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Irish Times article about DeChambeau

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Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 13,863 ✭✭✭✭Dav010


    Ceepo wrote: »
    But I wonder if the whiff you actually damage that brand. I don't think tennis suffered to much long term when Kournikova was Busted.
    There is no doubt that as we speak young up and coming golfers are in the gym trying to bulk up after seeing the results that Bryson has had even if he doesn't win every tournament.
    You also have to remember that even when people do take Peds only a very few of them get caught even when they are tested. Remember Michelle was never caught doping, as was the most famous of the all Lance.
    It's well known that only the stupid or the ones that can't afford the "good" doctors get caught.
    For all the flaws with testing it does catch a few but you have to test in the first place.
    American sport is rife with Peds, just look at Baseball, football, ice hockey, athletics, cycling swimming, ufc, boxing, never mind the bodybuilders etc that frequent the gyms . Are we nieve enough to believe with all the money and prestige that comes with golf that there isn't a temptation.....

    I agree with you, the emphasis in golf now is about power off the tee and reaching par 5s in two. Also, with the additional strength, finding the fairway off the tee isn’t as important, these guys can still reach the green in regulation from the rough if they have a sight of it.

    I think the reputation of tennis has suffered as a result of Kournikova being busted, PEDs are not used just to improve performance, they are used to recover more quickly from injury and prolong careers.

    The tests always come after the dope, I think I’m right in saying that some athletes were found to have doped retrospectively when their samples were tested later when new tests were developed. Our own Stephen Roche was caught up in it long after his career had ended.

    In relation to baseball/NFL, these are primarily domestic US sports, and as we know, American audiences are very forgiving of athletes who are winners, you can be a doper, wife beater, felon etc, and they will forgive you, just about the only thing a US athlete can’t do nowadays is be racist.

    Golf is facing its biggest ever challenge due to distance the players now hit it. They can’t make 10k yrd courses because they don’t have the room and club members can’t play them. Nicklaus said last night he is going to do one more redesign of Muirfield to make it fairer for the members, that will make it easier for the pros, but that is what he has to do in his opinion for the club to survive. If the pros continue to increase length unchecked, he worries for the game and feels that equipment must be altered, which in turn creates problems for amateur golfers.

    The prospect of current golfers thinking they have to increase muscle substantially so they can compete must be terrifying, a golfer who is short off the tee is now at a huge disadvantage if they take 3 to hit the par 5s or have a 7 iron in their hands for a second shot instead of a wedge.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,840 ✭✭✭downthemiddle




  • Registered Users Posts: 13,863 ✭✭✭✭Dav010



    Just watched video of the incident, he made a bit of a dick of himself. Thought the rules official did well to stay calm with the way he was being spoken to. It least he didn’t attack the camera man this week.

    https://mobile.twitter.com/ukgolfguy?ref_src=twsrc^tfw|twcamp^tweetembed|twterm^1284243314380808192|twgr^&ref_url=https://d-41924075562709425146.ampproject.net/2007040248002/frame.html


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,088 ✭✭✭RikkFlair


    He is, the yanks say...."a piece of work"


  • Registered Users Posts: 308 ✭✭redhill


    Ceepo wrote: »
    But I wonder if the whiff you actually damage that brand. I don't think tennis suffered to much long term when Kournikova was Busted.
    There is no doubt that as we speak young up and coming golfers are in the gym trying to bulk up after seeing the results that Bryson has had even if he doesn't win every tournament.
    You also have to remember that even when people do take Peds only a very few of them get caught even when they are tested. Remember Michelle was never caught doping, as was the most famous of the all Lance.
    It's well known that only the stupid or the ones that can't afford the "good" doctors get caught.
    For all the flaws with testing it does catch a few but you have to test in the first place.
    American sport is rife with Peds, just look at Baseball, football, ice hockey, athletics, cycling swimming, ufc, boxing, never mind the bodybuilders etc that frequent the gyms . Are we nieve enough to believe with all the money and prestige that comes with golf that there isn't a temptation.....

    Lance was actually caught doping, French authorities let him off....


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  • Registered Users Posts: 20,323 ✭✭✭✭Rikand


    Harrington was on the radio last week and they asked him about it (newstalk I think) and he said, straight up, the numbers Bryson is pushing aren't that incredible. Ball speed and swing speed aren't that incredible compared to what can be done.

    He then compared him to someone like Kyle Berkshire, the long drive world champion. He hits ball speeds of 240, so what Bryson is doing isn't really all that incredible. It's like looking at usain bolt and then someone saying, well theres this other sprinter over here and hes gone from 12 seconds last year to 11 seconds this year for the 100m, something needs to be done about that! Whoever suggested that would be laughed at.

    Bryson was already swinging at 180ish last year. With the weight gain he can get that up to 190. And the weight gain can definitely be achieved if you have the time and motivation for it. The rest just isn't really that incredible in Harrington's opinion


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,155 ✭✭✭tritriagain


    Great time for Harrington but is he being diplomatic due to Ryder cup captaincy.? I find Bryson's increase hard to take. I know an international rugby player quite well and he's a big lad now but took him a long time to increase his size . Maybe Bryson is legit but surely he should be tested regularly along with everyone else. Pga tour is pure as the driven snow according to the pga tour.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 296 ✭✭Golf is my Game


    Great time for Harrington but is he being diplomatic due to Ryder cup captaincy.? I find Bryson's increase hard to take. I know an international rugby player quite well and he's a big lad now but took him a long time to increase his size . Maybe Bryson is legit but surely he should be tested regularly along with everyone else. Pga tour is pure as the driven snow according to the pga tour.

    To be fair I dont thing a rugby lad could afford to put on as much fat and Bryson and that how he looks so heavy. Sure hes put on muscle too but golfers can carry that fat too but rugby would let them do that. So Id say that how he put on so much so fast. And maybe not in the most healthy way either where other sports are used to building lads up in a creful way so thay can keep playing and dont gut injuries and stuff.


  • Registered Users Posts: 13,863 ✭✭✭✭Dav010


    Rikand wrote: »
    He then compared him to someone like Kyle Berkshire, the long drive world champion. He hits ball speeds of 240, so what Bryson is doing isn't really all that incredible. It's like looking at usain bolt and then someone saying, well theres this other sprinter over here and hes gone from 12 seconds last year to 11 seconds this year for the 100m, something needs to be done about that! Whoever suggested that would be laughed at.

    People didn’t laugh when Ben Johnson went through a body transformation and started running faster than everyone else, they didn’t laugh when Lance Armstrong won the TdF soon after returning to the sport after cancer treatment, they didn’t laugh when Barry Bonds started piling on the pounds and bashing the ball out of the park, there was no giggling when MdeB started winning Olympic medals, what there was in all cases was hints from other athletes that something just wasn’t right.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 296 ✭✭Golf is my Game


    Dav010 wrote: »
    People didn’t laugh when Ben Johnson went through a body transformation and started running faster than everyone else, they didn’t laugh when Lance Armstrong won the TdF soon after returning to the sport after cancer treatment, they didn’t laugh when Barry Bonds started piling on the pounds and bashing the ball out of the park, there was no giggling when MdeB started winning Olympic medals, what there was in all cases was hints from other athletes that something just wasn’t right.

    Oh yes there was. I would have being saying to anyone who would listen at the time that all them were on the steroids. Well Bonds was far away but still thought it.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 32,802 ✭✭✭✭NIMAN


    Dav010 wrote: »
    People didn’t laugh when Ben Johnson went through a body transformation and started running faster than everyone else, they didn’t laugh when Lance Armstrong won the TdF soon after returning to the sport after cancer treatment, they didn’t laugh when Barry Bonds started piling on the pounds and bashing the ball out of the park, there was no giggling when MdeB started winning Olympic medals, what there was in all cases was hints from other athletes that something just wasn’t right.

    You left out Bolt.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 296 ✭✭Golf is my Game


    NIMAN wrote: »
    You left out Bolt.

    All them Jamaicans. No one believes theyve just got better genetics than the Americans or whoever or they got better coaches. No one in their serious mind thinks bolt is clean. But theres nothing to suggest Dechambeau is offside at the moment.
    But that a good point nonetheless Id say Harrington does have to watch his words and stuff with the Ryder Cup so cant be the start of any controversy at all or having a cloud over it like.


  • Registered Users Posts: 776 ✭✭✭Kingswood Rover


    This malarky around Bryson muscling up, i am not so sure he has bulked up yes and he looks like a big late 90's rugby player. What will he be able to do when he gets his body fat down, is cut and lean with the same body weight. I Like him because he is different and taking an approach in the sport that is not known for embracing change. Yes he makes mistakes and come across as brash and self centered but its that type of sport at the the level he is operating at.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,092 ✭✭✭The Tetrarch


    US Masters 2019: Bryson DeChambeau driving distance
    R1 (310.5); R2 (282.5); R3 (307.5); R4 (296.5) = Average 299.25

    Ranked 24th in average driving distance of the 65 players who made the cut in the 2019 US Masters.

    PGA Tour driving distance
    2020 1st
    2019 34th


  • Registered Users Posts: 584 ✭✭✭Waesfjord


    US Masters 2019: Bryson DeChambeau driving distance
    R1 (310.5); R2 (282.5); R3 (307.5); R4 (296.5) = Average 299.25

    Ranked 24th in average driving distance of the 65 players who made the cut in the 2019 US Masters.

    PGA Tour driving distance
    2020 1st
    2019 34th

    It would be be interesting to see similar stats for driver accuracy (fairways hit) to see how much that has deteriorated from 2019 to 2020 with the increase in distance. Is that stat available?


  • Registered Users Posts: 9,194 ✭✭✭TheCitizen


    If the authorities are slack on testing for steroids etc., there’s nothing surer than some will cheat


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,496 ✭✭✭Ceepo


    TheCitizen wrote: »
    If the authorities are slack on testing for steroids etc., there’s nothing surer than some will cheat

    This 100%..

    But with a squeeky clean image to protect and a fan base with their head in the sand..

    There's nothing to see here... So move on back to athletics and cycling where all the drug cheats hang out....


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,092 ✭✭✭The Tetrarch


    Waesfjord wrote: »
    It would be be interesting to see similar stats for driver accuracy (fairways hit) to see how much that has deteriorated from 2019 to 2020 with the increase in distance. Is that stat available?
    Driving accuracy percentage
    2020 110th
    2019 66th

    Off the tee ball speed
    2020 no stats
    2019 42nd

    Driving 320+ yards
    2020 1st
    2019 51st


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