Edrington
Baxter: We love the NCAA basketball tournament, still one of the coolest events ever due to the elimination nature and that programs we don’t read about all the time come in and surprise us…….Golf by its nature is so very individual, match play makes rotten TV when you have two guys on the course…..this funky “playoff” stuff was done for the money, basically, you have re-start of points, double points, all kinds of changes that are tough to keep p with…..the one prevailing thing is that the hot-hand typically wins…..the one thing I am glad of is that they’ve reduced it from four events to three starting next year….
baxter cepeda
I have to disagree about match play finals being automatically bad tv. The US Am final coverage was very digestible and the Gix guysbare basically amateur golf broadcasters still.
Btw imo if you are watching any American sports coverage with no DVR tape saved up to avoid the way too may commercials, thats on you. There is a better way now.
As for the pro match play events I always say there should be at least 3 other consolation matches while the final two play; they already have a match for third for some events so simply add a 5th place and 7th place match. I would recommend consolation matches to the US Am as well.
Tiger and Phil can certainly carry a mano a mano live with most golf viewers. The golf seems like it will be the least interesting part of Phil and Tigers match.
.
As for the number of playoff events:
If they truly fix the playoffs it would be a mistake to reduce it to 3 because done right it is more exciting than a regular event. The way the playiffs work now, the less the better cause its exhausting. The current playiffs literally make me miss regular events…that should not happen.
Tom Edrington
Baxter: I’m suggesting the Commissioner’s “Let’s revise the playoffs committee” add you to their number.