Bryson DeChambeau confirms landmark driver switch at U.S. Open

We've come to associate Bryson DeChambeau almost solely with niche equipment manufacturers of late, but word has emerged today that the American may well be on the verge of putting one of golf's most desirable mass-market clubs in the bag.

DeChambeau's major struggles have been well-publicised this year, and his mad scientist approach to equipment – which has seen him work almost exclusively with smaller brands like Avoda, LA Golf and Krank in recent years – has been a bone of contention among onlookers as a result. 

Now, he's made a huge change to his bag in an attempt to regain some of his former major-winning form, turning to a new prototype TaylorMade driver in a seismic coup for the company.

While it's unlikely that DeChambeau, who was last contracted with Cobra in a full-bag equipment deal, will sign on with the brand as a staff player, he's been confirmed as the driving force behind two new TaylorMade Qi4D variants have appeared suddenly on the USGA Conforming list this week, one of which he debuted during Thursday's opening round to great effect.

The drivers are simply named the Qi4D Proto 200+ Version 1 and 2, the second of which DeChambeau currently has in the bag. Both are built in an uber-low loft, each coming set at just seven degrees – similar to DeChambeau's former Krank Golf driver.

Golf.com equipment insider Jack Hirsh got the scoop on the story behind DeChambeau's switch, with TaylorMade Tour rep Adrian Rietveld revealing that the company and DeChambeau actually have a long-term relationship.

“We’ve been speaking to Bryson for years about stuff, ideas,” Rietveld told the website.

“Independent of the conversations we were having with Bryson, we were going down this path of prototyping drivers to, you know, as we always try to stay ahead of things for players of that immense speed that we’re seeing emerge in golf,” Brian Bazzel, TaylorMade’s vice president of product creation, continued.

“The stars aligned a bit as we were going down this path of exploration on sort of a concept car prototype, and then he started inquiring, getting a little bit more serious.”

The driver itself shares many of the core features of the retail Qi4D, including its carbon face and sole plate, however it also has a few key differences. The head has been smoothened and reshaped to improve aerodynamics, the centre of gravity pushed further forward, and the Qi4D's signature Twist Face given a bigger bulge to help DeChambeau manage mishits at his superhuman swing speeds.

“You’re designing to zero tolerance, and then you also have the benefit of the consistency of the face,” said Rietveld.

“Bryson hits a lot of drivers. Bryson hits a lot of balls at high speed. That driver will hold its shape and hold everything for thousands of shots.”

The new driver also marks DeChambeau's final departure from the LA Golf shafts he was previously using: a relic from his former partnership with the brand. The TaylorMade comes fitted with a Project X Titan Black 70TX shaft instead.