Why Zach Johnson MUST pick LIV Golf's 'Mr. 58' Bryson DeChambeau for Ryder Cup
Bryson DeChambeau must now be at the front of the queue for a pick in the US Ryder Cup team.
Punch the ticket, book the window seat and start the engine. LIV Golf's new 'Mr 58' Bryson DeChambeau is heading to the 2023 Ryder Cup in Italy, Rome.
Okay, those might be my initial spur-of-the-moment feelings after watching in awe DeChambeau's unbelievable final-round of 58 to win his first LIV Golf tournament at the Greenbrier, but I think US Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson will be crazy not to read out the words Bryson followed by DeChambeau when he makes his six captain's picks in three weeks' time following the conclusion of the Tour Championship on the PGA Tour.
REVEALED: BRYSON'S ODDS TO MAKE RYDER CUP TEAM WILL SHOCK YOU!
Bryson's performance on Saturday and Sunday at Greenbrier was special.
So special it reduced him to tears, proving just how much it all meant to him.
He was 21-under par for the final 36 holes.
Let that sink in for one moment.
This wasn't some local dog track that many LIV haters seem to think they play out here.
This was a former regular PGA Tour venue.
DeChambeau knew the situation that faced him heading to West Virginia.
He knows the majority of PGA Tour players in contention for Ryder Cup places are all able to prove something to Johnson over the next three weeks at the Wyndham Championship and FedEx Cup Playoffs.
PGA Tour players such as Jordan Spieth, Max Homa, Collin Morikawa, Rickie Fowler, Tony Finau, Cameron Young, Keegan Bradley and others outside the automatic places in the US Ryder Cup team all still have a bit of time to prove their prowess to Johnson and his vice-captains.
But for those on the outside looking in on LIV - such as DeChambeau and Talor Gooch - they knew they only had Greenbrier and next week at Bedminster to shake the applecart.
DeChambeau has certainly done that alright.
Does Bryson think he's done enough to earn one of Johnson's six picks?
He certainly knows he's in the mix at least.
After etching his name on the LIV Golf Greenbrier trophy, DeChambeau said:
Even on Saturday night following a superb round of 9-under 61, Bryson looked and sounded like he was up for the fight.
It was almost like he was ready to go to battle in the Colosseum as he approached the final round one stroke behind Matt Wolff and David Puig. Possible Rome pun intended.
As Bryson drained a 35-footer on 18 in the pouring rain to bring the house down, win his first LIV Golf event by six strokes and record the first-ever 58 in LIV history, you could only imagine Zach Johnson was telling wife Kim he was heading out to buy some Advil.
Poor Arlo White lost his voice and David Feherty fell out his chair. I think we all did.
While in many ways it's a nice headache for captain Johnson to have in the sense he has so much talent at his disposal, how he goes about choosing those five six players is anyone's guess right now. Who gets left out?
FOR THE TITLE!
A FIRST WIN FOR BRYSON, AND A FIRST ROUND UNDER 60 IN #LIVGOLF HISTORY!
A final round for the history books @b_dechambeau! pic.twitter.com/dxAvkGNXFv
— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) August 6, 2023
There's winning feelings, and then there's winning feelings after shooting FIFTY-EIGHT! @b_dechambeau with one for the ages!#LIVGolf pic.twitter.com/Lr5nJnCRx3
— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) August 6, 2023
The selection process on both the US and Europe Ryder Cup sides this year is arguably as wide open as it's ever been. Testament to the strength in depth of the professional game at the moment.
You could argue there are at least 10 players in with a realistic shout of filling the six slots for captain's picks on either side of the pond.
In a recent interview with US vice captain Fred Couples, it would appear some of the picks have already been made.
Couples basically confirmed Homa, Spieth, Young and Bradley are all set to be picked.
Add 'Freddy's bankers' to the automatic six, which stands as Scottie Scheffler, Wyndham Clark, Brian Harman, Brooks Koepka, Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay, and you have 10 players already in the team if we take Couples' words verbatim.
That leaves room for one two more.
I think those places go to Bryson and Rickie.
There are other reasons why I believe DeChambeau deserves to receive one of the remaining spots in the US Ryder Cup team, and it's not just because he shot 58. Okay, that goes a long way.
It was actually his second-round 61 and what he said after the round there about his new Krank Golf Driver that got me most excited about his Ryder Cup credentials.
But I will come on to that shortly.
Three months ago when I came to write an early team predictions piece for the Ryder Cup alongside my colleagues Ben Smith and Johnny Percival, I honestly brushed Bryson's name aside for a captain's pick after seeing him miss the cut at The Masters and record a best finish of T16 from his first five LIV Golf events of the season.
We all did in fact.
My worry, at least back then, was his driving. He came out of his regular driver, switched into a new model with a different brand, but still didn't seem that happy about it.
After a somewhat sluggish start to the season, something then clicked in May.
He tinkered, tweaked and turned up at Tulsa with a T5. It was more like the Bryson of old.
DeChambeau then took that form into the season's next major at the US PGA and finished T4 behind LIV Golf's Koepka, who deservedly went on to record his fifth major title and a third Wanamaker Trophy.
Bryson continued to build from there. He finished a respectable T9 at DC, added a steady T20 at the US Open and then narrowly went down by one stroke to three-time season winner Gooch at Valderrama in Spain.
Two indifferent events followed as Bryson jetted over to the UK for LIV Golf London (T11) and The Open (T60).
But then it all came together at Greenbrier this weekend.
"It’s beyond words," said Crushers GC captain DeChambeau, who finished at 23-under par. "I’ve been working so hard for a long time, and I knew something special was going to come at some point. I just didn’t know when."
The key ingredient to Bryson's success at White Sulphur Springs in West Virginia was without question the addition of his brand new Krank Golf Formula Fire Driver.
DeChambeau said his new weapon of choice is "the best I've ever had in the past five years in professional golf for me."
There's a reason why @b_dechambeau's team is called @Crushers_GC #LIVGolf pic.twitter.com/ImDbDmTuJ0
— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) August 6, 2023
Bryson DeChambeau has a new driver in the bag this week and it’s given him so much confidence he feels like he doesn’t need to grind as hard down the range anymore.
“Ever since I put this driver into play, it’s not been really my golf swing. It’s just hit on the toe, hit on the… pic.twitter.com/ftGnlanui9
— Flushing It (@flushingitgolf) August 6, 2023
Bryson confirmed the performance of his new Krank Golf Driver has given him so much confidence right now that it has allowed him to spend less time grinding on the range.
When speaking to my good friend Bobby Bradley, who runs Long Drivers on Instagram and works closely with DeChambeau, he messaged me today to say "Bryson is cruising between 188 and 192mph ball speed with the driver and centre punching them with very little effort."
Bobby added: "The Krank head he's using doesn't migrate which means the bulge and roll won't change until thousands and thousands of hits... he's just so excited about this driver I can't tell you... a ton of effortless speed and tight dispersion."
DeChambeau reiterated all of that when he spoke to reporters about his new driver:
According to Krank Golf's latest advert for the Formula Fire Driver, it can "add 25 to 40 more yards" to a player's distance.
That was evident when DeChambeau hit the longest drive of the final round down the par-4 6th at 351.5 yards.
DeChambeau was seen dropping a number of bombs long and straight all week at LIV Golf Greenbrier.
He was equally impressive on the greens with his SIK Pro C-Series Armlock putter helping him roll in 13 birdies in the final round.
Bryson needed just 23 putts on Sunday.
A hot driver and a hot putter is a lethal combination for a man with as much talent as DeChambeau, and I don't think Johnson will be able to resist all that come the end of the month, especially when he considers his options for the fourballs and foursomes at Marco Simone Golf Club - a venue that will place a premium on long, straight drives... and a hot putter as always.
Another reason I think DeChambeau is a must for the US Ryder Cup team this season is the European crowd. They will act like a 13th man for Luke Donald's side as they go in search of regaining the famous golf trophy. DeChambeau won't care how loud it gets, he will thrive on all that.
Should LIV Golf’s ‘Mr. 58’ Bryson DeChambeau be on the U.S. Ryder Cup team?
pic.twitter.com/sWbxdaZUqg— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) August 8, 2023
As for who I would partner DeChambeau with in Rome, I think given they are now best buds all of a sudden, you would have to pair him with fellow LIV Golf pro Koepka. It would make most sense to me given the current PGA Tour, LIV Golf divide in the game.
You would have got good odds on that last season!
For me, Bryson is very much a confidence player. He's always liked to do things differently. Sometimes he goes missing as he is always tinkering with something new, perhaps a little too much for his own good. But when he's on, he's on and without question one of the most natural talents the game has seen over the last five years.
We all saw that this weekend. To shoot 61 and then follow it up with a magical round of 58 when it matters most at crunch time proves everything you need to know about the man they call 'The Scientist'.
Captain Johnson certainly has something of a dilemma on his hands right now, but for me the equation is very simple.
BD (61 + 58) = RC
Bryson is off to the Ryder Cup.
At least if I was captain.
Will Bryson DeChambeau make the US Ryder Cup team? What did you make of his final-round 58 at Greenbrier? Share your thoughts and comments over on the GolfMagic social media channels.
Will Bryson make the US Ryder Cup team?
— GolfMagic (@GolfMagic) August 6, 2023
