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MEMPHIS, Tenn. – For almost two months, nothing was easy for Bryson DeChambeau.
The latest example came on Sunday at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational, where the eight-time PGA Tour winner saw a chance to win evaporate with a few balls in the water on the last nine.
His 4 stunts at par on the last nine holes cost him a chance in a sudden death playoff at TPC Southwind, won by Abraham Ancer.
He finished with a 4-on-par 74 per day after shooting 63 on Saturday, falling tied for eighth, and left after another frustrating week that saw him criticized for answering questions about his positive test. COVID-19 which kept him from playing in the Olympics.
DeChambeau, 27, declined media interviews that were printed all week in response to the backlash and was unavailable after the round on Sunday.
It started well enough with birdies at two of the first three holes on Sunday to give him the lead with Harris English, and he followed his first bogey with another birdie.
Then he got a break when his tee shot at the sixth par 4 was barely within bounds – this required a decision with officials using a string to determine the part of the ball was in play – then he got a drop free. because the ball was against a temporary chain-link fence. And it got even better, as his position would have been on a cart track, giving him extra relief.
But DeChambeau couldn’t take advantage of it, striking his next blow into a tree, leading to a bogey. Soon he and English received a slow play warning and then started to be timed on the 11th hole.
DeChambeau found water at the 10th and 11th holes, the second leading to a triple bogey 6.
“It’s just hard to rush like that,” said English, who was fourth and missed the playoffs all at once after shooting 73. We were warned on the top nine and it’s hard to catch up. I did double on 11, Bryson did triple and you can’t make up for that. From noon, I had the impression that we were running.
“And it’s tough there – the wind picks up. Obviously there are some really good pins here. You’re trying to win a championship and it’s tough. I don’t really like to speed up like that or feel like I’m rushed, but I need to improve at that. ”
DeChambeau is known to be meticulous on the course, but he had his difficulties on Sunday that explain it. He only touched five of the 14 fairways and only eight of the 18 greens.
Ahead of the tournament, DeChambeau said he lost “8 to 10 pounds” as a result of his positive COVID-19 test and had only resumed training a few days before.
“I’m not really expecting much,” he said. “I go out and try to go a whole week and feel comfortable and then start over and get my golf swing to a place where I am comfortable. So maybe some expectations. weaker this week. ”
And yet, he played pretty well for three rounds, shooting scores of 65, 66 and 63.
After each round, DeChambeau declined to speak to reporters due to the attention paid to his comments on his battle with COVID-19 and vaccines. Three reporters – one from ESPN, Golfweek and Golf Channel – told him about what happened.
“The vaccine doesn’t necessarily prevent this from happening,” DeChambeau said on Wednesday. “I’m quite young, I’d rather give it away [the vaccine] to people who need it. I do not need it. I am a young and healthy person who will continue to work on my health.
“I don’t think taking the vaccine away from someone who needs it is a good thing. My dad is a perfect example. He got it (the vaccine) very early on because he has diabetes. People like they need to receive it. My Mum has understood that. I don’t want to take that ability away from her.
“Now over time, if it (the vaccine) is common, really, really common, then yes.”
DeChambeau received a lot of criticism, especially on social media, for the comments because the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said vaccines are readily and abundantly available in the United States, and the majority of cases of COVID-19 last week – – over 90% – are among those unvaccinated.
It was just another example of the drama that haunted DeChambeau for months.
In addition to the ongoing rivalry with Brooks Koepka, he shot 44 over the last nine holes at Torrey Pines while leading the US Open and fell to a tie for 26th place; he parted ways with his longtime junior, Tim Tucker, before the Rocket Mortgage Classic, where he missed the cut; he frustratedly called out his gear, claiming his “driver sucks” after the Open’s first round, causing Cobra, its gear maker and endorser, to step back.
And then he tested positive for COVID-19, knocking him out of the Olympics.
It was generally a good week for DeChambeau, although it was difficult to swallow a return nine that denied him a chance at victory. He now has a week to regroup before the start of the FedEx Cup qualifiers, where he is seventh in the points standings.
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