When you look at the John Deere Classic it’s not exactly the premier event on the PGA Tour but if you asked Bryson DeChambeau what the event means, you might well get a stoic defence.
DeChambeau was the new kid on the block back in 2017 and was very much in the midst of tinkering with his game as the nickname ‘The Mad Scientist’ was born.
However, after missing a large number of cuts in a row, DeChambeau finally got things right as he won the John Deere Classic in ’17 to get his first career win.
The win kickstarted things for ‘Bryson’, as he went on to win five more times in 2018 before having another two year lean spell before winning the US Open in 2020.
For DeChambeau, getting that first career win was massive. And at the time, he himself felt it had very much vindicated his methods.
Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images
Any win in professional golf is a big milestone but to get your first PGA Tour victory is massive.
For Bryson DeChambeau, there was even more at stake though as his meticulous methods in reading putts, eyeing up shots, and everything else was being scrutinised.
Indeed, when he had it put to him that those methods had finally paid off, DeChambeau admitted he felt satisfied at getting some proof.
“Yes, it is vindication I think. It’s definitely nice to have me win under such conditions. There has been a lot of talk. I had somebody say, Go back and get your old clubs or whatever. This week out here there was somebody that said that,” DeChambeau commented.
“Happens every week. I just throw it to the side and say, Don’t even worry about it. You’re going down the road you’ve chosen and you’re comfortable with it, and you know it’s going to in the end be the right thing.”
Asked to explain just why he does what he does to try and improve, DeChambeau explained his methods.
“Well, I try and make a very complex variable game and try to understand it, to understand every single variable in this whole game of golf,” he continued.
“It’s very, very difficult. But as time goes on, the more you can understand the variables the more consistent you can become just by understanding them. That’s what we’ve tried to accomplish. It’s a very difficult thing to do, and not very many people — I think the closest anybody ever came was Tiger. Tiger was closest to understanding every situation to everything in the game of golf.
“I look at him as kind of a hero for that. He was the closest to ever come. He probably did it for quite a while. He figured it out, how to hit certain wedge shots into certain flags with a certain spin, certain trajectory. He just knew it. He could do it with his hands. He trained his hands. It was unbelievable.
“I’ve always wanted to try and accomplish that, but I just go about it in a very methodical, scientific method research kind of a way, right? I was a physics major in college, and I just kind of understood how to do the scientific method and understand what I need to accomplish out there in order to get all those variables watched.”
Bryson DeChambeau’s PGA Tour wins
DeChambeau was always going to get the wins at some point but this milestone moment at the John Deere Classic was where it all began for him.
The American has gone on to win eight more times on the PGA Tour before departing for LIV, with two US Open titles to his name within those eight.
He’s also won a few biggies as well, bringing home The Memorial in 2018 and the Arnold Palmer in 2021 prior to his exit.
Other wins at the Shriners, Northern Trust, Dell Tech Championship and Rocket Mortgage Classic mean the CV for DeChambeau is quite impressive.
Add on his success on LIV since moving as well, and it paints a picture of one of the best golfers of this generation.