On Friday he looked set to fall out in the round of 16 before he unleashed a 394-yard monster shot to win his fifth and final set – enough to get him through to the final eight on the bubble. His best drive of the day came in the first set of the round of 16 when he topped out at 406-yards and recorded an incredible 219 mph ball speed.
“I was super excited to get to the final eight. I never expected that in my first competition. I think I have shown the world that I can perform at these high speeds and still go play golf on the PGA TOUR,” DeChambeau said.
“It’s crazy. 220 is the next barrier. I am going to give myself a little bit of a break, I need to rest the body because I am shot beyond belief, but it was the best speed training session I could have ever had and competing against these guys was the best motivation I could have had. I am going to improve my strength and my body. I am nowhere near as big as these guys, and I’ve got to get up there.”
DeChambeau’s confidence reached fever pitch throughout the afternoon as he imagined taking his game on the PGA TOUR to consistent speeds that break the 200mph ball speed barrier. His accuracy in the Long Drive competition has only fueled that desire and he confirmed his goal was “over 200 ball speed every time I tee it up.”
He was second on TOUR last season averaging 190.72 mph ball speed, behind only Cameron Champ (190.94) but DeChambeau’s top mark was 199.55mph, ahead of Champ’s 198.25.
DeChambeau also led the TOUR in driving distance in 2020 (322.1) and 2021 (323.7) and he will seek further improvement in 2022.
“Getting to 219 ball speed out here was a dream come true. I never thought I’d get to that speed – I broke the barrier by three miles an hour faster than I’d ever gone in my entire life,” DeChambeau beamed.
