Bryson DeChambeau May Find New Ways to Play TPC Sawgrass

Sure, the PGA Tour Rules staff took the fun out of the plan of Bryson DeChambeau to play the 18th hole from the left side of the water by making that location out of bounds. But that doesn’t mean DeChambeau will play TPC Sawgrass exactly the way everybody else does. Of course, taking that shot away on the 18th hole, as Justin Leonard said on Golf Channel, is kind of disappointing. Leonard wanted to talk about it for two more days.

Regardless, there are going to be plenty of ways for DeChambeau to challenge this Pete Dye design. At his media conference, DeChambeau said he expected to get a good handle on it well before Thursday at 1 p.m. when he tees off with Dustin Johnson and Collin Morikawa.

“My caddie, Tim Tucker, he works really, really hard at finding lines for me to make sure that this is the best place for me to gain the most off the tee or to gain the most, just having a better approach to the green or whatever certain pin location,” DeChambeau explained about their process for seeking new paths from tee to green.

He said one practice round was all they would need, despite the fact that his body was not in the current “hulk” configuration the last time he played TPC Sawgrass.

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“It’s going to be a little different this year figuring out where to hit it and what to hit,” he noted.

He did admit that the design of the course is going to reduce the number of times he takes out the big stick.

“For the most part, driver will be taken out of play a numerous amount of times, but on the par-5s, I’ll definitely be able to hit driver for the most part,” he noted. “Maybe not on 2, but definitely on 11, and I would say 16, I’ll be hitting driver for sure.”

The reason he can’t hit driver as often as he’d like is the danger that lurks, like cross bunkers and creeks and water. Lots and lots of water. And don’t forget pot bunkers.

However, there is a – perhaps — drivable par four on the course, the 12th hole which was redesigned in 2017. Depending on where the Tour Staff puts the tee and which direction the wind is blowing, it could entice several players to go for it.

“I think it’s a really cool hole that should be a drivable hole,” DeChambeau said. “Putting it all the way back there is going to take a lot of people out of the equation from trying to drive it, and it may make the hole easier for some people because then they aren’t going for it and taking that risk-reward on and making a mistake.”

All the way back on the 12th is 370 yards, the length of DeChambeau’s shot on the 6th hole Saturday at Bay Hill in the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He said if the tee were backed up to the tips, most golfers would hit 3-wood to the right center of the fairway and then a wedge to the green.

Even at 370 yards, if it’s downwind, DeChambeau said he would definitely go for it, even if the result is that he misses and has to chip up to the green.

If the tee is up, say at 315 yards, he could hit his 5-wood. That’s down right scary to think about.

But the 12th is not only hole he will attack.

On the 9th, he said he might be able to get over the creek that cuts the hole in two. He said it would have to be down wind for him to try it.

“Again, it just comes into how much am I really gaining off the tee by doing that,” he suggested. It might be the difference between a 5-iron and a 7-iron to the green.

The 10th hole could be a victim, if it’s downwind.

“There’s bunkers that kind of wrap the green and cut the fairway in half a little bit,” he noted. “Whether it’s worth it, I don’t know. It gets tighter up there, as well.”

On the 14th, which typically plays as the toughest hole each year, he can fly the troublesome water on the left and the mounds on the right and maybe get in front of them, perhaps landing in a safer area nearer the green or in the relatively flat bunker that flanks the left-hand side.

DeChambeau did not mention the 5th hole, but as a long par four, expect the driver there. Look for it on the 7th as well, unless he determines there is something untoward he could hit into from the tee. Taking driver on the 7th, like on the 14th, may get him beyond the trouble, which could be handy.

While we all think of the length DeChambeau hits the ball, he’s thinking about another aspect of his game for success on TPC Sawgrass.

“There’s a few holes where you can take advantage, from a length perspective, but for the most part, the par-4s you’ve got to hit it in play and you’ve got to have great iron play this week,” he said. “If I can get my iron play down this week and my wedges down this week, I’ll have a great chance to win with my putting.”

Only one thing is certain. It’s impossible to count him out.

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