Sleeper Picks: Masters Tournament

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PALM CITY, Fla. — In the run-up to Cobra Golf’s unveiling of the new King F9 Speedback metalwood and irons, four-time TOUR winner Bryson DeChambeau sat down with the PGATOUR.COM’s Jonathan Wall to discuss the upcoming club line. DeChambeau touched on a number of subjects during the interview, including why he believes the transition into the King F9 Speedback driver will be easier this time around, the calls he makes to Cobra engineers on a regular basis, and what’s next for the shafts in his one-length irons. On his first impressions of Cobra’s King F9 Speedback driver: BRYSON DECHAMBEAU: It was an interesting design and look. I hadn’t really seen a driver designed that way before, and once we started going over all of the technical aspects of the driver — the aerodynamics, center of gravity, how they move weight lower in the head — it all came out as a fantastic design and build, but also a great sounding driver. Before I hit it, I thought it might have a weird sound, but it sounded beautiful — came off and sounded strong and firm. It’s a driver I feel like I can use right away after testing. Numbers have all been really good. It’s the kind of start that has me excited about using it this season. On why the transition into King F9 Speedback will be easier than F8+: DECHAMBEAU: This one feels like I could move into it pretty quickly. Might even move into it as soon as [the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open]. The spin is a lot lower, even than the F8. I’m a high-spin player who needs the least amount of spin possible on the driver and even the longer irons. For me, them moving the CG lower and having better aerodynamics made this driver easier to test. Feel like I’m able to really embrace the design and already have the confidence to pull off certain shot shapes. On why he spent so much time testing driver shafts late in the 2017-18 TOUR season: DECHAMBEAU: I just trying to get the spin, consistency of deflection, torque where I wanted it. Finally found a shaft that checked all the boxes and I’ve stuck with it. Sometimes you just have to do a bunch of testing to get there. For me, it just happened to occur later in the year. On why he regularly calls Cobra’s engineers to talk shop: DECHAMBEAU: I need an engineer to talk to. I’m usually calling them when I have something unique happening and I can’t resolve it in my brain on my own. I’ll ask them about the dynamics of the club to try and understand why some inertial properties are set up a certain way. We’re still working on that process. We’re still working on some questions that I think we can answer this year. In a couple years’ time, I think we’ll have the answers on everything when it comes to the driver. On TOUR players being intrigued by his one-length iron setup: DECHAMBEAU: Absolutely, I’ve had some guys come up and want to learn more about the setup. It’s definitely been interesting to share what I’m working on, but they’ve been doing things their way for so long and have been successful doing it that it would probably be tough to switch. Overall, one-length irons have progressed the game nicely. Will we see other young players come into the game using one-length? I like to think so. On the future of one-length irons and shaft testing: DECHAMBEAU: I’m not really sure as it pertains to the shafts in my irons. I went to a more progressive setup, but I still think I need to do more testing regarding how the shafts are deflecting, relative to what normal shafts are doing. We’re going to work on that and make it better. You actually just gave me an idea of something we can do, which is great. I’ve got a couple of good tests we can do and figure out the differences between the variable-length set and the one-length set on the wedges or the 4-iron. On finding the correct 3-wood when he went to Cobra: DECHAMBEAU: Cobra is underrated when it comes to their woods and don’t get enough respect for them. From a design perspective, they are on the cutting edge when it comes what they are doing. It’s not your standard fairway wood with the rails and CNC face. The Cobra Ltd. 3-wood I’ve had for a few years now has been definitely a game-changing club for me. I never had a 3-wood before that club that really fit my game. But right when I went to Cobra, I finally found one that worked. BUY EQUIPMENT HERE: PGA TOUR Superstore

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Justin Thomas never let anyone closer than two shots and closed with a 1-under 69 to win the Bridgestone Invitational for his third PGA Tour title this season.

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