‘Coming in at 350 pounds’ ... Bulked up DeChambeau becoming a Colonial fan favorite
Bryson DeChambeau couldn’t help but laugh when he walked to the No. 16 tee on Friday afternoon at Colonial Country Club.
And it had nothing to do with him being in the midst of another stellar round of golf that saw him shoot a second straight 5-under 65. DeChambeau is tied for second at 10-under going into the weekend at the Charles Schwab Challenge, 1 shot back of leader Harold Varner III.
But it’s DeChambeau’s new physique that has the golf world buzzing. He’s added 20 pounds of muscle this offseason and has been blasting drives 350-plus yards. So, when he stepped up to the par-3 16th by a house with a makeshift grandstand, a fan introduced DeChambeau as a 350-pounder from Dallas.
“I thought it was amazing what they did, saying I was coming in at 300 or whatever pounds, that was funny,” DeChambeau said, laughing. “I really enjoyed that. It’s fun to have people rooting for you every once in a while out there. We don’t get that very much right now.”
In reality, DeChambeau weighs somewhere between 235 and 240 pounds. That’s still quite a jump from his SMU days when he weighed just under 200 pounds. As DeChambeau put it, he’s gone from wearing size medium to extra-large.
But, hey, he’s taking the 300-some pound number from the fans in stride.
“You can say whatever you want,” he said. “I just put a 100-pound weight on my back, and there you go, I’m 350.”
DeChambeau’s play would have given fans plenty to cheer for. On No. 16, for instance, he drained a 15-footer to save par. That was part of Friday’s bogey-free round for DeChambeau.
DeChambeau will look to keep it going this weekend on a course he’s struggled at in the past. DeChambeau has been cut in three of four career Colonials, including last year’s tournament, with his best finish being a T42 in 2018.
“I’ve always liked this golf course, but for some reason I haven’t played my best here,” DeChambeaeu said. “I’m looking to change that this week.”
Going home
A few notable golfers failed to make the cut at 2-under this week, including three top-10 players.
No. 2 Jon Rahm, No. 5 Dustin Johnson and No. 9 Webb Simpson all missed the cut. In all, 67 of the 148 players will be playing on the weekend.
Other notable names who failed to make the weekend included Phil Mickelson (even par), Sergio Garcia (1-under), Rickie Fowler (2-over), Jason Day (2-over), Shane Lowry (4-over) and defending champion Kevin Na (1-under).
With Na failing to make the weekend, Ben Hogan will remain the tournament’s only repeat champion (1946-47 and 1952-53).
And, outside of Jordan Spieth and DeChambeau, it wasn’t a great tournament for local players. TCU products Tom Hoge, J.J. Henry and Franklin Corpening all missed the cut, as did Colleyville residents Ryan Palmer and Chad Campbell.
Briefly
▪ Zach Johnson’s tournament scoring record of 21-under (259) set in 2010 could be broken this weekend. Said Johnson: “If conditions stay like this, with how the winds are supposed to be, especially in the morning, it wouldn’t surprise me.”
▪ The hardest hole through the first two rounds has been the par-3 fourth. There have only been 15 birdies on it thus far.
▪ Former Colonial champions Keith Clearwater (1987) and David Frost (1997) had the dubious distinction of posting the worst scores of the tournament. Both were 15-over after two rounds. Clearwater hasn’t made a cut since 2001 and hasn’t shot par or better in a round since 2013.
This story was originally published June 12, 2020 at 6:42 PM.
