Tuesday 7 July 2020 12:46, UK
Bryson DeChambeau believes his latest victory at the Rocket Mortgage Classic validates his decision to make radical changes to his physique and golfing style.
DeChambeau ended a 20-month winless run on the PGA Tour with a three-stroke victory, posting a round-of-the-day 65 to overturn a three-shot deficit on the final day in Detroit.
The victory, DeChambeau's sixth on the PGA Tour, came off the back of six consecutive worldwide top-10s - including in each of the previous three weeks - with the world No 10 delighted to return to the winner's circle.
"Anytime you get so close for a few times and you don't win, it obviously makes you think," DeChambeau said. "So you've got to realize I'm human, I make mistakes, we all make mistakes.
"I think that's the beauty of every player out here is that we are all human, and even though we may think a certain way, even though we may believe a certain thing, it doesn't always pan out that way and I think that's what makes the game of golf so unique and so cool.
"I did not know if I was going to win today, I had no idea, and I would have been okay either way. I would have still been going on and grinding and working as hard as I possibly can. But it is definitely validating and it's exciting to be able to win having a whole different body."
DeChambeau gained over three stone in weight over the last nine months - mostly in muscle - as part of a "long-term investment" to increase his chances of major success, with the American pleased to see his hard work starting to be rewarded.
"This is a little emotional for me because I did do something a little different," DeChambeau added. "I changed my body, changed my mindset in the game and I was able to accomplish a win while playing a completely different style of golf.
"And it's pretty amazing to see that and I hope it's an inspiration to a lot of people that if they set their mind to it, you can accomplish it. It just takes a lot of hard work, a lot of figuring out things that you may not know and understand yet.
"If you keep going down the line and you keep working on it, figuring stuff out, eventually you'll get a little bit better each and every day and hopefully that leads to something great in the end.
DeChambeau's added distance off the tee, particularly with the driver, continues to be one of the major talking points on the PGA Tour, although the 26-year-old believes it could take some time for other players to trial similar changes to their game.
"I think the most important thing is that I've shown people that there's another way to do it and there's going to be other people trying to come up and do it that way," DeChambeau said.
"Whether it translates on the PGA Tour, I don't think so. I think guys are going to play their game, they're going to keep doing what they're doing, trying to utilize their biggest tools in their tool bag to play their best golf.
"For me, I think there are going to be people trying to hit it a little harder, some of them, but at the end of the day, it's going to take a generation for this to all evolve into something different.
"I really think there are going to be a lot more players down the road trying to hit it as far as they possibly can, and straight."