Bryson DeChambeau: A Different Kind Of Star?

For those who channel surfed between the Wyndham Championship and the U.S. Amateur, you know there were times you could go to CBS, see two or three shots, maybe a promo too, then head back to Fox only to see the same player lining up a putt who was mulling the final shot of his life when you switched channels.

It was a dreadful display all week by most of the U.S. Amateur contestants and shocking that the USGA, doing a lot of potentially exciting research into how to solve slow play issues and with three referees for the final match, continuing to take the matter lightly at times when people are (actually) watching. Sad, too, because the 2015 U.S. Amateur was won in stunning fashion by Bryson DeChambeau, an exciting, offbeat, homemade, diligent and captivating young talent whose win lost a little luster due to his dreadful pace (the final match took nearly three hours to play the afternoon 12 holes).

But let's not dwell on a win that may be looked back on some day should DeChambeau go on to do bigger and more incredible things, as his drive and talent suggest. Oh wait, one other point: young guns, you need to either use a yardage book or a rangefinder. Using both, and handing the rangefinder back and forth but then doing the math on paper? Absurd. But thanks for the proof that rangefinders would not make high level golf faster, just more expensive (for some).

Ryan Lavner at GolfChannel.com files a really superb read on DeChambeau's definitive 7&6 U.S. Amateur win over Derek Bard, capping off a week where Bryson played Olympia Fields in 19-under-par.

Five days of national-television exposure have made clear what the rankings do not: DeChambeau is the best amateur in the world, a part-mad scientist, part-artist who can mow down opponents with machine-like efficiency.

That’s been the goal, after all, ever since the curious 15-year-old began studying Homer Kelly’s “The Golfing Machine,” a teaching manual that allows a player to build his own swing with 24 components and 144 variations.

The swing DeChambeau built is unorthodox looking, with high hands at address and little wrist cock at the top, but it’s steady and, most importantly, easily repeatable.

Dave Shedloski on the amazing summer of Bryson, who heads back to SMU as a senior. It'll be interesting to see where the cerebral golfer goes from here.

Lance Ringler at Golfweek.com with a list of US Amateur and NCAA Champions. DeChambeau becomes the fifth to win both in the same year.

Chris Keane's USGA photo gallery is worth viewing because (A) there are some great shots and (B) there is not a single token shot of an Executive Committee member.

Jessica Marksbury interviews the champion for the USGA's coverage.