Bryson DeChambeau aims for Sweet 16 at Pro Long Drive Association World Championships

Update 5:18 p.m. For the first time in three days of competing and playing 15 sets with 90 total balls hit, DeChambeau finishes last in his final set of the day. It didn’t matter for the competition, but he uncharacteristically hit his first four balls OB.

He looked a bit fatigued, so we’ll see how he reacts in tomorrow’s marathon competition on the way to the final. But for now, a Ryder Cup golfer is also one of the 16 longest hitters in golf. And that’s an incredible accomplishment.

Update 5:00 p.m. Bryson is into the Round of 16 and Friday’s last day of competition at the Pro Long Drive Association World Championships. His fourth set was enough to qualify, and his fifth is just for show and seeding in tomorrow’s field.

Update 4:40 p.m. Bryson still has work to do, but if the day ended now he’d go through to the Round of 16.

Update 4:30 p.m. Bryson gets a first and a third in his first two sets of the day from Mesquite, Nevada.

So far in the 2021 Pro Long Drive Association World Championships, Bryson DeChambeau has hit 60 golf balls. From that we can start to ascertain that he’s only a threat to win on the PGA Tour, but also in the world of long drive as well.

In his two 16-man groups on Tuesday and Wednesday, DeChambeau finished second both times. He’ll need another sharp performance today to reach the Round of 16, as only eight of the 16 men in his flight will advance to Friday’s finals where the winner will be determined.

The Mesquite Regional Sports and Event Complex is hosting this championship, about an hour outside of Las Vegas. DeChambeau is scheduled as a part of Group 2, which starts at 6:45 p.m. ET.

If you want to watch DeChambeau and all the other competitors, you’ll need to watch on livestream here at the Youtube channel on the Professional Long Drivers Association, as there is no TV or broadcast coverage. We’ll follow Bryson’s progress and add any other times he’ll be competing if he advances past the opening rounds here as well.

We started with a total of 80 golfers competing, but are down to just 32. DeChambeau not only brings the ability to hit bombs, but he also is much more accurate than most of his competition. A big part of long drive is just “grip it and rip it,” but that also means plenty of balls that fail to reach the “grid” (the generously-sized fairway marked with yardages).

Since misses don’t count against competitors, as the longest ball on the grid after each player completes six swings in 150 seconds is all that is scored, you’ll see plenty of players putting four, five, or even six balls “OB” during their 2.5 minutes. But DeChambeau balances talent with great pace and accuracy.

We’ll have updates here on his progress again today.