SANDWICH, England – Tiger Woods’ victory at the 2006 Open Championship is considered the seminal links performance in the modern era.
In ’06 at Hoylake, Woods hit just one driver and won by two strokes thanks to a sublime long-iron game. It’s a style of play that defies the modern game, particularly the modern game that Bryson DeChambeau plays, but on Tuesday when asked if he would consider a similar controlled approach this week at Royal St. George’s, he seemed open to the idea.
“One thousand percent, no doubt,” DeChambeau said. “I think what [Woods] showcased is an awesome ability to play it on the ground, play links on the ground, which is the way it should be played, I personally think as well, albeit I do something completely different.”
DeChambeau’s hard-swinging approach may be dialed back this week. He talked of laying up (or back) off the tee at Nos. 3, 5, 8 and 14 as well as the dangers of hitting into rough that is on the healthy side of dense.
“There's definitely still a lot of places [to lay up],” he said. “I'm not going to be hitting drivers too tight up in that little corridor.”