RBC Heritage
Friday, April 13, 2018
Bryson DeChambeau
Press Conference
JOHN BUSH: We'd like to welcome Bryson DeChambeau into the interview room here following a 7-under par, 64. His low career round on the PGA Tour. He currently holds a 1-shot lead over Si Woo Kim and Ian Poulter. Bryson, incredible round out there today, if we can get some comments.
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Yeah, thank you. It was a lot of fun, that's for sure. I haven't shot that well yet. I know I shot a couple of 65s before. But it was certainly nice to make that putt on 18. It was going to be a little sour tasting if I wouldn't have made that putt on 18. Other than that, I was striking my irons unbelievable, I'd say the whole day, really. And was able to the hit it within three or four feet every time almost with a wedge in my hand. That was kind of nice to take the pressure off of my putting and just relax and make a couple of three footers.
JOHN BUSH: I know disappointing for you here last year. Talk about the year before that, when you finished 4th, and what it is about this golf course that you like so much.
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: You know, it's funny, obviously my iron play is incredible, and when I get going I can get hot. But this course just fits my eye. The shaping of the holes and just a couple of the doglegs, I'm able to shape shots. I love the tee shot on 8. Most people are kind of scared, that tee shot is not easy. Just for whatever reason this course fits me really nicely, and I was able to play really well and hit my wedges close and make a few putts.
Q. You've been playing, you finished second at Bay Hill. Do you feel this is a roll that's sort of going on right now, do you feel that good about your game?
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: I think I'm progressing in the right direction. I know my game is good enough to be with the elites in the game. I'm not there yet. I know that. But I certainly am moving in the right direction, figuring a lot of great things out that's helping me on the golf course.
I'm more comfortable on the course, too. Two years is -- it's kind of the time. For me it's always taken me a lot longer than most, I would think, even though I'm still 24 and doing really well -- pretty well on Tour. But at every stage it's always taken me a couple of years to get comfortable. And I'm finally starting to get a little comfortable out here. My golf swing and putting is solidified. It's about getting better here and there. That's what I'm doing. So, I can say, yes, I am playing really well. Unfortunately I didn't play as good as I thought I could have last week, but I know my game is in the right direction and it showed today.
Q. You mentioned your iron play and how well that was today. Earlier in the week you were really grinding hard on the putting green. Is this the best you feel your putting has been all year? And if your putting is clicking how unstoppable do you think your game is?
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: My putting is moving in the right direction. I can't say I'm at the top of my game right now, although it is the lowest round I've shot in my career. But my putting has progressed over time. It's taken time to understand a lot of these variables that were unknown to me in college, unknown to me in junior and amateur golf. I just didn't know some of the things that the best putters in the world do out here to make them the best putters in the world. It's tough to even say because I don't want to give away too many of my secrets or anything like that, but it's -- again, all I can say is that it's moving in a really, really good direction. And each time that it fails I'm correcting it, which is a great thing to do. For me, in every situation it's always been whenever I start going off the track, if -- the quicker I can get myself back on the track the more confident I can become. And that's with anybody. But for me it's been a struggle to keep on the track. And I've gotten off, I've gotten off for quite a while. It's been a big ebb and flow. My putting is starting to smooth out and doing a lot better.
Q. You mentioned having to be patient and wait for your experience to kind of come around, your game to come around, but you're only 24. There was a time not long ago when people thought golfers matured in their 30s. Do you think people's expectations have gotten out of whack? And maybe your own expectations have gotten a little out of whack with the success of Tiger and Justin and Jordan and all these guys?
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: I don't know that it's gotten out of whack, but it's moved the curve. I think the average age out here is 28. Yes, I am under that age, and I'm very fortunate to be under that age and playing as well as I have.
But I think it's been technology, honestly, that's moved the curve, as well. Not only Tiger and Jordan and the young guns, Rory, but I think it's technology. We know what our FlightScope numbers are, what's happening out there a lot better. It took time to get comfortable out here because it was the unknown. Nobody really knew why a ball came up ten yards short on different golf courses. Now we know that. So we're able to calibrate and adjust for that a lot easier, because we have TrackMan and FlightScope, mainly. It's what allows us to progress quicker. That's what it is.
Q. What has helped with the comfort you're talking about, is it on the golf course, is it off the golf course, the travel? And also have you kind of found a method with your putting or style with your putting that you kind of like now?
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Definitely my putting is solidified. No need to change it. It's worked really well. I won a tournament with it, and finished 2nd, finished 5th, 7th. I played really well this year doing that. I've had some tough times but I've learned a lot from that.
What was your other question?
Q. Comfort factor?
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: It takes time, being comfortable out here. It just does. There's no way to shortcut it, unfortunately. And it has taken a little bit longer than I expected but I'm comparing myself to Jordan Spieth. It's really tough. There's guys that have played for many years out here that haven't even won yet. And so sometimes my expectations are get skewed, like you said. But, again, I'm here right now doing what I'm doing, so that's what I've got to look at and try and progress from that.
Q. Do the last two years, does that feel like a long time ago from when you came here two years ago or do you feel like it's whizzed by?
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: It's gone like that (indicating.) It feels like I've only been on Tour for almost a year, really. It's just what happens. You're traveling and playing every week. And trying to rest somehow. But that time just gets condensed. A week off is not a week off. You really need two weeks to have a week off. That's what Fluff said to me a while back. It holds true. We're going, going, going all the time. To be able to rest you need two weeks.
Q. How much comfort are the successes you've had this year, Waste Management on the weekend, Bay Hill on the weekend, winning at John Deere, what can you draw from those experiences as you head into this weekend?
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Well, I know everybody is going to be coming from behind trying to get into the lead. So they're going to be aggressive. And I kind of have to do the same thing. I'm just in a better position. Every time that I've been in the lead I've kind of held off for the first nine holes and everybody surges up, oh, my gosh, I have to catch back up. I think kind of going after flags tomorrow. I know it's gettable, 1, 2, if you hit the fairway, you can get out there and make a couple of birdies. And getting off to a good start tomorrow will definitely be a nice thing if I can do that.
JOHN BUSH: Bryson, thanks a lot. Best of luck this weekend.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
Rev #1 by #178 at 2018-04-13 22:25:00 GMT
