LIV GOLF GREENBRIER

August 5, 2023

Bryson DeChambeau

The Old White

Crushers GC

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We welcome Bryson DeChambeau from Crushers GC, you shot 61 today, 9-under, bogey-free round. Tell us about your day.

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Well, anytime you shoot 9-under on any golf course, it's pretty good. I was pumped about the performance.

Drove it really well. Actually didn't drive it as well as I did yesterday, but I scored so much better today, obviously. Made a lot of putts. Had a couple 30-footers in there that you've got to have in order to shoot 8-, 9-under, and hit some good iron shots in there. Man, just the greens are super soft, and I spun a lot of wedges off the flag.

Gotta work on that a little bit, try and dial that in. Otherwise it was a fantastic round and excited for tomorrow.

Q. You're currently T3, only one off the lead. Obviously you have every opportunity in the world. What do you have to do tomorrow to go out and "crush" the competition?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Just do the same thing tomorrow. Literally do the same thing. If I can drive it well, I have plenty of opportunities out there. Got to hit some good wedge shots, make a few putts, stick to the process, and let the job get done the way it's going to.

Q. Teeing off at 9:00 a.m., do you anticipate the course playing any different than it's played the rest of the week?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: It'll probably be a little softer, so really have to be okay with trying to play some lower flighted shots in there and not trying to create too much spin next to the hole. Just got to work on wedge spin control, and that's it.

Q. You told me earlier this year that you are using a new driver --

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Yeah, I plead the Fifth.

Q. Not talking about it?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: It's a great driver. It's won a bunch of world long drive championships, and it's performed the best -- it's performed -- how do I say this? It's probably performed the best I've ever had in the past five years in professional golf for me, ever since 2018 when I was striping it early in the year.

This driver is definitely (audio interruption) on it too much. I don't want to say too much. It's fantastic for anyone that's over 175 ball speed.

Q. You are one of the hardest grinders out on the range that I've ever seen. You had a bogey-free round today, shot 9-under. It doesn't seem like you have anything to work on, but are you going to go to the range?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Just a cool-down session, and that's really it. Ever since I put this driver into play, it's not been really my golf swing. It's just hit on the toe, hit on the heel, everything comes back down the middle of the fairway, and I'm like, all right, let's go, pick up the tee and let's go. The driver has been really nice. It's allowed me to have some time to myself after rounds instead of going and working my butt off all the time.

Q. You talked about a little bit of change in your putting. Can you kind of just walk us through that.

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: My shoulders were getting open, and for some reason I -- whenever I'm putting my best, I always feel like the line on the putt and the line on the ball, they match up, and I can see the line project out wherever I'm aimed, and when I'm not, if one of those things are off, it's like, I get uncomfortable, and that's when I don't putt as well.

It's usually because either my shoulders are not square or I'm not gripping it correctly, I'm not locked in the way I feel like I should be locked in. So it's going through this process, this systematic process, going okay, this checklist, is this off, is that on, is that off, just trying to understand which little piece is missing. Once it gets all locked in like I did today, I putt really well.

Q. Would you say it was more the putting or your new driver that's --

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Both. I mean, I drove it really well, though, yesterday. Better than today, actually. Obviously the putting was more important because that's what allowed me to shoot that far under par. But the driving was on par if not better than that.

Again, me having this confidence off the tee is crucial to me playing well, and that's what it's provided me so far.

Q. You got so close in Spain, obviously. After something like that where you get that close and you've been trending, obviously, very well, has the process now reached the point where winning is essentially the only other place you can get to?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: I hope it's inevitable. That's my goal. Again, practicing every day doing the right things, giving the right inputs, hopefully creates a better environment for success. That's what I'm working for every single day when I'm out there on the practice greens, chipping green, driving range, prepping on the golf course, going through the same thing and having the right guy on the bag. Just going through the process, making sure we're hitting our numbers, putting, iron play and driver, and letting the results speak for themselves. Can't do much more than that.

Q. Curious how the course plays presently from when you played here four or five years ago.

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Yeah, this year it's a little softer. In years past, 2019, 2018, it was a lot firmer, but I think they had some pretty good rain before this tournament, and it rained quite a long time.

But the conditions are great. They're fantastic. Rough is in solid condition for championship play. Greens are immaculate. Fairways are cut beautifully. You can't ask for much more.

Q. Just had a question about the new guy on your bag, Mr. Greg Bodine. That relationship seems to be clicking. Like you guys are really working well together. Can you talk a little bit about that?

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU: Yeah, I mean, it just -- I don't know what it is. He just allows me to have a lot of fun on the golf course, and that's something I struggle with a lot. It's nice to have someone that can just make a joke after something weird happens or whatever and kind of keep me in the right frame of mind.