Bryson DeChambeau reaches last 16 at Professional Long Drivers of America World Championships
DeChambeau won two of his five sets to finish tied-fourth in his 16-man group on Thursday and qualify for the final day; former US Open champion's appearance comes just days after helping Team USA to Ryder Cup victory.
Saturday 2 October 2021 15:38, UK
Bryson DeChambeau continued his impressive debut at the Professional Long Drivers Association World Championship by easing through to the last 16 in Nevada.
The former US Open champion is one of 80 players competing for the Open Division title at the Mesquite Regional Sports and Event Complex, with DeChambeau already progressing through three rounds to qualify for the final day's play.
DeChambeau hit a 412-yard drive during Tuesday's action and finished second in a 16-man group the following day to ease through to the next round, with the eight-time PGA Tour winner then finishing in a four-tie for fourth in his group on Thursday to extend his week.
There were two groups of 16 in action, with only the top eight in each moving on to Friday, with every player competing in five sets consisting of six balls. Points were earned based on how a player finished in each set against three different competitors from the same group, round-robin style, with a win earning 200 points and the subsequent places worth 100, 50 and 25 respectively.
DeChambeau recovered from hitting his first three tee shots out of bounds to hit a 358-yard effort with his fifth ball to win the opening set, before finishing third and second over his next two sets.
The 28-year-old, fresh from helping Team USA to a record-breaking victory at the Ryder Cup last week, then hit a 333-yard final drive with a mammoth 214mph ball speed to win his fourth set and send him through to the Championship rounds.
Strong headwinds prevented the field from matching Tuesday's distances, with DeChambeau's 359-yard drive during his third set the longest of the day. DeChambeau then finished fourth in the final set, conserving energy for the marathon final day.
The remaining 16 players will compete in two groups of eight, beginning at 3.45pm local time (11.45pm BST) and following the same format as the previous days, with the top four in each then progressing to the quarter-finals.
The qualifiers will be reseeded into two groups of four where they will compete again, leaving the top two from each group to make it to the final group of four. The top two from that group will then move on to a head-to-head final for the World Championship title.
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