McIlroy On DeChambeau’s US Open Strategy: ‘Hard To Wrap My Head Around It’

The four-time Major winner says that Bryson DeChambeau is taking advantage of where golf is right now

McIlroy On DeChambeau’s US Open Strategy: ‘Hard To Wrap My Head Around It’

Rory McIlroy says he finds it hard to wrap his head around the fact that Bryson DeChambeau hit just 4 of his last 21 fairways to win the US Open.

The US Open is typically about who drives the ball the best with thick rough tending to lead to hack-outs and lay-ups, although DeChambeau, and Matthew Wolff as well, completely defied that theory.

Both men employed strategies to hit the ball as far up the hole as possible and if, more like when, they missed the fairway a wedge or a 9 iron was much easier to hit from the rough as opposed to a 7 or 6 iron.

“I don’t really know what to say because that’s just the complete opposite of what you think a US Open champion does,” Rory McIlroy, who was T3rd in both fairways hit and greens in regulation, said after his T8th finish.

“Look, he’s [DeChambeau] found a way to do it. Whether that’s good or bad for the game, I don’t know, but it’s not the way I saw this golf course being played or this tournament being played. It’s kind of hard to really wrap my head around it.”

DeChambeau was T26th in fairways hit for the week with just 41% – although that was 2% above average – and another standout stat was that Matthew Wolff hit just two fairways in his Saturday 65, the joint-lowest round of the week.

There has been lots of chat about the ball, golf equipment technology and the ‘bomb and gauge’ strategy employed by the likes of DeChambeau and Wolff, and McIlroy says that Bryson has taken advantage of where the game is at the moment.

“I think it’s brilliant, but I think he’s taken advantage of where the game is at the minute,” Rory said.

“Look, again, whether that’s good or bad, but it’s just the way it is. With the way he approaches it, with the arm-lock putting, with everything, it’s just where the game’s at right now.

“I’m not saying that’s right or wrong. He’s just taking advantage of what we have right now.”

Related: How social media reacted to Bryson DeChambeau’s US Open win

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