Bryson DeChambeau on his newfound distance: ‘Sorry, Mr. Ross’

Playing for the fourth week in a row and riding a streak of top-10 finishes, Bryson DeChambeau has no plans to slow down his aggressive approach this week at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

DeChambeau will tee off as the betting favorite at Detroit Golf Club, having turned newfound weight into added distance and lower scores. He’ll be chugging protein shakes and eating plenty of steak and potatoes this week in the Motor City, where he also expects to lean on his driver to carve up an old-school, Donald Ross layout.

DeChambeau is second in driving distance this season, averaging more than 320 yards, and he expects that trend to continue on a layout that has plenty of tree-lined fairways but few penalty areas in play.

“I haven’t played both sides yet, so seems like it’s fairly tight, a lot of rough,” DeChambeau said. “I think there’s a lot of bunkers that are around like 290 (yards), so hopefully I’ll be able to clear those and take those out of play. So, sorry, Mr. Ross, but, you know, it is what it is.”

DeChambeau’s unapologetic tone comes as no surprise as he looks to continue a run of six straight top-10 finishes that dates back to Riviera in February. It’ll be his first look at Ross’ handiwork in Detroit, which dates back to 1899. After last year’s ultra-low scores and 25-under winning total, it seems likely that his aggressive strategy will pay ample dividends, rough or no rough.

“I like the style of courses. It just seems to fit me. They’re like country club style,” DeChambeau said. “I grew up on Belmont Country Club, which is very similar to that style of course, so I’m comfortable with it. I really enjoy those types of courses, and I feel like I thrive on them, so this course is no different.”