Bryson DeChambeau shot 68 on Sunday at the Wells Fargo Championship to move into the top 10 after traveling home when he thought he missed the cut and having to fly back early Saturday.
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PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – Wyndham Clark zoomed to the top of the leaderboard midway through his third round at The Honda Classic. Here are a few things you should know about the PGA TOUR rookie who currently resides in Las Vegas. His mom took him to the driving range for the first time when Wyndham was just 3 years old. “I hit a bucket of balls and asked to hit another bucket,â€� Wyndham recalled. Lisa Clark remembered an elderly gentleman golfer asking how long her son had been playing the game. She said, “30 minutes,â€� to which the man replied, “Don’t change his swing.â€�  At 6 years old, young Wyndham made his first hole-in-one. “Hit driver from 125 and made it,â€� Clark said. “I actually got on the front page of the Denver Post. I have that framed. So, I remember that as well.â€� Clark attended Valor Christian High School in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, and become close friends with classmate Christian McCaffrey, the star running back for the Carolina Panthers.  After graduating from high school, he initially went to Oklahoma State to play golf (and through that connection, became friends with Rickie Fowler). During Clark’s freshman year, his mother’s breast cancer, which had been first diagnosed in 1997, returned. She died in August of 2013. Wyndham wants to honor his mom’s memory – he calls it “Play Bigâ€� — and hopes to start a breast cancer foundation.  “She’s a lot of the reason why I play today,â€� Clark once told the school newspaper at Oregon. “She was there when I played bad, and there to console me and make me feel better. When I played great she was there to hug me and be super excited for me. She was a huge part of my upbringing.â€�  After his mother’s death, Clark contemplated quitting the game. “It just wasn’t as much of a priority for me after she passed,â€� he said. “It got to where it was really hard and just not enjoyable. But I know that she wouldn’t want me to do that. … She’s really helped me get through a lot of tough things since she’s passed. I want to honor her and honor what she wanted me to do and try to make her proud.â€�  Ten days after his mother’s death, Clark competed in the U.S. Amateur, finishing ninth. Oklahoma State head coach Alan Bratton was his caddie.  Clark transferred to Oregon for a change of scenery and enjoyed playing for coach Casey Martin. He was Pac-12 Player of the Year for the Ducks team, with three individual tournament wins and 10 top-10 finishes in 11 starts. He shot 69 or better in 18 of 28 rounds that season, including all three rounds of the Pac-12 Championship, which he won. He was also named GolfWeek Player of the Year, was a finalist for the Ben Hogan Award and was a semifinalist for the Division I Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year award.  The Ducks also won the NCAA Championship in 2017. “I’ve never won a championship that big. Not only did I do it individually, but we did it as a team, which was awesome. It was really fun to share, and we all had a blast doing it,â€� Clark said.  Clark also graduated with a business degree. “It took me five years,â€� he said. “I’m a good student, but I didn’t put 100 percent effort into it. When I did graduate, it definitely felt like I accomplished something. It’s nice to have my piece of paper, my degree.â€�  After a T-23 finish at the Web.com Tour Qualifying Tournament – which included a hole-in-one during competition — Clark guaranteed himself eight starts to begin the 2018 Web.com Tour season. He parlayed that into full status, and eventually made 24 starts, with four top-10 finishes. He finished 16th on the regular season money list to secure his PGA TOUR card for the 2018-19 season.  In his first 10 starts this season, his best result is a T-10 at last week’s Puerto Rico Open. Because of that top-10 result, he earned a spot in the field this week at PGA National. He entered this week ranked 13th on TOUR in birdie average (4.66 per round).  He currently lives in Las Vegas, and practices with fellow residents Scott Piercy and Ryan Moore, who have given him advice on being a TOUR pro, as well as insight into the courses on TOUR.  Asked once if it was an advantage or disadvantage growing up in Colorado as a golfer, Clark replied (to CHSAA.org): “I think it’s a disadvantage, personally. Because you don’t ever really play at altitude at any of these events. The most you play at is maybe 1,000 feet. I think growing up in Colorado, not only are you playing different distances, but the ball actually spins less and is affected by the air less. So the ball goes straighter and doesn’t go offline as much. When you go play in Florida or other places where the air is thick, your misses are exaggerated a lot more. I think that’s definitely a disadvantage.â€� So far, Florida seems to be working out quite nicely for Clark.
Let’s begin with some trivia: Looking at the past 10 years, which PGA TOUR golfer has made the biggest distance gain year over year? “That’s an easy one,” you say. “Bryson DeChambeau.” Correct. But who’s right behind Bryson and his 19.8-yard increase in distance from 2019 to 2020? Who picked up 18 yards off the tee from 2020 to 2021, increasing his average drive from 291 yards to 309? Here’s a clue: He’s the defending at this week’s John Deere Classic. While the riddle would have been much more difficult without a headline and image atop this story, it takes nothing away from Frittelli, whose driver clubhead speed is now an impressive 118.7 mph. “If you hit it 10 yards longer, you increase your prize money by $1 million,” Frittelli said earlier this year, citing statistics. “Things like that are non-negotiable in my mind. It’s fun for me. It’s re-invigorated my game. I’m excited to hit tee shots and see how I can play holes on golf courses differently. Not going full bore, just adding a little speed training in certain situations.” After doubling down on his fitness — “two solid years of lifting,” according to Frittelli — he wasn’t seeing his increased strength translate to a boost in distance. “Basically July last year, I looked at my trainer and I said why am I not hitting it any longer? I’ve been doing all these power workouts, strength workouts in the gym, and I’m getting stronger for sure because I can see my PRs moving up in each exercise. I then figured out that he said to me you actually want to hit it further? I didn’t realize that. Yeah, so we switched that up had a little more speed in the workout, so instead of just power and strength, trying to lift heavy and lots of reps, went down to fewer reps and lighter weight.” In addition, the South African has made some interesting adjustments to his driver setup. And as this is the Equipment Report, we wanted to get more information on the artillery the bomber-come-lately is employing. We spoke with Callaway’s PGA TOUR manager, Jacob Davidson, to learn more. GolfWRX: When did the discussion about switching to a longer driver shaft begin, and what was that process like to get him into his current setup? JD: It started last year. His driver cracked and he put the same model with a new shaft in play at THE CJ CUP @ SHADOW CREEK. We did some more work the next week at the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP @ SHERWOOD, and we moved him into a Callaway Mavrik Sub Zero D head that was a little bit wider. We did a bunch of testing at that point with different shafts, tipping. He played the Mavrik Sub Zero D through the fall. Around the Farmers Insurance Open, he did some new testing with the Epic Speed and did some more testing at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and ended up putting the Callaway Epic Speed Triple Diamond LS in play for the PGA Championship with a 46-inch Mitsubishi Tensei AV White AV 65 X tipped 1.5 inches. The head was a natural fit. His misses had been a little right. With this head, he got lower spin with a more neutral start line. It has a little weight back so it’s more forgiving. 7.6 degrees of actual loft. N-1 hosel setting. GolfWRX: How did the longer shaft experiment begin? JD: When he started his speed training, we made him some longer shafts — 46, 47 inches — just for him to swing to get his clubhead speed up. He said, “I’m seeing big gains. Let’s work on a head that gets me in the right window for launch in spin.” Once we got it dialed in, he figured out he wasn’t driving it that much less accurate and the gains in the distance were significant. GolfWRX: From a technical standpoint, is he delivering the driver differently to the ball now? How have his needs changed? JD: Not as much as you would think. His path and angle are pretty similar. His angle of attack is about 1.5 degrees more up. I think this is partly due to all the core work and being physically stronger. He trained hard before making the switch, which I think made it successful. GolfWRX: Finally, do you have any advice or guidance for the average golfer who might be considering a longer shaft in the pursuit of more distance? JD: They definitely need to train for it physically. And with a driver head, you need to go wider with head weight, stiffer on the shaft. You have to make adjustments to swingweight. You need to make sure (with your teacher) that technique is correct. Ultimately, you have to have the strength to be able to control a longer shaft and maintain accuracy.
While there will be no pro-am portion to this year's AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the tournament will still feature 156 players and a field full of notable names, including reigning FedExCup champion Dustin Johnson. Nick Taylor returns to defend his 2020 title, while Phil Mickelson is gunning for his record sixth title at Pebble Beach. FIELD NOTES: Dustin Johnson, a two-time winner at Pebble Beach, returns to play his first event on the continental U.S. in 2021. He finished T11 at the Sentry Tournament of Champions to start the year... Kamaiu Johnson, who was set to make his PGA TOUR debut at the Farmers Insurance Open but was unable to due to a positive COVID-19 test, will instead tee it up at Pebble. Johnson's inspiring story — he was an eighth-grade dropout but found comfort in golf — caught the eyes of TOUR event organizers... Other sponsor exemptions include 19-year-old Akshay Bhatia, who finished T9 at this season's Safeway Open, and 2019 U.S. Amateur champion Andy Ogletree. Davis Riley, who sits third on the Korn Ferry Tour's Regular Season Points List, also is in the field on sponsor exemption. He made the cut at last week's Waste Management Phoenix Open... The Prince of Pebble Beach, Phil Mickelson, returns to the PGA TOUR this week and is looking for his record sixth victory at the event... The PGA TOUR Champions will be represented at Pebble Beach. Other than Mickelson, a trio of over-50 major winners - John Daly, Tom Lehman and Jim Furyk - will also be in the field... Past FedExCup winners including Jordan Spieth, Brandt Snedeker, and Bill Haas will also tee it up. Spieth and Snedeker are past winners at Pebble Beach. FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 500 FedExCup points. COURSE: This year, with no pro-am portion of the tournament, the 156 professionals will play only two courses instead of the usual three. The two courses that will be used are Pebble Beach Golf Links (Jack Neville/Douglas Grant, 1919) and Spyglass Hill Golf Course (Robert Trent Jones Sr., 1966). The cut will take place after 36 holes instead of 54. Pebble Beach Golf Links, par 72, 7,051 yards Spyglass Hill Golf Course, par 72, 7,041 yards STORYLINES: The first of three victories for Jordan Spieth in 2017 came at Pebble Beach. Spieth, who won the Travelers and The Open Championship that same year, hasn't won since. Spieth, who was T8 heading into the weekend in Phoenix, will keep that momentum going into Pebble Beach, a place he's comfortable... Matt Gogel - who hasn't played the PGA TOUR since 2007 - is in the field as a Sponsor Exemption. Gogel won at Pebble Beach in 2002 and was a key supporting actor in Tiger Woods' comeback win in 2000. It was Gogel, then a TOUR rookie, who had the seven-shot lead with seven holes left that Woods eventually overcame thanks in part to a hole-out eagle at the par-4 15th... Jason Day has done everything but win at Pebble Beach. His fourth-place finish in 2020 gives the Aussie six top-6 finishes at the event, but no victories... Nick Taylor's win in 2020 was the first by a non-American in 15 years. In fact, only four non-Americans have ever won at Pebble Beach (Taylor, Vijay Singh, Brett Ogle, and Bruce Crampton). 72-HOLE RECORD: 265, Brandt Snedeker (2015). 18-HOLE RECORD: 60, Sung Kang at Monterey Peninsula (2nd round, 2016). Pebble Beach record: 62, Tom Kite (3rd round, 1983), David Duval (3rd round, 1997). Spyglass Hill record: 62, Phil Mickelson (1st round, 2005), Luke Donald (1st round, 2006). LAST TIME: Nick Taylor held off a charging Kevin Streelman to win his second PGA TOUR title. Taylor, whose first TOUR win came at the 2014 Sanderson Farms Championship, was paired with Phil Mickelson for the final round, but Taylor's 2-under 70 proved to be enough as Mickelson fired a final-round 74. Taylor held on down the stretch making birdies on Nos. 15 and 17 after bogeys on Nos. 11 and 12, and a double bogey on the par-5 14th. Mickelson finished third, Jason Day finished fourth, and Maverick McNealy, Daniel Berger, Matt Jones, and Charl Schwartzel all finished T5. Taylor opened the tournament with a 63 and was in contention all week long before taking it across the finish line Sunday. HOW TO FOLLOW Television: Thursday-Friday, 3 p.m.-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday-Sunday, 1 p.m.-3 p.m. (Golf Channel). Saturday, 3 p.m.-6 p.m. (CBS). Sunday, 3 p.m.-6:30 p.m. (CBS). PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. ET (Featured Groups). Saturday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. (Featured Groups), 3 p.m.-6 p.m. (Featured Holes). Sunday, 10:20 a.m.-3 p.m. (Featured Groups), 3 p.m.-6:30 p.m. (Featured Holes). Radio: Thursday-Friday, 12 p.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, 1 p.m.-6 p.m. Sunday, 1 p.m.-6:30 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio). TOURCast: Get shot-by-shot info in real time with shot tracks and video with TOURCast. TOUR Pulse: Get the PGA TOUR app to utilize TOUR Pulse, which provides users the ability to experience a mix of content, such as video highlights, written hole summaries and stat graphics on every player after every hole they complete.
