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DeChambeau powers to Rocket Mortgage Classic title

[July 06, 2020] Bryson DeChambeau completed a solid week with a final-round 7-under 65 to win the Rocket Mortgage Classic by three shots over Matthew Wolff on Sunday in Detroit.

DeChambeau carded eight birdies and one bogey in his final trip around Detroit Golf Club to finish at 23-under 265. It is his sixth career PGA Tour victory.

DeChambeau finished strong with three consecutive birdies. The run began when he sank a 30-foot putt on the 16th hole.

"It was massive," DeChambeau said of the putt in an interview with CBS. "There were so many putts that I made today that if they don't go in I don't have that opportunity. I played really well on the front nine. Then on the back nine I got a little tight and didn't hit the drivers the way I wanted to.

"... I was able to preserve, adapt and overcome and improvise and do my best to make three birdies coming in to win."

DeChambeau, who bulked up while golf was on hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, averaged 350.6 yards per drive for the week, including 360.5 on Sunday.

According to the Golf Channel, the tournament figure is the longest average by a winning golfer since the PGA Tour began using ShotLink to measure distance, surpassing Tiger Woods' mark of 341.5 while prevailing The (British) Open in 2005.

"As much as I want to be selfish, it's really not. It's the exact opposite," the 26-year-old DeChambeau said. "I wanted people to see a different playing style of the game. I knew there was an opportunity to do that and I wanted to show people if you work hard enough and do your absolute best, you give everything you've got, you can achieve amazing things and that's what I was able to do."

DeChambeau has finished in the top 10 in all four events since PGA Tour play resumed. Overall, he has seven consecutive top-10 placements.

Wolff took a three-shot lead into the final found but sabotaged his chance to win with five bogeys over his first 10 holes.

Overall, he had six birdies and five bogeys en route to a 71. Four of the birdies came over the final seven holes.

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"I feel like I'm always in the tournament," Wolff told CBS. "... I probably would have liked to make it a little more interesting but I'm really taking a lot of positives out of today. I don't think I'm shaming myself and worrying about the bad start I got off to."

This was the 21-year-old Wolff's first top-10 finish on the tour since he won the 3M Open 12 months ago.

Wolff said he learned some lessons due to the slow start.

"If you don't get off to the best start, golf is so long," Wolff said. "One round is 18 holes and five hours. It's a long time. There are so many shots that you're hitting so you can't let a little affect you. Next time I'm in this position, I will feel more comfortable."

Kevin Kisner shot 66 and finished third at 18-under 270. Kisner made six birdies during a bogey-free round.

Kisner joked that DeChambeau's ability to exercise and bulk up is a product of being single.

"He just has too much time on his hands," Kisner said. "He needs to start getting married and having kids and feel like the rest of us."

Ryan Armour (72), Canada's Adam Hadwin (67), and England's Tyrrell Hatton (68) and Danny Willett (66) tied for fourth at 16 under.

Webb Simpson (70) was one of four golfers who tied for eighth place at 15 under. Maverick McNealy (66), Troy Merritt (71) and Austria's Sepp Straka (67) were the other three.

Rickie Fowler (67) was one of nine golfers who tied for 12th at 14-under 274.

Tony Finau (74) and South Korea's Sungjae Im (70) were among the group who finished at 9-under 279.

--Field Level Media

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