A new tee was added in 2002 as part of the club’s so-called Tiger-proofing of the course. Led by Woods, the longer players were hitting short-iron second shots. During the 2014 tournament, the long-hitting Bubba Watson found the green with his second shot using a wedge.
What makes DeChambeau intriguing though is his focus on the technical side of the game. He talks about the game as both artistic and technical. The physics major naturally was attracted to a vintage book on instruction, Homer Kelly’s The Golfing Machine. Years ago a Kelly disciple named Bobby Clampett splashed on the scene, managing one tournament win and a bunch of top-10 finishes in 15 years on the Tour. DeChambeau can only hope his technical approach can milk more success from the game than Clampett.