FORT WORTH (Texas) • At the end of last year, Bryson DeChambeau had a big and strong New Year's resolution that he wanted to fulfil.
"I'm going to come back next year and look like a different person," the 26-year-old American said in October. "Bigger. Way stronger, just stronger in general. I am going to look a lot bigger."
During the PGA Tour's three-month shutdown owing to the coronavirus pandemic, he had plenty of time to work on his physique, and true to his word, he has now gone up nearly two sizes in his apparel.
"I felt like it was time to not only just sit back and enjoy life but attack life,'' said the golfer, who gained 9kg (20 pounds) during the lockdown as he sought to add more clubhead speed and distance in his drives.
On Friday Challenge at the Colonial Golf Course in Fort Worth, Texas - the first event as golf returns from its slumber - he attracted so much attention that those watching him were left guessing his weight.
"They were quite a bit off. They said like something around 350 (pounds) area. I'm only 235 to 240 right now," said DeChambeau, who was tied-second at 10-under 130 alongside Jordan Spieth. Both had carded consecutive five-under 65s.
DeChambeau added: "My ultimate goal is to get as strong as I can. I don't know what that weight is. I'm just going to keep proportionally making everything stronger, applying force and speed to the golf swing to see what it can handle."
Dubbed the Mad Scientist by many for his calculated approach to golf, the physics major spent time and effort in the gym to gain the mass to become the Incredible Hulk, and it has paid off for him.
He is leading the field in driving distance with a 300.4-yard average, and he feels it is not even close to what he is capable of on a course that would allow for more drivers.
"Quite honestly I can't use it (his increased speed) out here. There's only a couple of holes I can use it, No. 11 and No. 1 and No. 2 really," he said of his distance gains during an interview with the Golf Channel.
He and Spieth were one stroke back from Harold Varner, who fired a 66 to reach 129. World No. 1 Rory McIlroy fired a 63, the low round on Friday, to join Collin Morikawa (67) and Xander Schauffele (66) in a share of third on 131.
Some players were rusty after the layoff. Those who missed the cut included world No. 2 Jon Rahm; fifth-ranked Dustin Johnson; 31st-ranked Kevin Na, the defending champion; and two-time Colonial winner Phil Mickelson.
But the PGA Tour's hiatus was a blessing in disguise for Spieth, 26, who had ample time to work on his swing and mental game.
He admitted overthinking had been his biggest nemesis over the last two years - it has been almost three years since he last won a PGA Tour event - and said he relished using the downtime to free his mind of swing mechanics and allowed himself to "take time off from grinding, have some fun".
Once considered the sport's "next big thing" after two Major titles in 2015 and reaching No. 1 in the world, he has since spiralled downward to his current ranking of 56th.
But his knowledge of the course, which is just a 30-minute drive from his Dallas home, puts him in contention this weekend, as he has compensated for ball striking mistakes with composed and creative scrambling around the greens.
Starting on the back nine on Friday, he was six under through 11 holes, but then four-putted for double bogey on No. 3 and bogeyed No. 4. But he bounced back with birdie putts from 16 feet at the fifth and 12 feet at the sixth.
"I did a really good job of staying very neutral where I'd been kind of getting really negative or down on myself in the past," he said.
"There wasn't a huge swing of emotions. I stayed calm."
NYTIMES, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
