Bryson DeChambeau has accepted an invitation to compete in the Professional Long Drivers Association World Championship in Mesquite, Nev., on Sept. 27.
DeChambeau posted on Instagram that he believes that long-drive competitions are an opportunity to help grow the game of golf.
“I want to show the world how incredibly talented and hard working these athletes are,” DeChambeau said on Instagram. “I’ve been working hard to get my game up to their speeds so I have a chance but will still continue to play my best golf with my regular day job.”
DeChambeau is ranked first on the PGA Tour in driving distance, averaging 321.5 yards per drive. His longest drive of the season came in the second round of the Sentry Tournament on the 12th hole, where he hit the ball 414 yards.
That was good for the fifth-longest drive of the season. Lee Westwood is at No. 1, hitting a 425-yard drive at the Byron Nelson. That drive is only 1 yard ahead of one by Cameron Champ, who went 424 yards on the seventh hole at the Sentry.
Those numbers are good for the PGA Tour, but DeChambeau is going to have his work cut out for him on the Professional Long Drive circuit. Kyle Berkshire is the No. 1-ranked long driver in the men’s division and has a long competitive drive of 474 yards that he hit in March 2017.
DeChambeau is known for tracking his clubhead speed and ball speed while trying to increase his numbers to their maximum potential to get the maximum distance. He leads the PGA Tour in ball speed and clubhead speed, but he hasn’t yet gotten his ball speed over 200 mph in a tournament.
Berkshire has recorded a highest ball speed of 228.5 mph and a highest swing speed of 152.6 mph.
DeChambeau sought out Berkshire in the offseason to ask advice on how to hit faster and, ultimately, further. Now DeChambeau will be competing against Berkshire in an attempt to surpass and supplant the No. 1-ranked long driver in the world.