Golfer Bryson DeChambeau advances in long drive world championships

Bryson DeChambeau finished tied for second place in his group after the first day of the Professional Long Drivers Association World Championships in Mesquite, Nevada, averaging 406.2 yards on his five longest tee shots.

DeChambeau hit drives of 412, 408, 407, 403 and 401 yards on Tuesday to advance to the next round. The field on Wednesday will be narrowed from 64 to 32, with the top eight from each group advancing to Thursday, then down to the final 16 for Friday’s final round.

“I felt like I just won something today, I won a big PGA tournament, even though I just qualified for the next day, because it’s my first time,” DeChambeau said.

“It’s so exciting, it’s a bit of, I guess you could relate it to more of like a shot-putting exhibition or something, I think Olympics, where you’re just as hyped up as you possibly can be. So, being out there the first set was a little nerve wracking for me, I wasn’t comfortable. But going through the second, third, fourth, fifth, I just got more comfortable as time went on.”

His 412-yard drive was tied for third longest in his group with Josh Cassaday, who also had a 417-yard drive. Scottie Pearman, who leads the group, had a 413-yard drive.

Each competitor has five sets in which they each hit six balls. In each set, they compete directly against two or three other people. First place in that set gets 200 points, second place gets 100, third gets 50 and fourth 25.

DeChambeau had three firsts and two seconds to finish with 800 points, which was tied with Jim Waldron behind Pearman (900) in his group.

It has been a busy week for DeChambeau. After the United States’ victory in the Ryder Cup in Wisconsin, DeChambeau flew to Detroit on Tuesday to help announce an extended contract between the Rocket Mortgage Classic and the Detroit Golf Club. He then headed to Mesquite for the long drive competition.

DeChambeau was able to hit a 417-yard drive in the Ryder Cup on the par-5 fifth hole, so it’s not out of the question to think he’s still capable of hitting it farther than his 412 on Tuesday.

“I let my body rest for the whole week and all that adrenaline from the Ryder Cup, tried to save as much as possible so I could be ready for this week,” DeChambeau said. “It was a brutal emotional week in a positive way and we wanted to save some for this week, so I’m going to go back and rest and give it my best tomorrow.”