A bulked-up Bryson DeChambeau, who has been knocking on the door since the PGA Tour's return from a COVID-19 hiatus, finally blew it open as he cruised to victory at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit on Sunday.
World number 10 DeChambeau, who arrived at Detroit Golf Club riding an impressive streak of six consecutive top-10 finishes, shot a seven-under-par 65 to reach 23 under on the week, three shots ahead of overnight leader Matthew Wolff (71).
DeChambeau, who re-emerged from the break in mid-June packing serious muscle and startling distance off the tee, began the day three shots back of Wolff but wasted little time taking over top spot on the leaderboard.
The American had four birdies through seven holes, and then added another at the par-four 10th where he drained a 22-foot putt to take complete control.
DeChambeau's lone miscue came at the par-five 14th where he made bogey, which opened the door as Wolff shrugged off a rough front nine and made a late charge.
But DeChambeau finished his round with three consecutive birdies to secure his sixth PGA Tour victory. The win marks DeChambeau's fourth straight PGA Tour season with a triumph.
"This is a little emotional for me because I did do something a little different, I changed my body, changed my mindset in the game and I was able to accomplish a win while playing a completely different style of golf," said DeChambeau.
"And it's pretty amazing to see that and I hope it's an inspiration to a lot of people that if they set their mind to it, you can accomplish it. It just takes a lot of hard work."
Wolff, who was seeking his second PGA Tour title, struggled early and was three over after 10 holes, five shots off the pace, and seemingly out of contention until the par-four 12th where he made the first of four birdies over a six-hole stretch.
Wolff had a chance to move to within one shot of DeChambeau but his 14-foot eagle putt at the penultimate hole stopped just short of the cup.
Kevin Kisner (66) finished five shots back of DeChambeau in third place while former Masters champion Danny Willett (66) was among a group of four golfers a further two shots back.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Ken Ferris and Richard Pullin)
-reuters-
DUBLIN -- Bryson DeChambeau birdied four of his last six holes to surge to a one-shot lead on Saturday going into the final round of the US PGA Tour's Memorial tournament.
DeChambeau, 24 signed for a bogey-free 66 to move to 14-under 202 as the Californian looks to secure a second PGA Tour victory after capturing last year’s John Deere Classic.
Red-hot Chilean sensation Joaquin Niemann, Patrick Cantlay and Kyle Stanley were a stroke back on 203. Overnight co-leaders Niemann and Stanley both carded 70 while Cantlay's 66 included two eagles, one of them a hole-in-one at the par-three eighth.
A further six players were within five shots of DeChambeau's lead -- including 14-time major champion Tiger Woods.
Woods briefly grabbed a share of the lead before stumbling with two bogeys in his last three holes.
South Korea's An Byeong-hun was alone in fifth after a 69 for 204 and England's Justin Rose carded a 69 for 206.
Woods posted a 68 to head a group on 207 that also included Japan's Hideki Matsuyama (71).
DeChambeau, ranked 38th in the world, kick-started his push to the top of the board with birdies at the fifth and seventh holes. He posted back-to-back birdie "threes" at 13 and 14 and picked up a stroke at 16 before landing his 145-yard approach at the last five feet from the pin en route to a birdie.
"I just want to birdie every hole," he said. "That's all we're trying to do out there.
"No matter if you're one back or tied for the lead every hole is an opportunity to make a birdie and that's just what I'm going to try and do every single day."
DeChambeau said his brilliant putting display was his best since he captured the 2015 US Amateur title.
"I would say I'm putting the best I have in my life," he said.
- Woods 'played beautifully' -
Niemann, 19, highlighted his round with a 50-foot eagle putt at the par-five seventh.
He is contesting just a fifth US PGA Tour event since turning pro straight after the Masters in April, and the Santiago-born teenager said he will draw on his amateur successes as he tries to win on Sunday, when the field will tee off early from the first and 10th tee as organizers try to beat expected inclement weather.
"It's a strong field on the leader-board and I think everybody's going to go out there and try to make the most birdies possible," Niemann said. "So I think that I have to go low tomorrow to have a chance."
Woods rolled in a 14-foot eagle putt at the par-five fifth and was five-under for the day through nine.
The five-time Memorial winner missed a short birdie on 14 but gained a share of the lead at 11-under with a birdie at 15.
Three-putt bogeys at 16 and 18 quelled his momentum and Woods was left to wonder what could have been.
"I shot 68 today but, again, that's probably the highest score I could have possibly shot today," he said. "I played really, really well. I played beautifully, actually, had total control of what I was doing out there and just didn't finish it off."
source: news.abs-cbn.com
