DeChambeau Drives to 3-Shot Win in Detroit

Bryson DeChambeau simply muscled his way to victory in the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

The 26-year-old DeChambeau, who averaged more than 350 yards off the tee for the week, closed with a 7-under-par 65 to claim his sixth PGA Tour victory by three strokes over Matthew Wolff at Detroit Golf Club.

“I was able to use the simulator at home during the (Caronavirus) quarantine, and that definitely helped,” said DeChambeau, from Clovis, Calif., who has put on 40 pounds of muscle over the last eight months. “I hope everyone appreciates all the hard work I’ve put in. It’s great to see it all pay off.

“I figured out something in my driving a couple of days ago and hit it well all week, except on the front nine today, but regained it on the back. I’m hitting the ball a long way and keeping it in the fairway.

“I made so many putts today and had three birdies (on the last three holes) coming in to finish it off.”

DeChambeau, who started the week at No. 10 in the World Golf Rankings and will move up after posting his seventh straight top-10 finish, collected four birdies on each nine while carding a score of 23-under 265.

His long drives left him with much short shots into the greens than anyone else in the field and he took advantage of it for his 12th consecutive round in the 60s.

Wolff, 21, who eagled the last hole of regulation to beat DeChambeau in the 3M Open last year for his first and so far only PGA Tour victory, started the day with a three-stroke lead.

However, he fell back with five bogeys on the first 10 holes before making four birdies in six holes on the back nine to shoot 71.

“I feel like I’m always in the tournament and can make so many birdies in a row,” said Wolff, who is from Agoura Hills and won the 2019 NCAA individual championship while at Oklahoma State. “It was definitely a struggle today, but I never gave up.

“I didn’t worry about not winning when I got off to a bad start, I just tried to get back to what I was doing the rest of the week. I hit some good birdie putts that just didn’t go in and left an eagle putt on the lip.

“I’ll learn from this and be more comfortable the next time I’m in this position.”

Kevin Kisner posted a bogey-free 66 to finish five shots back in solo third, while Danny Willett of England also had a 66 and was two more behind in a tie for fourth with Adam Hadwin of Canada, who had a 67, Tyrrell Hatton of England, who totaled 68, and Ryan Armour, who struggled to a 72.

Sixth-ranked Webb Simpson, who won the RBC Heritage in his last start, finished with a 70 and was eight down in a tie for eighth with Maverick McNealy of Portola Valley and Stanford, who posted a 66, Sepp Straka of Austria, who had a 67, and Troy Merritt, who came in at 72.

For complete results, visit https://www.pgatour.com/leaderboard.html

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