Rocket Mortgage Classic final leaderboard https://www.pgatour.com/competition/2020/rocket-mortgage-classic/leaderboard.html
Adam Hadwin was never going to win, starting Sunday 8 shots off the lead, but his final round -5 67 capped off a steady week (67 69 69 67 -16) good enough to T4 seven shots behind the runaway winner Bryson DeChambeau who bombed his way around the Detroit GC 66 67 67 65 -23.
Matthew Wolff (71) finished 2nd at -20 for his first top 10 in a year. Adam was joined in 4th by Danny Willett, Ryan Armour and Tyrrell Hatton.
DeChambeau is the lightning rod of the men's pro game. " He's changed the entire way the game is played" said Kevin Kisner who shot 66 in 3rd.
He is certainly annoying at best to many. His slow play and scientific approach raise the ire of players and fans alike. I don't disagree with any of that.
However, I remember John Daly with "his rip it and grip it" winning the PGA Championship as an alternative at 21, and shortly after, the Open in a playoff at St Andrews. He was the first guy to get on 600 yard par 5's in two and his Arnie Palmer go for broke approach attracted a legion of fans.
However John played fast, and lived hard and that "there but for the grace of God go I" everyman approach struck a sympathetic cord with the great unwashed masses. His generous nature stood him in good stead with the public as his demons took over his game and he became a side show until he finally found a home on the Champions Tour at 50.
DeChambeau is a different story, he doesn't have the same public appeal. Big and brash, completely self absorbed, he doesn't drink and smoke to excess, in fact he's the opposite, spending all his time in the gym, following a well thought out weight lifters diet and on or around the golf course, using all of the futuristic equipment and data at his disposal, experimenting with club design and adding a god given talent, to produce what we see today.
Gary Player said years ago when talking about the change in equipment from the persimmon woods he played with, that some day men would stand on a tee and smash 400 yard drives if something wasn't done to protect the great golf courses by restricting the ball. That may be the ultimate answer.
However, Bryson is not going to win every week with his approach, and he doesn't drive the ball, or hit his irons and wedges any better or much further than Rory or DJ and a whole host of lesser known pros. He still has to score his ball.
Also remember he only has one focus now, golf. He hasn't been seriously injured with any of the game's health issues, back, knees, wrists. He isn't married yet nor become a father which is a big game changer, he hasn't tired of the travel, the grind or the adulation.
So for now let's just enjoy the attention he brings to the game, bad or good and keep in mind that golf has survived and excelled through all the eras, and all the changes they have produced, and all the players who have glittered on her fairways and greens, and no doubt will continue to do so when Bryson is watching it from his spaceship, years from now..
Bryan Angus
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